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Maya Aztec Anasazi

In this chapter we discussed

many civilizations.

Define civilizationcivilization.

Civilization Civilization – a culture that has

developed a complex system of

government, education, &

religion

Where did the Maya

civilization exist, and from what

years?

The Mayas lived in what is now present-

day Mexico & Guatemala. From years 200-909,

they lived on the Yucatan Peninsula &

two of their cities were Tikal & Chichen Itza.

The Mayans farmed a variety

of crops, but what was their main main

cropcrop & how did it help them?

The Mayan’s main crop was corncorn & they

grew a surplus (or extra) of it. Farming

a surplus of corn allowed their civilization to

develop.

The Mayans had many

monumentsmonuments & templestemples.

What purposes did they serve?

Mayans built temples to honor

their gods, ask the gods for success in battle, and to ask

for good corn harvests.

Describe how the Mayans

were an advanced

civilization for their time.

The Mayans were farmers, artists, scientists, &

historians. They had an advanced system of writing, wrote books,

invented the idea of the number zero, were

advanced in math & science, and had a

calendar.

What was the name of the

Aztec capital city in Mexico and

what was it built to honor?

The Atzec capital was TenochtitlanTenochtitlan, a

small island on a lake in the Valley of Mexico. Their city was built to honor their gods & the

sun.

How & what did the the Aztec

farm? Also, how’d they

travel to their city?

The Aztecs farmed chili peppers, squash, beans,

corn, & tomatoes on floating gardensfloating gardens called chinampaschinampas. They used

bridgesbridges & causewayscauseways to travel back & forth.

The Aztec civilization didn’t last

forever. Who conquered them, and

when?

The Aztec empire was conquered by Hernando Cortez from Spain in the

1500s. He had help from Aztec’s

neighbors who were their enemies.

The Aztec empire was one of great beauty.

What were some of the

great things?

Some of the Aztec things of beauty were:

beautiful plazas, markets, broad

avenues, zoos, schools, quetzal birds & large

populations

Describe the Aztec’s outlook on war war and why they performed human human

sacrificessacrifices.

The Aztecs were a very war-like people who conquered

their neighboring cities. Their emperor Moctezuma I considered themselves idle

if not at war. They performed human sacrifices to gain land &

slaves, and to obtain tribute from people to sacrifice to

their gods.

The Anasazi lived in the Four Corners area

of the Southwest. What present day

states make up that area & what towns did

the Anasazi build?

The Four Corners is made up of Colorado, Utah, New

Mexico & Arizona.

The Anasazi built the towns of Pueblo Bonito & Mesa

Verde

What were the Anasazi’s homes like?

They built high-rise apartment style villages beneath

cliffs and mesas in the desert.

Archeologists have been able to

uncover many Anasazi artifactsartifacts, such as pottery.

Why?

The very arid & dry climate of the Anasazi

helped preserve, or save, many of their

artifacts, which teach the archeologists much

about their past.

How’d the Anasazi farm in their dry

climate?

The Anasazi used irrigationirrigation to water their crops, which

guided rain water through channels to their crops of squash, beans, corn, and

cotton.

Anasazi men uses kivas.

Describe what a kivakiva is.

A kiva is an underground room that Anasazi men used for

religious purposes. These rooms had

symbols painted on the walls in red, green, white, & yellow.