1. The Olmec The first great Mesoamerican culture was the Olmec, who lived on the Gulf of Mexico. They developed the beginnings of a calendar and writing. Used slash and burn farming Unsure why civilization declined

2. The Maya Maya mathematicians devised a number system that included zero long before Europeans. Maya scholars also developed a complex system of writing with pictures. The Maya civilization began to decline after A.D. 800 and archaeologists are unsure why.

3. The Aztec The Aztec gained control the Toltec empire of 5 million people. The Aztec capital is on the site of present day Mexico City A class system developed in Aztec society. The Aztec viewed warfare as a sacred duty. Believed in human sacrifice

4. The Inca The Inca was the largest empire in the Americas at the time. Located in the Andes Mountains. The Inca forced their newly conquered subject to manual labor. Inca laborers built massive buildings as well as thousands of miles of roads that linked the vast empire.

5. Early Cultures of North America

6. The Anasazi constructed multistory rock and adobe dwellings in the Southwest. They abandoned their communities in about 1300. The Anasazi are the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians

7. The Hohokam lived approximately from ad 200 to 1400 in present-day central and southern Arizona, largely along the Gila and Salt rivers. The term Hohokam is said to be Pima for “those who have vanished.”

8. The Adena and Hopewell cultures were located in the eastern woodlands of North America. These cultures are known as Mound Builders, created elaborate burial mounds in Ohio and extending to Kentucky and New York.