Transcript Pre-Columbian Civilizations in the Americas

C-7
Early Human
Migrations
1
Geography of the Americas
Sculpture from the
Americas
Origins of the
Peoples of the Americas?
Chapter 7, Section 1
The Olmecs and the Mayas
OLMECS
MAYAS
Were the earliest American
civilization
Developed complex irrigation
methods for farming
Had powerful priests and
aristocrats at the top of society
Built towering pyramid temples
in Tikal
Built ceremonial centers
Traded extensively across
Middle America
Spread influence through trade
Developed calendar
Introduced tradition of priestly
leadership and religious
devotion
Developed hieroglyphic writing
system
Developed accurate calendar
and numbering system
Abandoned cities around A.D.
900
Major Pre-Columbian
Civilizations
Lands of the
Mayans
The Yucatan
Peninsula
Chichen-Itza - Pyramid
Chichen-Itza Observatory
Chichen-Itza - Ball
Court
Mayan Cultivation
of Maize
Chac, God of Rain 
Mayan Underground
Granaries: Chultunes
Overview of Tikal
Temple of the Masks
(Guatemala)
Tikal Jungle View at
Sunset
Tikal - Main Court
Tikal:
Temple
of the
Masks
Tikal - Wall Mask of the
Rain God
Mayan
Glyphs
sky
king
house
child
Mayan
Mathematics
city
Mayan
Glyphs
Mayan Drinking Cup
for Chocolate
Pakal: The Maya
Astronaut
Quetzalcoatl:
The God of Wisdom &
Learning
Lands of the
Aztecs
Chapter 7, Section 1
Arrival of the Aztecs
• Teotihuacan-dominated Valley from 100AD-750AD
• In the late 1200s, nomadic ancestors of the Aztecs
migrated into the Valley of Mexico.
• The Aztecs built the city of Tenochtitlán.
• In the 1400s, the Aztecs greatly expanded their
territory through conquests and alliances.
By 1500, the Aztec empire spread from the Gulf of
Mexico to the Pacific Ocean and numbered 30
million people.
Aztec View of
Tenochtitlan
Ruins of the City Center,
Tenochtitlan
The
Codex
Mendo
za :
The
Foundi
ng
Tenochtitlan: The “Venice”
of the Americas
Aztec Chinampa or
Floating Garden:
15ft. to 30ft. wide
Tenochtitlan Chinampas
Aztec Writing
Aztec Math
Aztec Sun Stone -Calendar
Aztec Sun Motifs
Aztec Codex
(15c Manuscript)
The Aztecs
Were
Fierce
Warriors
Aztecs Sacrifice
Neighboring Tribes to
the Sun God
Heart Sacrifice
on an Aztec Temple
Pyramid
Wall of Skulls,
Tenochtitlan
Sacrificial Statue,
Tenochtitlan
Aztec Gold
Chapter 7, Section 1
Aztec Society
GOVERNMENT &
SOCIETY
The empire had a single
ruler.
RELIGION
Priests were a special
class.
Slaves could own and buy The sun god was the chief
freedom.
Aztec god.
Long-distance traders
traveled around the
empire and beyond.
Aztecs practiced human
sacrifice on a massive
scale.
LEARNING
Priests recorded Aztec
knowledge and ran
schools for sons of
nobles.
Some priests were
astronomers or
mathematicians.
Lands of the Incas
Chapter 7, Section 2
The Incan Empire-Cuzco, capital
The Incas built a complex civilization that relied on
order and absolute authority.
• They ran an efficient government with a chain of
command reaching to every village.
• They imposed their own language and religion on the
people.
• They created one of the great road systems in history,
allowing armies and news to travel rapidly around the
empire.
• They posted runners throughout the empire to carry
news of revolts and soldiers to quickly crush them.
• They prohibited ordinary people from using the roads
at all.
Cuzco: Ancient Capital of
the Inca
(11,000 ft. above sea level)
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
Incan Suspension
Bridges
Incan Terrace Farming
Incan Digging Sticks
Maize in Incan Pottery
& Gold Work
Over 100 Different Types
of Potatoes Cultivated
by the Incans
Produce from a Typical
Incan
Market
Incan Ceramic Jars
Peanut
Cacao God
Potato
Cacao Pod
Squash
The Quipu: An Incan
Database
Incan Mummies
Inca Gold & Silver
Chapter 7, Section 3
Cahokia- Ceremonial center of the Mississippian culture
Chapter 7, Section 3
North American Culture Areas About 1450
Arctic/Subarctic
Beavers, Crees, Inuits, Kutchins Lived as nomadic hunters and food gatherers in cold
climate; honored ocean, weather, and animal spirits
California/Great Basin/Plateau
Nez Percés, Pomos, Shoshones Lived as hunters and gatherers in small family groups; ate
mainly fish, berries, acorns
Southeast
Cherokees, Natchez Grew corn, squash, beans, and other crops; held yearly Green Corn
Ceremony to mark end of year and celebrate harvest
Southwest
Apaches, Hohokams, Hopis, Navajos, Pueblos Lived in villages in homes made of adobe;
built irrigation systems to grow corn and other crops; honored earth, sky, and water spirits
Northwest Coast
Bella Coolas, Coos, Kwakiutls, Tlingits Lived in villages; benefited from rich natural
resources in forests, rivers, and ocean; held potlatches, or ceremonial dinners, where host
families gave gifts to guests to show wealth and gain status
Eastern Woodlands
Algonquins, Chippewas, Hurons, Iroquois, Leni-Lenapes, Miamis, Pequots, Shawnees
Lived in farming villages, but also hunted for food; long houses shared by several families;
women held social and political power
Great Plains
Apaches, Arapahos, Blackfeet, Cheyennes, Comanches, Crows, Lakotas, Mandans,
OsagesLived in tepees; animals hunted by men; crops grown by women; relied on buffalo
to meet basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing