1. Maya, Aztec, Inca

2. Meso-America
Meso-America was home to 3 major civilizations in Pre-Columbian times.
Pre-Columbian means before the time of exploration (think before Columbus)
The 3 highly developed civilizations were:
Mayans
Aztecs
Incas

3. Mayans The Mayans were a powerful civilization from 1500BCE-1548CE
Their economy was based on Farming, Trade, and Artisans
Their religion was polytheistic
That meant they believed in more than one god
The priests did human sacrifices to please these gods.

4. Mayans Their capital city was Tikal
The Mayans had many important achievements:
Hieroglyphics, a writing system “glyphs”
An accurate calendar of 365 days to plan agriculture
A number system that included the idea of zero
Chichen Itza was an observatory:

5. Yucatán Peninsula
-Maya were found in the Yucatan Peninsula
and Part of Guatemala
Maya: Between 300 and 900 A.D.
-Flourished during this time. We do not know why it fell into decline. The Maya abandoned their cities, we do not know why.
Political and Social Structure
Cities-Were built around a central pyramid
Pyramid-Was topped with a shrine to the gods.
City-States-Each governed by a hereditary ruling class

6. Mayan Kings
-Ruled the Mayan Kingdom
They claimed they were divine
Were assisted by nobles and a class of scribes
Made special blood sacrifices to maintain the kingdom.
People
-Included townspeople, skilled artisans, and, officials, and merchants.
Many people were peasant farmers who worked on terraced hillsides farming.
Men did the fighting and hunting, women made cornmeal and were responsible for homemaking and raising children.

7. Religion The Maya were Polytheistic.
They believed that all of life was in the hands of
a divine power.
They were responsible for pleasing the gods.
Their gods were ranked in order of importance, the Jaguar was the god of night and was seen as evil.
The Maya practiced human sacrifice to appease their gods.
Human sacrifice was also used to mark special occasions.
When a king ascended to the throne war
captives were tortured and beheaded
to mark the occasion.

8. Accomplishments
Language
The Maya developed an independent Hieroglyphic language.
The Spanish destroyed most of the Mayan writings. They were not seen as having any value. Their language was not translated until the 20th century.

9. Calendar
The Maya developed a calendar that had two different parts.
It had a solar calendar with 365 days, divided into 18 months with 20 days each with 5 extra days at the end.
A Lunar calendar and a Calendar based on the movement of the Planet Venus. This was a sacred calendar with 260 days and 13 weeks of 20 days each.
The Mayan calendar says our present world was created in 3114 B.C. and the current calendar restarted on December A.D.

10. Tikal

11. Chichén Itzá

13. Mayan civilization
Located in the Mexican and Central American rain forest
Represented by Chichen Itza
Groups of city-states ruled by kings
Economy based on agriculture and trade
Polytheistic religion: Pyramids

14. Aztec Civilization
Located in arid valley in central Mexico
Represented by Tenochtitlan
Ruled by an emperor
Economy based on agriculture and tribute from conquered peoples
Polytheistic religion: pyramids, rituals

15. Aztecs The Aztecs were a powerful civilization from 1400-1520CE
Their economy was based on agriculture and warriors expanding the empire by capturing goods and prisoners
Their religion was polytheistic

16. Aztecs
Their capital city was Tenochtitlan. It was built on islands and floating rafts (current day Mexico City)
The Aztecs had many important achievements:
Strict legal system, they used the death penalty
Education for Aztec children
Gold and silver jewelry

17. Aztecs The Aztecs were unpopular with their neighbors
Why? They kidnapped them for human sacrifices
The EFFECT of this was: neighboring people led explorers and conquistadors to Aztecs
Conquered by the Spanish conquistador Cortez

18. The Aztec began c. 12th century A.D.
Began a long migration that brought
them into the Valley of Mexico.
They established their capital
city at Tenochtitlán.
Tenochtitlán- means the Place of the Prickly Pear Cactus.
An Aztec legend said that when the people found their new home they would see an eagle perched on a cactus holding a snake. They saw this in lake Texcoco.
Their city was built up on rafts made from reeds and covered with dirt. They were called chinampas. Present-Day Mexico-City is built on top of this city. The original was destroyed by the Spanish.

20. Political and Social Structure
By 1500 there were about 4 million people in the Aztec Empire.
Aztec Emperor
Ruled over the Aztec Empire.
Was the supreme leader of the people.
He claimed that he was divine.
People
Made up of commoners, indentured workers, and slaves.
Most people were farmers, but they also traded with people in the surrounding areas.
Men were to be the warriors, while a woman’s role was to be in the home. Women were allowed to own and inherit property and enter contracts. Women wove textiles and raised children. They could also be priestesses.

21. Religion
Had a polytheistic religion based on warfare.
Huitzilopochtli
Their chief god. He was the god of the sun. The Aztec
offered him human sacrifice to give him strength to battle the forces of darkness each night so that he could rise each morning.
Quetzalcoatl
The feathered Serpent
He believed he had left the valley of
Mexico and promised to return in triumph.
Human Sacrifice
Each Aztec city contained a pyramid where they
practiced human sacrifice as a way to postpone
the end of the world.

22. Destruction of the Aztec
The subjugation of the people of the Aztec
Empire bred hatred and discontent among the
people. When the Spanish arrived they did
not have a difficult time finding allies to fight
the Aztec.
Hernán Cortés 1519
Spanish Conquistador who came to the valley of Mexico in 1519 with 550 soldiers and 16 horses. He was at first greeted by the Aztec Emperor Montezuma (Moctezuma). The Spanish later kidnapped the Emperor and made him a puppet. The people rebelled and the Emperor was killed. The Spanish barely escaped.
The Spanish returned several months later. Many of the natives had fallen ill with Smallpox. Cortés and his allies destroyed the Aztec capital and subjugated the Aztec people.

24. Tenochtitlan: The “Venice” of the Americas

25. Aztec Chinampa or Floating Garden: 15ft. to 30ft. wide

26. Tenochtitlan - Chinampas

27. Aztec Sun Stone -- Calendar

28. Aztecs Sacrifice Neighboring Tribes to the Sun God

29. Incas The Incas were a powerful civilization from 1200-1535CE
Their economy was based on agriculture, and silver/gold jewelry trade
Their religion was polytheistic

30. Incas Their capital city was Cuzco
Machu Picchu was high in the Andes Mts (terrace farming)
The Incas had many important achievements:
Stone covered roads to connect empire (bridges)
Architecture included stone palaces, temples, fortress
Advanced medicine, example: brain surgery

31. Late 1300's Inca
The Inca started as a small group that were located in Cuzco. They did not begin to become powerful until after the fall of the Moche of Peru.
Pachacuti
Unified the Inca and established the Inca Empire.

32. Organization of the Empire
Incan state was built on war.
The conquered peoples were all taught the same language.
Each region was appointed a governor who answered to the Emperor.
Road System: 24, 800 miles of Road
The Inca built roads to unify their people. Roads made travel and communication throughout the empire more efficient.
There were rest houses and storage depots along with bridges to span ravines and waterways.

33. Culture
Were required to marry from within their own social group.
Women were expected to live at home, the only alternative was to be a priestess.
Most people were farmers, they also herded llamas and alpacas.
Quipu-A system of knotted strings used by the Inca to keep records.

34. Great Builders
They had great buildings made of stone held without mortar. Their roads also show their ability as great builders.
Machu Picchu
City built at 8,000 ft above sea level.
Urubamba River
River below Machu Picchu

35. Inca Gold & Silver

37. Incan Terrace Farming

38. Defeat
The Spanish arrived in 1531
1531: Francisco Pizarro
Spanish Conquistador led a band of 180 men with
superior weapons.
The Inca, like the Aztec, were devastated by disease.
Smallpox
Devastated the Population
Civil War
After the death of the Inca Emperor a civil war broke out, Pizarro took advantage and defeated the people.
Pizarro and his men established Lima as the new capital of the Spanish Colony in 1535.

39. Incan Civilization
Located in the Andes Mountains of South America
Represented by Machu Picchu
Ruled by an emperor
Economy based on high-altitude agriculture
Polytheistic religion
Road System

40. Achievements of Mayan, Aztec, and Incan civilizations
• Calendars
• Mathematics
• Writing system and other record-keeping systems