Ancient Civilizations of the

Americas

Define Mesoamerica as it described on page 352___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mesoamerica

Olmecs

Lived - near Gulf of Mexico

around 1400-500 BC Cities - large cities that were

centers for religious rituals Gov’t - Strong class of priests and

aristocrats Legacy –

Built 10ft high heads that weighed 40 tons & moved them 40 miles!

First to practice bloodletting Laid foundation for future civs in Mexico

The Olmecs

The Olmecs

Olmecs

Mayans

Lived – throughout S. Mexico to

Central America between 300-900 AD

Cities – composed of complex city-states

Gov’t – hereditary ruling class

The Mayans

Achievements:

Writing system – based on hieroglyphics. All books were burned by the Spanish

Accurate 365 day calendar Developed a numbering system

using zero Magnificent palaces & pyramids

(tallest in N. America until 1903)

The Mayans

Olmecs

MayansAztecs

Lived – conquered most of Mexico between 1200-1500

Capital city: Tenochtitlan (an island on Lake Texcoco) Now the location of Mexico City

Gov’t – single ruler chosen by nobles & priests

The Aztecs

Social classes

Warriors could rise to Noble status Farmers majority of population

(used chinampas or floating gardens) Slaves could own land & buy freedom

Religion Huitzilopochtli the sun god (chief god) Battled the forces of darkness each night Performed 1,000s of human sacrifices

The Aztecs

Fell to Spanish in 1500s

Montezuma – Aztec ruler originally thought Spanish explorer, Hernan Cortes, was a representative of Quetzacoatl, the god who had departed from his homeland centuries before.

Spanish kidnapped Montezuma and killed him Eventually Aztec empire fell due to diseases brought

by Spanish.

The Aztecs

Lived: conquered a vast empire in

S. America stretching over 2,500+ miles.

Incan empire united by: Strong Gov’t

Divine Right ruler Nobles helped manage provinces (states)

The Incans

The Incans

Great road system 12,000 miles (far surpassing Roman roads) Easier to spread information & collect taxes Move armies quickly

Incan Roads & Bridges

Quipu (a.k.a. talking knots)

Colored thread or strings from llama or alpaca hair

Used as recording devices by the Incans

Cords contained numeric and other values encoded by knots

Quipus might have just a few or up to 2,000 cords.

The Incans

The Incans

Fall of the Incans When Emperor died led to

civil war Spanish invasion

60-90% died from smallpox

Legacy Machu Picchu

Estate of Incan ruler Built at 8k feet Abandoned (b/c of Spainards)

until 1911