1. Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations

2. Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica =Central Mexico south to the northern part of Central America

3. Olmecs The Olmecs were the first inhabitants of the Americas
to construct monumental
architecture and to settle
in towns and cities
Giant stone heads

4. Where did the ancient Maya live?
The Maya settled on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. AD

5. Maya Cities
Palenque—King Pacal was 12 years old-built temple to record his achievements
Tikal--major city of Mayan empire
Chiche̍n Itza̍—largest ball court found

6. Maya Religion The Maya believed in many gods
The Maya practiced human sacrifice
They believed gods needed blood to prevent disasters or the end of the world

7. Maya Architecture Built towering temples and palaces
Used obsidian tools to cut limestone
Atop the temples, priests performed religious ceremonies and sacrifices while people watched from the plazas below
Ceremonial platforms, temples, pyramids, observatories, ball courts all built by the Maya

8. Ball Game Stone court—shaped like capital I
Used heads, shoulders or hips
Bounce heavy rubber ball through stone ring
Winners received jewels and clothes
Losers often sacrificed

9. Maya Farming Tropical forests were cleared for farming
Crops grown included beans, squash, avocados and maize (corn)
Used stone walls to shape
hillsides into flat terraces for
more available farmland

10. Advances in learning The Maya created a writing system of glyphs
They combined these glyphs into groups. The Mayans used more than 800 glyphs.

11. Advances in learning
The Maya were very skilled in mathematics. In fact, they were the first ones to use zero.
This system was more
advanced than those being
used by the ancient Romans,
Greeks, and Egyptians.

12. Advances in learning Built observatories to watch the stars
The Maya developed two calendars:
One with 365 days guided farming activities
One with 260 days
was used for
religious events

13. What happened to the Maya?
The Maya abandoned many of their cities around 900 A.D.
Archaeologists DO NOT KNOW WHY Maya civilization declined
Theories: There was a severe drought. Many died due to starvation others migrated away
Weakened soil due to overuse
Increased warfare
People rebelled against rulers

14. Maya today
…more than 2 million Maya people live in Guatemala and southern Mexico today.

15. Where did the Aztecs live?
The Aztecs lived in what is known as the Valley of Mexico in Central Mexico.

16. Legend of Tenochtitlan
The gods told the Aztecs to search for an eagle holding a snake in its mouth sitting on top of a cactus. This is where they were to build their capital city. The Aztecs saw this sign in a swampy island in the middle of Lake Texcoco.

17. Tenochtitlan Tenochtitlan was built on an island
It was connected to the mainland by causeways leading north, south, and west of the city
The city was interlaced with a series of canals, so that all sections of the city could be visited either on foot or by canoe
They created chinampas,
floating gardens, to create
more farmland

18. Tenochtitlan
Today, Tenochtitlan is Mexico City

19. Aztec Society
The Aztecs created an empire through conquest—warfare most important to them
Conquered people and local rulers had to pay tribute to the Aztecs—food, feathers, gold, cotton were some
Besides getting tribute, the Aztecs
added more conquered lands to
their empire

20. Aztec Society
The Aztecs had an emperor who was the most important person….then were
Nobles who were in government positions
Warriors and Priests were highly respected
Merchants and Artisans were sellers and crafters
Farmers and Laborers made up majority of the population and struggled to survive
Slaves were at the bottom—usually people captured through war

21. Aztec Religion & Mythology
Aztecs believed in many gods
The Aztecs built massive temples
and pyramids dedicated to the gods
Aztec priests regularly made
human sacrifices to please the gods
Cut out hearts to feed the gods
Often went to war for people
to sacrifice

22. Aztec Achievements
Aztecs created a huge trade network—Merchants carried products to and from all parts of the empire
Built beautiful stone temples and pyramids
Created jewelry and masks using gold, gems and feathers
Wove beautiful cloth
Used cacao beans to make
chocolate

23. Aztec Achievements The Aztecs studied astronomy
The Aztecs developed a Calendar similar to the Mayans. It had 365 days a year

24. Aztec Achievements
The Aztecs valued learning—every child attended school. Boys learned trades and warfare. Girls learned cooking and weaving.
Aztecs kept written records of important events. Language was based on symbols representing writing. They would combine symbols to create sentences.
Also had strong oral tradition
passed stories down about
ancestors and gods.

25. What happened to the Aztecs?
Spanish conquistadors led by Hernan Cortes conquered Tenochtitlan and defeated the Aztecs in 1521.
They came to find gold,
claim land and convert
the native people to
Christianity.

26. What happened to the Aztecs?
Quetzalcoatl was a god worshipped by the Aztec peoples.
Was believed that Quetzalcoatl had traveled east across the sea and would one day return, bringing peace
When Hernan Cortes arrived
in 1519 Moctezuma believed
that it might be the return of
Quetzalcoatl and allowed the
Spanish easy entry into
Aztec lands.

27. What happened to the Aztecs?
Moctezuma gave the Spanish gold and gifts.
Cortes took Moctezuma captive wanting more.
The Aztecs attacked the Spanish and drove them out, but Moctezuma was killed in the fighting.
In a year, Cortes came back with help from the conquered people of the Aztecs who resented the Aztecs.
The Spanish had better weapons—cannons, swords and body armor as well as horses.
Diseases like smallpox weakened or killed thousands of Aztecs.
In 1521, the Aztec empire came to an end.

28. Where did the Inca live?
The Inca controlled an empire in the Andes Mountain region of South America.
Mid 1400’s-1537

29. Inca Government
The Inca emperor had absolute power. He claimed to be the son of the sun.
Pachacuti began to expand Inca territory.
Later leaders followed his example.
By 1500, the empire was divided into four regions with the capital at Cuzco, in present day Peru.
Inca civilization extended 2500 miles from Ecuador to Chile with an estimated 12 million people.

30. Inca Government The Inca government controlled all aspects of society.
People were told what work to do and spent time farming or weaving for themselves as well as giving some to the government.
People paid taxes in the form of labor-called the mita system.
No merchants or markets-government distributed goods and supplies to the people through the mita.

31. Inca Society Two main social classes.
Emperor, government officials and priests made up the upper class. Enjoyed many privileges.
Farmers, artisans and servants were in the lower class. There were no slaves.
No written records-everything by told by
runners who carried messages throughout the empire.
Incas passed down history through songs and stories.
Quipus-record keeping with
knotted cords. Knots stood for
numbers. Different colors stood for
crops or other topics.

32. Inca Farming Farmers grew maize and peanuts in the warm valleys.
In the cooler mountains, they carved terraces into the hillsides to grow potatoes.
High in the Andes people raised llamas for wool and meat.

33. Uniting the Empire
The Inca built a massive road network through mountains and across rivers and valleys.
The Incas used an official
language, Quechua.

34. Inca Religion The Inca believed in many gods.
The primary god was Inti, the sun god.
Inca ceremonies included sacrifices.
Unlike the Maya and Aztec, they
rarely sacrificed humans, usually
llamas, cloth or food.

35. Inca Achievements
The Inca were known for expert masonry, or stonework.
The Inca constructed stone temples and walls without using iron tools or mortars yet the stones fit together so well that a knife would not fit between the stones.
They also did not
have the wheel
for help.

36. Inca Achievements
Artisans made pottery as well as gold and silver jewelry and statues.
Inca weavers made cloth from cotton and the wool of llamas to make beautiful textiles.

37. Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu was rediscovered in 1911 by explorer Hiram Bingham. It sits one and a half miles high on a mountaintop in Peru once inhibited by the Inca civilization.
Bingham thought it must have been a special religious city because of the fine stonework, however archaeologists believe it was some type of vacation resort for Inca nobles.
Over 3,000 steps connect the levels of the city and farming terraces.
It could only be reached by a log bridge on a sheer cliff.
If enemies threatened the citizens there, they would simply draw back the bridge.

38. Fall of the Inca
Ultimately, it was Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro that brought about the fall of the Inca Empire.

39. Fall of the Inca
A civil war in the Inca empire started after the ruler’s death between his two sons for the power.
Atahualpa was the victor but the Inca army was weakened.
Pizarro and about 180 men arrived in the Inca empire
Atahualpa and soldiers came to meet them and were attacked by the Spanish.
Even though the Spanish were outnumbered, they caught the Incas by surprise and captured Atahualpa and killed thousands of Inca soldiers.

40. Fall of the Inca
To win his freedom, Atahualpa asked his people to fill a room with gold and silver for Pizarro.
The precious metals would have been worth millions today.
Despite the payment, Atahualpa was killed.
Some Incas fought back after Atahualpa’s death but the Spanish eventually won.
Pizarro defeated the last of the Incas in 1537.
Spain took control over the entire Inca empire and ruled for the next 300 years.