Transcript Empires of the South

Empires of the South
The Maya, Aztec, and Inca established
flourishing civilizations.
Achievements of the Maya in science and math?
How trade and conquest made the Aztec a powerful people?
How Inca leaders unified the people of their empire?
AD 1200 The Aztec
AD 250 The Maya
AD 1300 The Inca
Empires of the South
The Olmec
The first signs of complex society in Mesoamerica are that of the
Olmec Civilization wh were prominent in Mesoamerica from as early
as 1500 BCE through 100 BCE, although there is evidence that the
Olmec culture existed into the Common Era.
The Olmec heartland is an area on the south coast of the Gulf of
Mexico coastal plain of southern Veracruz and Tabasco, is thus called
because of the concentration of a large number of Olmec monuments
as well as the greatest Olmec sites.
The area is about 125 miles long and 50 miles wide (200 by 80 km),
with the Coatzalcoalcos River system running through the middle.
These sites include San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, Laguna de los Cerros,
Tres Zapotes, and La Venta is one of the greatest of the Olmec sites.
The Olmec
The Olmec
The Olmec architecture at San Lorenzo, for example, includes both
public-ceremonial buildings, elite residences, and the houses of
commoners. Olmec public-ceremonial buildings were most typically
earthen platform mounds, some of which had larger house-like structures
built upon them.
Olmec
The Maya
The Maya
About 3,000 years ago, a small group
of farmers began clearing land in the
southern part of present-day Mexico
and the northern part of Central
America. With only simple tools, they
cut thick jungles full of snakes and
insects to turn small villages into a
empire that covered nearly 12,000
square miles. The population soared
to more than 10 million people!
The Maya
The Maya: Skilled Farmers
Much of the Maya’s growth
resulted from their skill in farming.
They grew corn, beans, squash,
sweet potatoes, and avocados.
They drained marshlands to
create more farmland. They built
Terraces-leveled off strips of landso they could farm on hillsides.
They hauled rich soil from the
riverbanks and river bottoms to
make their fields more productive.
Terrace…Step Farming
The Maya
The Maya: City Builders
The Maya were master builders. At
the center of most of their cities
were tall pyramids built of limestone
block. On top of the pyramids were
temples where Mayan priests
conducted religious ceremonies.
Rulers and priests lived in the city in
large homes. Common people lived
in one room houses near the fields
in the countryside. They visited
cities to trade or attend religious
ceremonies.
The Maya: Religion and Science
Priests were the most important
people in the Mayan empire. The
priests helped please the gods.
Gods were thought to control the
sun, rain, and other forces of
nature. The Maya believed if the
gods were pleased with them,
they would favor the people with
a favorable crop.
Maya
The Maya: Cultural Achievements
The Maya developed a system
of writing using symbols instead
of letters. These symbols are
called hieroglyphs. The Maya
carved their writings on the
walls of their temples to tell
stories of Mayan rulers and
priests.colorful paintings,
created
The Mayan Decline
The Mayan empire was at its height
from about 250 to 900. By 900,
however, the people began deserting
their cities and moving into other areas.
Archeologists believe the people
moved to escape drastic climate
changes because their farmland was
no longer fertile. By the mid-1500s, the
Spanish had taken over the Mayan
strongholds.
The Mayan culture survives today
through more than 2 million
descendants that continue to live in
Mexico and Central America.
The Aztec
The Aztec: Message From the Gods
The Aztec built their empire
between 1300 and 1520. Their
center was present-day Mexico west
and north of where the Mayan
empire had been.
The early Aztec were huntergatherers. (Story of eagle that
guided the Aztec to the location of
their homeland) The Aztec site later
became home to over 100,000
people. They named the city
Tenochtitlan
Empires of the South
Tenochtitlan was the capitol of the Aztec
empire, a Native American civilization that
developed in present day Mexico. A
civilization is a group of people with an
advanced culture. In addition to hunting and
fishing, it has some type of writing and
keeping records. A civilization has an
organized government and regions, cities,
and social classes. It also has specialized
workers, or those who only have one kind of
work, such as teaching or jewelry making.
The Aztec were just one of three great
cultures that grew up in Mexico, Central
America, and South America.
Aztec Building
The Aztec
The Aztec built many incredible
structures including causeways and
aqueducts. The Aztec workers built
stone pyramids for the priests. The
cities had well-stocked outdoor
markets, parks, schools, barbershops,
and a zoo. (floating gardens)
The Aztec built their wealth and power
on trade and conquest. Their warriors
were fierce and well trained. They took
thousands in battle. Conquered people
became members of the Aztec society,
but were faced to pay tribute, or a
special tax for goods and services.
Aztec
The Aztec
Aztec Warrior
Aztec Religion
Religion was very important to the
Aztec. The most sacred God was
the god of the sun and war, but the
Aztec worshipped at least 1,000
others. In addition to worship, Aztec
priests kept records of the Aztec
people. Priests were also teachers.
They taught their students: history,
crafts, and religious traditions.
Montezuma and the Aztec Decline:
Spanish Conquistadors
Killed by a stone….?
Montezuma II
1410 AD-1469
Montezuma
The Inca
The largest empire in the Americas
was one created in South America by
the Inca. The Inca began to expand
their rule over others about 1200. By
the 1400’s, their empire spread out
over 2,500 miles along the Andes
Mountains-through present-day
Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and parts of
Argentina and Chile.
The Incan empire was extremely well
organized. The Inca conquered by
peaceful means.
The Inca Empire
The Inca of South America
The Inca
The ruler of the Inca held great power over his empire. He controlled all
goods and services they produced and made decisions for them.
Incan armies stationed throughout the empire maintained peace. Newly
conquered people were required to learn and speak the Incan language
and practice the Incan religion.
Incan farmers terraced the steep hillsides and built irrigation canals to grow
crops. They grew corn, beans, cotton, and squash in the valleys. In the
mountains, they grew potatoes and raised herds of Llama and alpaca for
meat and wool.
The government owned all the food that was grown. Most people had to
work on projects for the government. Workers cleared trees, moved huge
boulders, dug tunnels, and built bridges.
In the early 1500’s, the Incan ruler died, and there was a bitter fight for the
throne. In the following years, unrest spread throughout the empire. When
the Europeans arrived in the 1500’s, they found a weakened civilization.
Inca Natural Resources
Llama
Alpaca
The Inca
1200-1600 AD
The Inca
Native American Adaptations
Inca and Maya Terrace Farming
Aztec Floating Farms
Ideas of Mesoamerica
Olmec- 1st Mesoamerican Group for Civilization. Giant heads.
Maya-Terrace Farming, Cut out of jungles. Ritualized killing.
Aztec-warrior people who took what they wanted. Floating farms,
Conquistadors devastated. Small Pox. Montezuma.
Inca- Communism at play, Andes Mountains, llama, Alpaca, Terrace
Farming