1. Chapter 12: Latin America Shaped by its history
12-1 Early Civilizations of Middle America.

2. The Mayas
The Mayas were an ancient people who lived in Central America and Southern Mexico.
They lived from about 250 – 900 A.D.
They built great cities in present day countries of Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.

3. Large temples often stood in the middle of Mayan cities.
The Mayas worshipped many gods and would perform religious acts that included human sacrifice to please their gods.
Mayan priests studied the stars and planets. They invented an accurate calendar.
The calendar was used to decide when to hold religious celebrations.

4. The Mayas created a system of writing called hieroglyphics.
Their greatest inventions was the idea of the number Zero.
With a writing system, Mayans were able to write books. Their books were made out of paper created from tree bark.
Most of the people were farmers and worked in the field near the cities. With their most important crop being maize, or corn.

5. In about 900 A.D., the Mayas suddenly left their cities.
Nobody knows why!
Many believe it may been due to war, disease, drought or starvation killed many of them. Or people rebelled against the control of the priest and nobles.

6. The Aztec Empire
The Aztecs arrived in the area in the 1100’s, they settled on an island in Lake Texcoco.
There they created a great city called Tenochtitlan. Which became their capital city.
The Aztecs began conquering other people.
They forced the conquered to pay tribute, or taxes.

7. An emperor ruled over the Aztec lands. Nobles and priests helped him.
Most of the people were farmers
When farming land was running out they created new farmland by building floating gardens.
Priests preformed ceremonies such as human sacrifice to please the gods.
They also created an accurate calendar.

8. The Aztecs used hieroglyphics to help them keep records.
Aztec doctors made more then 1000 medicines from plants. They also set broken bones and practiced dentistry.
Trade was usually done by barter – to trade goods for other goods.
Unlike the Mayas, the Aztecs did not abandon their cities. Instead, people from far away conquered them.

9. What do you think happen to the Mayans?
Questions:
Answers:
What do you think happen to the Mayans?
Which civilization would you have wanted to be apart of and why?
Summary:
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10. 12-2 The Incas People of the Sun
The Incas first settle in Cuzco in about 1200 A.D.
Cuzco, a city in present-day Peru, was a village in the Andes Mountains.
It became the Incan capital.
Most Incas were farmers who grew maize and other crops.

11. 1438 – Pachacuti became ruler of in the Incas
1438 – Pachacuti became ruler of in the Incas. He forced people who were not loyal off their land.
Pachacuti’s son, Topa Inca, later became emperor and expanded the Incan empire.
He expanded the empire that included present day Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.

12. Incan Civilization
The Incan emperor carefully chose nobles to govern each province (state).
Nobles conducted a census so that the people could be taxed .
The government would care for the poor, sick and elderly Incas.

13. Without a written language, Incan officials and traders relied on a quipu to keep track of information.
Quipu – knotted string used by the Incas to track information.
The Incas built large road system high in the mountains of the Andes.
The roads helped the government to rule the empire.
Rope bridges were also built to help travel in the empire.

14. The Incas also built canals and aqueducts to irrigate land that would otherwise be too dry to grow crops.
Using stones they built cities, palaces, temples and fortresses without the use of modern tools.
They used hammers and chisels to cut stones so perfect that they fit together without the use of cement.

15. The most famous Incan ruin is called Machu Picchu.
Roads and stairs cut into the side of the mountain.

17. Like the Mayas and the Aztecs the Incas believed in many gods and practiced human sacrifice.
One of their most important gods was the sun god, Inti.
The Incas believed that Inti was their parent.
The Incas called themselves the “Children of the Sun.”

18. The Quechua: Descendants of the Incas
The Spanish conquered the Incan empire in the 1500’s,
However, people descended from the Incas still line in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and Colombia.
They speak Quechua the Incan language.
Today they live much like the ancients Incas did high in the Andes Mountain range.

19. What are some of the benefits of the Incan road system?
Questions:
Answers:
What are some of the benefits of the Incan road system?
How would the canals and aqueduct system help the Incas?
Summary:
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20. 12-3 European Conquest 1492 Columbus discovers the new world.
Spain and Portugal competed for land in the Americas.
In 1492 these two countries signed the Treaty of Tordesillas.
This created an imaginary line from the North Pole to the South Pole. 45’W
Spain – West of the line
Portugal - East of the line

21. The Spanish conquistador Cortes went to Mexico in 1519.
The Aztecs’ enemies helped Cortes attack Tenochtitlan and kill the Aztec emperor, Moctezuma.
In 1521 the Aztecs surrendered to the Spanish.

22. Francisco Pizarro arrived in South America in 1531.
He had 180 soldiers and with in 4 years he was able to conquer most of the Incan empire.
The Spanish were able to do this because they had better weapons, including guns and cannons.
Also they brought new diseases that wiped out whole villages.

23. Colonization
Settlers from Europe began arriving in Latin America.
The Catholic Church sent missionaries to spread Christianity to Native Americans.
Spain ruled most of the Americas south of what is now the United States.
The territory was divided into provinces.

24. The two most important provinces were New Spain and Peru.
The people with the most power came from Spain or had Spanish parents.
People of mixed Spanish and Native Americans ancestry were called Mestizos.
Native Americans had the least power.

25. At first the Native Americans were forced to work only on haciendas.
When silver was found, they also had to work in the mines.
Many Native Americans died from overwork, lack of food and illness.
As their population dropped, the Spanish imported African slaves to do the work.

26. Questions:
Answers:
What were two reasons the conquistadors were able to conquer the Aztecs and the Incas?
Mestizo
Hacienda
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