Early Civilizations of Latin America

Aztecs • Started in Northern Mexico living in the desert

regions• Moved into the Central Plateau • 1325 the god Uitzilopochtli told them where to settle– “An eagle perched atop a cactus holding a snake in its

beak.”• Settled on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco• Called the city Tenochtitlan (current site of Mexico

City)• Eagle, Snake and Cactus are national symbols for

Mexico

The Aztec Empire • Built and started an advanced civilization in the

Central Plateau of Mexico• Pyramid temples for their religious beliefs and

practices• Aztecs had only one ruler or king • Chosen by the priests, nobles and warriors• Conquered and maintained a large empire• Defeated peoples and kingdoms had to pay

tribute to the Aztecs

Aztec Conquest and Prisoners• Prisoners of war were

either used as slaves or as sacrificial victims

• Aztecs believed that the god of war needed to be pleased

• To be successful in battles meant that they had to kill many people

• Made the Aztecs feared and hated by other peoples.

Aztec Religion • Worshipped many gods (polytheistic)• Priests were powerful people in society and

controlled the large temple pyramids• Recorded knowledge of science, math and

medicine into written books• Chief God was – Quetzalcoatl (keht suh koh aht l)– Believed that he brought maize to the Earth– Sailed off into the Eastern Sea according to legand and

would return one day• Connection to the arrival of Cortes and the Spanish

Success of Tenochtitlan • By 1500 it was home to

150,000 people• Largest city in the world

at that time• Farming invention to use

swampy land• Chinampas- small

floating islands to plant crops on

• Large markets that sold many different goods

Aztec Society • Education– Aztecs were among the first people to educate boys

and girls– Boys were trained in war and strategy– Girls were trained in homecoming skills

• Women in Society– Could own property and remarry if her husband died– Priestesses, weavers, musicians and midwives– Mostly concerned with making food and clothing

• Class Activity – What are the boys

learning and from whom?

– What are the girls learning and from whom?

– Why would it be important to educate both boys and girls?

– Look at picture on page 451 for more examples

Mayans • Ancient Mayans lived in the lowland rainforests

of Central America• Between 300 and 900 A.D the Mayans were at

their height of power• Road network allowed the major cities to

communicate and trade with one another – Tikal and Palenque for example

• Merchants traded:– Cotton, gold jewelry, etc..

Mayan Lifestyles • Farming– Complex farming methods

due to environment – Built raised fields for

crops– Caught the rain and used it

as irrigation– Able to drain water by

using channels – Able to support a city of

20,000 people

• Government/Society – Organized into city-states

and not one large empire– King, nobles, priests,

artisans, merchants, peasants and laborers, finally slaves

– Merchants- sold fine cloth, ornaments, feathered cloaks

– Peasants/Laborers- grew the food and built temples

Mayan Religion • Believed that Gods controlled the universe of

nature• Priests performed rituals to please the gods• Pyramid temples were at the center of the cities– See Page 449 for Mural Picture

• Played a ball game called pok-a-tok– Ordinary people played for fun– Nobles played for the gods so that the priests could

tell what would happen in the future

Mayan Achievements • Great skill in architecture with all the buildings • Developed a system of writing (called Glyphs)– Covered temple wall and stone pillars– Dealt with religious and historical events

• Made a calendar that was 365 ¼ days long – Very similar to the same calendar system we use

• Developed the concept (idea) of the number zero – If you don’t like math blame the Mayans !

Incans in Peru • Built a very big empire in

the valleys of the Andes Mountains

• Covered Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Bolivia

• Please Read pages 452-453

• Up Close “The Efficient Incas”

Incan Lifestyles • Farming– Able to feed a population

of 9 million people – Complex irrigation systems

were designed• Channeled water from the

mountain streams into the fields

– Terrace Farming- carving fields out of the sides of mountains

– Used fertilizer on their crops

• Corn, potatoes and beans

• Religion– Worshipped many different

gods – Sun God was the chief god– Inca- means children of the

sun – Temple of the Sun in Cuzco – Covered the temple walls

in sheets in gold – Gold was considered the

sweat of the Gods – Priests performed rituals at

the site of the Temple

Incan Government • Believed that the Incan Emperor owned all the

land, mines and fields of the empire• Ruled with the help of priests and nobles • People of the empire were told:– Where to live – What jobs they would perform

• Collected taxes on the crops that the peasants grew

• Set up a road system that allowed for better communication

• Quipi- knotted string that carried messages