Section 1- Civilizations of Middle America

Section 2- The World of the Incas

Section 3- Peoples of North America

The Aztecs had a complex system of religious beliefs. But like many other religions they believed that the world would one day come to a fiery end.

According to the Aztec legend of the Five Suns the universe had been created and destroyed five times in the past.

People living under the first sun had been destroyed by jaguars

People living under the second sun had been swept away by wind

People of the third sun perished in the fire and ash of volcanoes

People living under the fourth sun had been swallowed by water

The people living under the fifth sun represented the time of the Aztec empire

• The legend of the five suns reflects the important role of the sun in Aztec religion and the feeling of helplessness when it came to the force of nature.

During the last ice age so much water froze into thick ice sheets that the sea level dropped which exposed a land

bridge between Siberia and Alaska. Hunters followed herds of animals cross the bridge and others paddled small boats

and fished along the coast. Climates grew warmer, the ice melted and the water level

rose covering the land bridge under the Bering Strait As this happened people adapted by hunting smaller

animals gathering fruits and vegetable and fishing and they slowly migrated eastward and southward across the

AmericasThey also cultivated the land and domesticated animals but

the lack of draft animals limited development in some areas.

The agricultural revolution helped people settle into villages where population expanded, people grew into religious

centers, and eventually into great cities

The Olmecs were the first American civilization. They emerged in the tropical forest along the Mexican Gulf Coast and lasted from about

1400 BC to 500 BC. Rich tombs and temples suggest a powerful class of priests and aristocrats. They made

ceremonial centers. The most significant remains of the Olmec

civilization are the giant carved stone heads. Through trade their influence spread over a wide area . They also invented a calendar and used carved inscriptions as a form of writing. But their most important tradition was of

priestly leadership and religious devotion.

Mayans• Mayan civilizations flourished from 300 AD

to about 900 from southern mexico to Central America

• Mayan farmers cleared fields that caught and held rainwater and then built raised fields that caught and held rainwater

• Temples were also where priests were buried. Large palaces and huge stone pillars were covered with carvings.

• Each Mayan city had its own ruling chief surrounded by nobles and officials. Most Mayans were farmers and grew corn beans, squash, fruit trees, cotton and beautiful flowers.

• They developed a hieroglyphic writing system, an accurate calendar, and invented a writing system

• At about 900 AD the Mayans abandoned their cities possibly because of frequent warfare, revolts, or overpopulation

Each Aztec city state had its own king, but an emperor was chosen to lead during war. Under them were nobles, then warriors, commoners and finally slaves. The priests were in a class of their own and performed rituals to please the gods. The Aztecs offered human sacrifices to please the god. Priests recorded laws and historical events. They had an accurate calendar. They also used herbs and medicines set broken bones, and treated other illnesses.

Incan empire

• The Incan empire had a wide variety of climates and terrains in Western America. The people settled in fishing villages along the coast of Peru and expanded inland where they grew crops and eventually domesticated animals.

• Pachacuti was the founder of the Incan empire, and he was called Sapa. He claimed that he was the son of the sun god and owned everything. They ran an efficient government from the capital at Cuzco. They imposed their own religion called Quechua, and created a road system that wound for more then 12,00 miles. It allowed news t travel rapidly throughout the empire, but all roads led to the capital at Cuzco.

• The Incas strictly regulated the lives of the people within the empire.

• Farmers used terraces which kept rains from washing away the soil and the government took part of each harvest

• The Incas were polytheistic and each month had its own festival.

• The Apopanaca made a selection amongst a group of girls and the girls that were chosen would be trained to serve the sun god. At the age of 16 when the training was over some of the girls would be married off to high class families while others would spend their lives in service of the sun god.

• The Mayans excelled in learning; they made advancements in medicine and astronomy and used herbs and antiseptics to cure illnesses

• But when Huayna Capac dies a civil war broke out over who would be his successor.

• Fields of corn, beans and squash bloomed in the desert southwest, to farm the built a complex irrigation system.

• The Hohokams lived near the Gila River and built temple mounds and ball courts

• The Anasazi was the best known society of the southwest and they lived in the four corners region

• The Anasazi built kivas which was an underground chamber used for religious ceremonies

• They built houses near cliff dwellings to protect from raiders but a drought forced them to leave and attacks by Navajo and Apache tribes may have contributed to their decline

• The Adena and Hopewell people left behind huge earthen mounds in the shape of cones or animals

• The Cahokia people grew richer through food surpluses and built mounds that were even homes for nobles and rulers or temples

Native American Culture Groups of North America

• Arctic/Sub arctic- lived as nomadic hunters and food gatherers in cold climates, honored ocean weather and animal spirits

• Northwest Coast- lived in villages, benefited from natural resources in forests rivers and oceans, and they held potlatches

• California/Great Basin Plateau- lived as hunters and gatherers in small family groups, ate mainly fish berries and acorns

• Southwest- lived in villages in homes made of adobe, built irrigation systems to grow crops honored earth sky and water spirits

• Great Plains- lived in tepees, men hunted and women grew crops, relied on buffalo for food shelter and clothing

• Eastern Woodlands- lived in farming villages but also hunted for food longhouses were shared by many families and women held much of the social and political power

• Southeast-grew corn squash beans and other crops, held yearly Green Corn Ceremony to mark the end of the year and celebrate the harvest

Iroquois

• Because of the Prophet Dekanawidah, five nations who spoke the same language formed the Iroquois League and were at piece with one another

• The Iroquois League did not always succeed in keeping the peace, but they were the best organized political group north of Mexico