Transcript Section 5
Section 5 Olmecs, Mayas, and Aztecs The Olmec The Olmecs • Lived in the rainforest along southern coast of Mexico • 1000 B.C. • Farmed part of the year Olmec head, Veracruz, 1942 One of Ten Colossal Heads from the Olmec Site of San Lorenzo, Mexico One of Four Colossal Heads from La Venta,Mexico. Aerial Photograph of the Great Pyramid at La Venta, Mexico The Olmec may have been the first civilization in the western hemisphere to develop a writing system. Symbols found in 2002 and 2006 date to 650 BCE and 900 BCE respectively, preceding the oldest Zapotec writing dated to about 500 BCE.The 2002 find at the San Andres site shows a bird, speech scrolls, and glyphs that are similar to the later Mayan hieroglyphs. A ritual handball game became an important component of future civilizations. It is believed the Olmecs practiced human sacrifice. This handball game was one way of selecting those victims to be offered to the gods. The game was played between two teams. The ball could not be touched with the hands, only with the knees or hips. The captain of the team who won the game had the honor of being sacrificed to the gods. His family was forever more honored and respected for the sacrifice their son made. Olmec cities were… • Made of stone • Located on huge hills • Were religious centers that were visited on festival and market days Religion played major role • People prayed to gods • Built large temples to honor gods and leaders Olmec Achievements • Stone pavements • Drainage systems • Counting system • First calendar in the Americas • Most important: the influence they had on later civilizations The Maya The Maya - Discovery • John Lloyd Stephens – 1830 • Led to ruins of ancient city • Copan – a great Mayan city Mayan civilization • Developed about 1000 B.C. • Lasted until A.D. 900 • Peaked A.D. 500 Built huge religious centers • Pyramid temples, palaces, plazas • Pyramids were built as temples not tombs Achievements • Priests perfected the calendar • 365 day calendar for keeping track of planting and harvesting • 260 calendar to keep track of religious holidays Other Achievements • Developed number system similar to our Arabic system • Used a system of hieroglyphics • Paintings on walls of temples and palaces show they were great artists Decline of Mayas • A.D. 900 Mayans abandoned their cities • Left buildings under construction What happened? Maybe… • A plague may have broken out • Soil may not have been able to produce food The Aztecs The Aztecs… • Were the last to appear in Mesoamerica before the Spanish conquest • Had to search for land because most land was taken • Believed they were the people of the sun • Settled on small island on the edge of Lake Texcoco – A.D. 1350 Tenochtitlan • Became the capital after priest received a sign from gods • They saw an eagle perched on a Prickly Pear Cactus with a snake in its beak • Tenochtitlan – Place of the Prickly Pear Cactus on a rock Construction of Tenochtitlan • Began trying to enlarge the island by cutting canals through marshes and piling up layers of weeds and mud – chinampas • Planted crops in soil-filled baskets in the lake • Built aqueducts (water channels) to bring fresh water to city’s reservoirs • Population grew as a result of steady food supply Tlatelolco • Main crossroads of empire • Much buying and selling was done by barter • Barter- the exchange of items without the use of currency • Cocoa beans were most common form of currency Aztec Culture • Organized and united by its beliefs • Daily religious rituals • Beliefs influenced economy, government, and ways of war Aztec Religion • Rain god – stood for peaceful life of farming • Sun god, Huitzilopochtli, stood for war and expanding the empire • Believed sun god was in constant fight with forces of evil • To keep gods strong, Aztecs offered human sacrifice • Human sacrifices were usually prisoners of war • Believed fate influenced entire life • Naming child, planting, crowning - fate • Believed in omens – signs of the future • No fear of death or sacrifice because of belief in fate Montezuma II • Aztec power reached its height under Montezuma II • One goal of conquest was to gain sacrifices • Also sought wealth • Grew to 400-500 small states – 15 million people • Aztecs collected tribute – payment in the form of goods, services, or currency • Held empire together by force Fall of the Aztecs • Failed to win loyalty of conquered people because of resentment and anger • Conquered people were eager to join Spaniards in defeating Aztec empire http://www. azteccalendar.com/ azteccalendar.html • Montezuma II welcomed Spaniards into his camp (believed Cortez to be god); they were armed with guns, iron weapons, and had horses • Brought smallpox