Civilizations of Meso-AmericaAztecs, Mayans and Incas

Aztecs• Who were the

Aztecs?• Civilization in the

Valley of Mexico• Ruled the region

from 1100s to 1500s

Aztec EmpireAztec Empire•Arrived in the Valley of Mexico in 1148•Economy based on agriculture•Spanned from the Pacific Coast to the Gulf of Mexico•Major city: Tenochtitlan•By 1520, included 20 million people

Aztec Culture• What was life like in

Aztec Culture?• Aztec culture

divided into 2 classes, commoners and nobles• Noble male children attended school until 15•Women were subordinate to men• Slavery was common

Aztec Culture• What was life like in

Aztec Culture?• Laws were simple

and harsh•Most crimes punishable by death, beatings or mutilation• Slander ( or lying) was punishable by the loss of your lips!

Aztecs• What caused the

end to the Aztec Civilization?

Aztec Rule Montezuma though Spanish explorer Cortez was a returning god.

Montezuma offered gifts of gold.

Excited by the riches, Hernan Cortes and an army to defeat the Aztecs in 1520

Aztecs• What were some

contributions the Aztecs made to the world?

• Education• One of the first civilizations

to require education• Medicine• Surgery• Muscle relaxing medication

• Mathematics • Idea of zero• Accurate calendar

• Food• Popcorn• Chocolate• Chewing gum

• Contributions difficult to trace because of destruction by Catholic missionaries

Aztec Beliefs• What were the

beliefs of the Aztec people?

• Aztecs religion was polytheistic (more than one god), they worshiped about 1,000 different gods.

• The head of the gods was Huizilopochtlid, god of war and god of sun.

Aztec Beliefs

• What did the Aztecs Believe?

• They put their greatest efforts into making strong, beautiful temples to please their gods.

• Their arts had a part in their religion. They drew pictures that told about their gods.

• They recorded religious events with hieroglyphics and even number symbols.

• They worshipped the sun god the most.

Aztec Beliefs• What did Aztecs

believe? • The god of the Sun had told the Aztecs to wander until they found an eagle with a serpent in its mouth perched on a cactus growing from a rock. When they found this, they claimed the area around it, which is now known as Tenochtitlan.

Aztec Beliefs• Who was

responsible for worship in Aztec Culture?

• Priests and priestesses were very important people. They acted as doctors, and taught science, art, writing, music, dance, history, and counting.

Aztec Beliefs• Where did people

worship? • Religious ceremonies took place in a temple called a teocalli.

• This temple had sacred pools for ceremonial cleansing, gardens, living quarters for a priest, and racks to hold the skulls of victims.

• Religion played a great part in Aztec life.

Aztec Beliefs

• How did Aztecs worship?

• Sacrifice was one of the main events in the Aztec religion.

• Priests made human sacrifices to make the sun god happy.

• Aztecs fought in wars to capture men to sacrifice.

• On God's Feast Day, they killed their slaves for the gods.

• Human sacrifices were offerings to the sun and earth so that food would grow.

Mayan Civilization

Pre-Classic(2600 B.C.E-250 B.C.E)

Classic (250 C.E-900 C.E)

Mayan Collapse

Post-Classic period ( 1000-1600 C.E)

Mayan Civilization• Where did Mayan

Civilization occur?

Southern Mexico: Yucatan peninsula, and modern Chapas, and Tabasco in Mexico

Mayan Society• What was life like in

the Mayan Civilization?

• Land divided into states (major city and surrounding towns) were headed by a ruler who was often a priest

leader

nobles

Trade/warriors

Farmers/slaves

Mayan Society• What was life like in

the Mayan Civilization?

• Very few people lived in the urban centers

• Mostly involved in agriculture

Mayan Society• What was life like in

the Mayan Civilization?

• Mayan civilization had unique ideas of beauty• Crossed Eyes:

Considered particularly beautiful• Babies were given objects

to stare at to encourage crossed eyes

• High, flat, sloping forehead• Tied boards to babies

foreheads

Mayan Beliefs• What did Mayan

People believe?• Polytheistic (more

than one god)• Gods were not

good or evil,• Like Aztecs,

religious ceremonies closely tied to natural cycles ( moon phases, seasons, etc.)

Mayan Beliefs• What did the

Mayan people believe?

• Religious ceremonies consisted of singing, dancing, competitions, dramatic performances, and some human sacrifice• Human sacrifice usually

voluntary• Participants gives blood

or pieces (arms, tongue, eye, etc) to the god

Mayan Beliefs• What did the

Mayan people believe?

• Mayan people believed in an afterlife• Heaven was reserved for people who died in sacrifice, childbirth or hanged• Hell or xibal was for everyone else

Mayan Beliefs• What was the role

of priests in Mayan society?

• Believed priests could talk to gods

• Most daily life directed by priests

• Decided: when to plant, who could marry, sometimes leaders

Mayan Beliefs• What did Mayan

People believe?• Believed in the

underworld, the sky and the Earth

• Knowing the past meant knowing the cycle of the present and knowing the present provided information for knowing the future

• This focus on time led to development of sophisticated calendars and time keepers

End of the Mayan Civilization• Why did the Mayan

Civilization end?• It took 170 years

for the Spanish to get control of Mayan lands.•Mayans remained independent until the 1700s

• Mayan culture, language, and art still practiced

Mayan Civilization• What are some

contributions the Mayan civilization made to the world?

• Written language• Calendars • Art and architecture• Temple building• City development

Mayan Temples

Inca Civilization

Inca Location• Where was the Inca

civilization?

Along the coast of South America.

Modern Chile, Peru, parts of Argentina and Boliva

Andes Mountain Range

Inca Time Period• When was the Inca

civilization?• Little historic record of

where the Incas came from.• No written language

• Cuzco( in modern Peru) is the center. • Incas began spreading

out from Cuzco in the 1400s • eventually created one of

the largest empires in all of history

Inca Society

• What was it like to live in Inca Society?

• Royal family had absolute power

• Relationships within clans based on community and cooperation

• Strongly head belief that there is enough for everyone

• Conquered people required to pay a labor tax which provided roads and farmlands through the Andes mountains

Common people

leader

Royal family

Tribal leader

Clan leader

Inca Society• What was it like to

live in Inca society?• Most people lived

above 10,000 feet in elevation

• Worshiped at over 15,000 ft. in elevation

• Difficult today, scientists still wonder how the Incas did it

• Clothing made from Alpaca, and lama wool for the cool temperatures at high altitudes

Inca Beliefs• What did Incas

believe?• Polytheistic (more than

one god)• Gods mostly tied to

natural objects or events

• Main god- Sun-god• Sun-god was the only

god to have temples• Royal family descended

from the sun-god• Referred to as “the Giver

of Life”

Inca Beliefs• What did the Incas

believe?• Worshipped with

monthly festivals to honor gods

• Human sacrifice rare in Incan Culture• Reserved for major festivals or the crowning of a new emperor

Contributions of Inca Civilization

• What contributions did Inca Civilization make?

• Engineering• Forts built of cut stone that fit so

precisely together they do not require mortar and are still standing in near perfect condition• Highly sophisticated network of

roads, more roads than the Romans• Aqueducts and irrigation systems

• Advanced Surgery and Medicine

• Textiles and Ceramics

Contributions of the Inca Civilization

End of the Inca Civilization• Why did the Inca

Civilization end?• Inspired by Cortes’

victory over the Aztecs, Francisco Pizzaro, another Spanish explorer invaded in 1531 with 200 soldiers

• Pizzaro captured the Incan ruler and killed him in 1533.

• Pizzaro did not gain complete control over the region until the 1560’s.

Macchu Picchu

• Probably built at the height of the Incan Empire around 1450•7,500 feet above sea level•Self sustaining city•One of the great wonders of the world