Transcript Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations

Maya, Aztec, and Inca
Civilizations
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica =Central Mexico south to the
northern part of Central America
Olmecs
• The Olmecs were the first
inhabitants of the Americas
to construct monumental
architecture and to settle
in towns and cities
• Giant stone heads
Where did the ancient Maya live?
• The Maya settled on the Yucatan Peninsula in
Mexico.
• AD 250-900
Maya Cities
• Palenque—King Pacal was 12 years old-built
temple to record his achievements
• Tikal--major city of Mayan empire
• Chiche̍n Itza̍—largest ball court found
Maya Religion
• The Maya believed in many gods
• The Maya practiced human sacrifice
• They believed gods needed blood to prevent
disasters or the end of the world
Maya Architecture
• Built towering temples and palaces
• Used obsidian tools to cut limestone
• Atop the temples, priests performed religious
ceremonies and sacrifices while people watched
from the plazas below
• Ceremonial platforms, temples, pyramids,
observatories, ball courts all built by the Maya
Ball Game
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Stone court—shaped like capital I
Used heads, shoulders or hips
Bounce heavy rubber ball through stone ring
Winners received jewels and clothes
Losers often sacrificed
Maya Farming
• Tropical forests were cleared for farming
• Crops grown included beans, squash,
avocados and maize (corn)
• Used stone walls to shape
hillsides into flat terraces for
more available farmland
Advances in learning
• The Maya created a writing system of glyphs
• They combined these glyphs into groups. The
Mayans used more than 800 glyphs.
Advances in learning
• The Maya were very skilled in mathematics. In
fact, they were the first ones to use zero.
• This system was more
advanced than those being
used by the ancient Romans,
Greeks, and Egyptians.
Advances in learning
• Built observatories to watch the stars
• The Maya developed two calendars:
One with 365 days guided farming activities
One with 260 days
was used for
religious events
What happened to the Maya?
• The Maya abandoned many of their cities around
900 A.D.
• Archaeologists DO NOT KNOW WHY Maya
civilization declined
• Theories: There was a severe drought. Many died
due to starvation others migrated away
Weakened soil due to overuse
Increased warfare
People rebelled against rulers
Maya today
…more than 2 million Maya people live in
Guatemala and southern Mexico today.
Where did the Aztecs live?
• The Aztecs lived in what is known as the Valley
of Mexico in Central Mexico.
• 1325-1521
Legend of Tenochtitlan
The gods told the Aztecs to search for an eagle
holding a snake in its mouth sitting on top of a
cactus. This is where they were to build their
capital city. The Aztecs saw this sign in a
swampy island in the middle of Lake Texcoco.
Tenochtitlan
• Tenochtitlan was built on an island
• It was connected to the mainland by
causeways leading north, south, and west of
the city
• The city was interlaced with a series of canals,
so that all sections of the city could be visited
either on foot or by canoe
• They created chinampas,
floating gardens, to create
more farmland
Tenochtitlan
• Today, Tenochtitlan is
Mexico City
Aztec Society
• The Aztecs created an empire through
conquest—warfare most important to them
• Conquered people and local rulers had to pay
tribute to the Aztecs—food, feathers, gold,
cotton were some
• Besides getting tribute, the Aztecs
added more conquered lands to
their empire
Aztec Society
• The Aztecs had an emperor who was the most
important person….then were
• Nobles who were in government positions
• Warriors and Priests were highly respected
• Merchants and Artisans were sellers and crafters
• Farmers and Laborers made up majority of the
population and struggled to survive
• Slaves were at the bottom—usually people
captured through war
Aztec Religion & Mythology
• Aztecs believed in many gods
• The Aztecs built massive temples
and pyramids dedicated to the gods
• Aztec priests regularly made
human sacrifices to please the gods
• Cut out hearts to feed the gods
• Often went to war for people
to sacrifice
Aztec Achievements
• Aztecs created a huge trade network—Merchants
carried products to and from all parts of the
empire
• Built beautiful stone temples and pyramids
• Created jewelry and masks using gold, gems and
feathers
• Wove beautiful cloth
• Used cacao beans to make
chocolate
Aztec Achievements
• The Aztecs studied astronomy
• The Aztecs developed a Calendar similar to
the Mayans. It had 365 days a year
Aztec Achievements
• The Aztecs valued learning—every child
attended school. Boys learned trades and
warfare. Girls learned cooking and weaving.
• Aztecs kept written records of important
events. Language was based on symbols
representing writing. They would combine
symbols to create sentences.
• Also had strong oral tradition
passed stories down about
ancestors and gods.
What happened to the Aztecs?
• Spanish conquistadors led by Hernan Cortes
conquered Tenochtitlan and defeated the Aztecs in
1521.
• They came to find gold,
claim land and convert
the native people to
Christianity.
What happened to the Aztecs?
• Quetzalcoatl was a god worshipped by the Aztec peoples.
• Was believed that Quetzalcoatl had traveled east across
the sea and would one day return, bringing peace
• When Hernan Cortes arrived
in 1519 Moctezuma believed
that it might be the return of
Quetzalcoatl and allowed the
Spanish easy entry into
Aztec lands.
What happened to the Aztecs?
• Moctezuma gave the Spanish gold and gifts.
• Cortes took Moctezuma captive wanting more.
• The Aztecs attacked the Spanish and drove them out,
but Moctezuma was killed in the fighting.
• In a year, Cortes came back with help from the
conquered people of the Aztecs who resented the
Aztecs.
• The Spanish had better weapons—cannons, swords
and body armor as well as horses.
• Diseases like smallpox weakened or killed thousands
of Aztecs.
• In 1521, the Aztec empire came to an end.
Where did the Inca live?
• The Inca controlled an empire in the Andes
Mountain region of South America.
• Mid 1400’s-1537
Inca Government
• The Inca emperor had absolute power. He claimed
to be the son of the sun.
• Pachacuti began to expand Inca territory.
• Later leaders followed his example.
• By 1500, the empire was divided into four regions
with the capital at Cuzco, in present day Peru.
• Inca civilization extended 2500 miles from Ecuador
to Chile with an estimated 12 million people.
Inca Government
• The Inca government controlled all aspects of
society.
• People were told what work to do and spent time
farming or weaving for themselves as well as giving
some to the government.
• People paid taxes in the form of labor-called the mita
system.
• No merchants or markets-government distributed
goods and supplies to the people through the mita.
Inca Society
• Two main social classes.
• Emperor, government officials and priests made up the
upper class. Enjoyed many privileges.
• Farmers, artisans and servants were in the lower class.
There were no slaves.
• No written records-everything by told by
runners who carried messages throughout the empire.
• Incas passed down history through songs and stories.
• Quipus-record keeping with
knotted cords. Knots stood for
numbers. Different colors stood for
crops or other topics.
Inca Farming
• Farmers grew maize and peanuts in the warm
valleys.
• In the cooler mountains, they carved terraces into
the hillsides to grow potatoes.
• High in the Andes people raised llamas for wool and
meat.
Uniting the Empire
• The Inca built a massive road network through
mountains and across rivers and valleys.
• The Incas used an official
language, Quechua.
Inca Religion
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The Inca believed in many gods.
The primary god was Inti, the sun god.
Inca ceremonies included sacrifices.
Unlike the Maya and Aztec, they
rarely sacrificed humans, usually
llamas, cloth or food.
Inca Achievements
• The Inca were known for expert masonry, or stonework.
• The Inca constructed stone temples and walls without
using iron tools or mortars yet the stones fit together so
well that a knife would not fit between the stones.
• They also did not
have the wheel
for help.
Inca Achievements
• Artisans made pottery as well as gold and silver
jewelry and statues.
• Inca weavers made cloth from cotton and the wool
of llamas to make beautiful textiles.
Machu Picchu
• Machu Picchu was rediscovered in 1911 by explorer Hiram
Bingham. It sits one and a half miles high on a
mountaintop in Peru once inhibited by the Inca civilization.
• Bingham thought it must have been a special religious city
because of the fine stonework, however archaeologists
believe it was some type of vacation resort for Inca nobles.
• Over 3,000 steps connect the levels of the city and farming
terraces.
• It could only be reached by a log bridge on a sheer cliff.
• If enemies threatened the citizens there, they would simply
draw back the bridge.
Fall of the Inca
• Ultimately, it was Spanish conquistadors led by
Francisco Pizarro that brought about the fall of the
Inca Empire.
Fall of the Inca
• A civil war in the Inca empire started after the ruler’s
death between his two sons for the power.
• Atahualpa was the victor but the Inca army was
weakened.
• Pizarro and about 180 men arrived in the Inca empire
• Atahualpa and soldiers came to meet them and were
attacked by the Spanish.
• Even though the Spanish were outnumbered, they
caught the Incas by surprise and captured Atahualpa
and killed thousands of Inca soldiers.
Fall of the Inca
• To win his freedom, Atahualpa asked his people to fill
a room with gold and silver for Pizarro.
• The precious metals would have been worth millions
today.
• Despite the payment, Atahualpa was killed.
• Some Incas fought back after Atahualpa’s death but
the Spanish eventually won.
• Pizarro defeated the last of the Incas in 1537.
• Spain took control over the entire Inca empire and
ruled for the next 300 years.