Objectives:• Students will identify characteristics of Maya civilization.• Students will discover what made the Aztec empire one of the

strongest in the ancient Americas.• Students will identify how the Inca Empire was organized.

Main Idea Civilizations in Mesoamerica were some of the earliest and most advanced in the Americas.

Native American Civilization

Large civilization • Olmec, Zapotec, Toltec small in

comparison • Developed around 1000 BC• More than 40 cities of 5,000 to

100,000 each at height

Rain forest challenges• Slash-and burn agriculture • Clearing forest land for crops• Flat terraces built in hillsides to control

erosion

Early Maya Civilization• First lived in small villages • Grew corn, beans, squash• Good rainfall, rich soils

Trade developed• Farming did not provide all needs• Villages traded for cotton, jade• Trade of cacao, salt, obsidian helped

villages grow to cities

The Maya

Cities and Government• Most cities built between AD 250 and 900, the Classic Age• Cities Tikal and Copan among the most spectacular in Mesoamerica• Brightly painted pyramids, temples and palaces found there

Cities linked• Highlands traded jade, obsidian for cotton, rubber, cacao from lowlands• Cities also linked by warfare with each other• Through battles kings tried to gain land, power

City-States• Each had own ruler and government• No ruler ever united the cities into single empire• Cities linked even without central government

The Maya

Achievements• Impressive buildings and architecture, including canals• Advances in astronomy, math, writing• Observed movements of sun, moon, planets

Number and writing systems• Number system included new concepts, including “zero”• Complex writing system of glyphs, or symbols, representing objects, sounds• Carved writing in stone, also in bark-paper book called a codex

Calendar system• Created based on astronomical observations• 365-day farming, 260-day religious calendars• More accurate than that used in Europe at same time

The Maya

http://youtu.be/q0kOyGZxKh4

chichen itza

Tulum Ruins

Mayan Ruins

http://youtu.be/qhWItvjk9Yg

The Maya

Decline of Mayan civilization, AD 900

• Caused by number of factors

– Environmental damage, drought (slash and burn agriculture)

– Warfare increased over competition for land, destroyed more crops

– Abuse of power by strong kings

• Civilization declined but did not disappear

– Maya moved from forest to coastal cities

– Remained for several hundred years

The coat of arms in the center of the flag is inspired by an Aztec legend that predates today's Mexico by 700 years. Before the founding of Tenochtitlan, the capital city of the Aztecs, an ancient prophecy told the people how they would know where to build. The site would be revealed by a sign: an eagle eating a snake while sitting atop a cactus. That spot, the marshy Lake Texcoco, was drained and cultivated by the Aztecs and became the thriving civilization upon whose remains the modern cities of Mexico are now built.

In addition to being farmers, the Aztecs were also fierce warriors. They began fighting to control other towns around Lake Texcoco.

About the time that Mayan cities in Yucatán reached their height, the Aztecs began to rise to power in the north. The early Aztecs were a small group of unlucky farmers from northwestern Mexico, who in time created the most powerful empire in Mesoamerica.

• Began as separate farming tribes• Probably subject of the Toltecs• Legend: settle where they saw an

eagle on a cactus eating a snake• Migrated south to Valley of Mexico,

1100s• Good farmland already taken

Rise of the Empire

The Aztecs

• A swampy island in valley• Site where legend says Aztecs saw

eagle and snake• Founded city of Tenochtitlán• From here, continued rise to power

Lake Texcoco

Map of Tenochtitlan, possibly made for Cortes. Woodcut from Praeclara Ferdinandi Cortesii de Nova Maris Oceani Hispania Narratio, Nürnberg, 1524 (first publication of Cortes's letters.) Courtesy of the New York Public Library.

http://youtu.be/_nS6MpVbB_g

• Tribute paid in many forms, feathers, food, pottery, blankets

• Tribute was basis of economy• Gained wealth and strength through

trade as well• System of roads aided trade of goods

like jade, cacao• Merchants also acted as spies for

Aztec emperor

Wealth and Strength• Aztecs gained strength in 1420s with

alliance with Texcoco and Tlacopan• Alliance gained control over huge

region beyond Lake Texcoco• Aztecs ruled 400 to 500 other city

states, 5 million people• Required conquered people to pay

tribute

Conquering WarriorsThe Aztecs

Tenochtitlán• Capital city of Aztec empire• Covered 5 square miles• Population of about 200,000• One of largest cities in world at time• Site of present day Mexico City

• Walled compound at city center• Pyramid with two temples on top• Other temples, government buildings,

palaces, a ball court• Political and religious heart of the

empire• First Europeans, “enchanted vision”

Enchanted Vision

• Swampy island in middle of lake• Not much land for farming• Aztecs built floating gardens at city’s

edge• Tenochtitlán connected by canals and

causeways to biggest market• Vendors paid tax to support army

Floating Gardens

The Aztecs

Just as the economy of the Aztec Empire was highly organized, so was its society, with the king at the top, followed by priests.

• King was part of royal family, but had to be elected

• Lived in palace at Tenochtitlán• Certain nobles served as government

officials• Just below king were priests

– Interpreted calendars– Performed religious ceremonies

Society and Religion• Believed gods needed blood• Sacrificed as many as 20,000 victims a

year • European perspective, “walls

splashed and caked with blood…stank abominably”

• Slaves. prisoners used for sacrifices• Certain warriors who captured victims

also upper class

Religious Ceremonies

The Aztecs

• Desert people, 200 BC to AD 600, best known for huge designs on desert floor

• Many theories, including having to do with location of water

• Built irrigation canals and relied on springs, flooding of streams to water crops

• Farming supported large population

The Nazca

Early Cultures in South America

http://youtu.be/FRNNjbBCGMI

Inca’s expansive empire • Brought entire South American region

into one empire • Began as small Andean tribe• Early 1500s, empire expanded along

Pacific coast, Andes

Ruling a large empire• Incas needed strong government• Emperor had most power• Did not want conquered people to

rebel

Government• Period of rapid expansion began 1400s

from Cuzco• Pachacuti used political alliances,

military force • Expanded by later leaders

Creating stability• Moved leaders of conquered areas out • Moved loyal new leaders in• Military used to protect against

rebellion, external attacks

The Inca Empire

Economy• Strictly controlled by government• Common people required to pay labor tax, called the mita• Government told each household what work to do to pay tax

Tracking goods• Inca used quipu, colored and knotted cords representing numbers, dates• No written language, quipu used to record taxes, number livestock, census• Road system improved communication, helped government control economy

Mita• Paid by weaving cloth, working on government farms, mines, building roads• No merchants, goods distributed by government• Extra food, goods stored in government warehouses for emergencies

The Inca Empire

The government also played a big role in Inca society. Each family was grouped with others into a cooperative community called an ayllu.

• Members shared activities like farming, building canals, rituals

• Each group of ten ayllus had chief

• Chain of command from emperor down to local level

Ayllu• No slaves• Most belonged to lower

class– Farmers – Artisans– Servants

• Wore plain clothes• Could not own more

than needed• Served upper class

Class Divisions

• King, government officials, priests

• Lived in capital, Cuzco– Stone houses– Fine clothes– Did not pay tax– Attended school to

prepare to be officials

Upper Class

The Inca Empire

The Inca Empire

Religion a key element of Inca society

People allowed to worship local gods

– Sun god was most important of all

– Believed kings related to sun god

• Main temple located in Cuzco

– Mummies of dead kings worshipped

– Religious ceremonies often included sacrifices of llamas, cloth or food, rarely humans

MACHU PICCHU