Transcript Aztec
Ancient Civilizations ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS: MAYA, AZTEC, INCA, OLMEC 6 TH G R A D E MRS. SCHICHTEL A Look Inside Middle America Vocabulary Ice Age: period of time when nearly half of Earth’s land was covered in ice glaciers: great sheets of ice Beringia: “land bridge” between Asia and North America Middle America: also known as Mesoamerica “Meso”= middle (Mexico and Central America) Central Plateau: large area of rolling hills tropical: area of Earth near the equator rain forest: forest that receives more than 80 inches of rain per year First People 15,000 years ago the first people to cross Beringia (the Bering Strait) were Asian hunters. Scientists tell us that they probably were following herds of reindeer across the land bridge. These people were hunters and gatherers and spread throughout the Americas. Countries in Middle America Mexico, Panama, Belize, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Costa Rica The Central Plateau is located in the northern part of this region, through the heart of Mexico. Climate in Middle America Tierra Caliente: sea level-3,000 feet hottest region- “hot land” 80 degrees almost all the time Tierra Templada: • “temperate land” • 6, 000 feet • Climate is mild- not too hot and not too cold (similar to Michigan) • Rainy season= May - October Rain Forests The rain forests of Middle America are in the tierra caliente and tierra templada areas. Some trees grow to be 200 feet tall (20 school buses) Thousands of species of plants and animals live here On the next page visit with some of the animals that live in rain forests Rain Forest http://www.junglephotos.com/amazon/ People in Middle America The first people to live here arrived 11, 000 years ago These people were hunters and gatherers These people moved around to search for food and they gathered and hunted the following: Onions Squash Avocados rabbits deer Olmec Settled in Middle America in 1200 B.C. The Aztecs called the Olmec “people of the rubber country” They built their settlement along the Gulf of Mexico, an area made up almost entirely of rain forests The lush forests gave them plenty of food to gather and hunt AGRICULTURE Agriculture is what made their culture stable. They used the method of slash and burn for farming Slash and burn: farmers first cleared, or slashed, the dense jungle growth with stone axes. Then during the dry season, they burned what remained. The soil was then enriched with ash that helped their crops grow. Flooding of rivers helped irrigate their crops. 3 main crops: CORN, BEANS, and SQUASH Olmec Way of Life La Venta= major center of Olmec culture Mounds of earth have been found, which were once pyramids Stones weighing 24 tons have been discovered – parts of statues of Olmec rulers Olmec People Stone carvers- carved statues and tools (for grinding corn) out of volcanic rock (basalt)- these items were used for religious purposes Most of the the Olmec people were farmers- the leaders controlled the land. Monuments were created=only for the leaders Olmec Religion 3 main gods god of fire god of rain god of sun special alters used to make sacrifices to the gods Certain animals had special powers= jaguar most powerful Trade The Olmec traded with others for: Food Feathers Animal skins Traveling great distances by foot on narrow forest paths The Mayans Vocabulary Classic Period: an important time of cultural achievement for a civilization Copan: a present-day city in Honduras Maize: corn Glyphs: Mayan symbols- writing system Stelae: tall flat stones carved with glyphs Maya 600 years after the Olmec civilization declined Their lives remain a great mystery Created a written language and studied the stars and planets Rise of the Maya Richest civilization between A.D. 250 and A.D. 900 Copan= major center of Maya culture Mayans sacrificed people to the their gods Great temples and pyramids were built by slaves City of Copan Center of trade and economy for the Mayan people Maize was the main crop for farmers followed by: Beans, squash, and peppers Mayan believed that they were created from maize dough by the gods Boys Vs. Girls Boys Girls Teenagers moved out Stayed at home of their family homes and into large group homes Learned to play the ball game Learned to become soldiers Strictly raised by their mothers Learned how to cook maize and other food and how to run a household Mayan Rank in Society 1. King 2. Warriors, Wealthy Farmers, Merchants 3. Farmers (largest group) 4. Slaves (prisoners of war) Mayan Religion 3 levels made up the universe: The upperworld of the heavens The middleworld of humans The underworld of the dead Kings could communicate with the upperworld and bring spirits to the middleworld Hundreds of gods were worshiped: Yum Kax= god of maize Ancestors lived in the upperworld Mayan Religion Continued. . . Stars and Planets Planet Venus was used to make decisions about when to attack other villages They developed an accurate calendar- exact dates and events were recorded Mayan Writing First people of Middle America to have a widely used written language They used Glyphs that were carved into stones- they were pictures used to stand for objects Stelae were tall, flat stones used to mark an important event in the life of a leader MATH The Mayan people created a mathematical system to help merchants keep track of goods The Atzec Empire Vocabulary chinampas: human-made islands tribute: taxes paid to rulers Triple Alliance: Aztec joined forces with two other cities, Texcoco and Tlacopan- powerful group and gained control of the entire Valley of Mexico codex: folded sheets with colorful pictures and symbols Where the Aztec Lived Hundreds of years after the Olmec and Maya people lost their power the Aztec began building their empire Great capital city= Tenochtitlan= modern day Mexico City The Aztec did their record keeping on codex Aztec Settlement In the 1100’s the Aztec came to the Valley of Mexico They settled on an island in the center of Lake Texcoco after receiving a “sign” Legend has it that an eagle flew from the sky, perched atop a cactus, and began eating a snake. The Aztec believed it was a “sign” telling them to build their city there. Tenochtitlan means: “place of the prickly pear cactus” Creating Farmland The Aztec developed a system of agriculture to deal with the poor land around them They carved canals through the marshland The land in the lake was piled up to create small islands about the size of a football field- called chinampas Farmers grew squash, tomatoes, chili peppers, and flowers Maize (the most important crop) was grown in fields on the lake shore Building a City 3 out of 4 Aztec worked as farmers Others worked to make stone buildings to replace reed huts Others built 3 long bridges that were used to connect the island to the lake shore Housing Rulers Most People Lived in grand palaces Lived in one-room surrounded by luxurious gardens Some even had their own zoo! stone or mud houses Had to pay tribute (taxes) to the rulers Inca Cuzco Cuzco was an important city for the Inca The Inca’s farmed this area and demanded tributes from other people living there Building an Empire The Inca army was strong and conquered many new areas Emperor Pachakuti was in charge of the new lands People in the new lands were required to work for the government Men built roads and raised crops Women made cloth Conquered people were forced to worship the Inca god and provide offerings, however they could worship their own gods too. Children of the Sun The Inca called themselves the “Children of the Sun” The emperor and wealthy nobles wore special headbands and earrings The Inca were skilled at building with stone and at farming Workers and farmers lived outside Cuzco in small mud huts with high windows Cuzco was the center of: Governement Religion Trade Inca Agriculture Each year the Inca emperor would plow a field with a plow made of pure gold Agriculture was extremely important to these people Farmers grew: Potatoes Maize Peppers Terraces were built to adapt to the geography around them. Terraces are level platforms of earth that climbed each hill like a staircase. Aqueducts and canals brought water to the crops. Terrace Animals Llamas were used for carrying items to be traded with others The best wool came from wild sheep- only the nobles could wear it Deer were hunted for food and clothing Roads A huge network of roads kept the Inca connected More than 19,000 miles of roads were constructed Runners were used to relay/carry messages to other areas of the empire Machu Picchu Located at the top of a mountain Nobody knows why it was constructed “City in the Clouds”