Transcript 3/11 Aim: How were the Mayans and Aztecs Similar? Different?

2/28 Aim: How were the Mayans and Aztecs
Similar? Different?
HW: ½ page
compare/
contrast Aztec
and Mayan
achievements
The Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, Mexico. Temple to
the god Kukulkan.
Mayan Architecture
Temple at Chichen Itza
Illustration of Tikal before the civilization fell
Temple at Tikal
Aztec Architecture
Aztec temples near Mexico City
Mayan Written Language
The Mayan language is called Nahuatl
Which is a system of pictograms
Aztec Written Language
Aztec language was also based on
Nuhatl which is still spoken in some
parts of Mexico and Central
America today
Adapting to their Environment:
Mayan Farming Techniques
In order to support a large population, the
Mayans had to adapt to their tropical
environment. Rain forests were cleared,
then raised fields that caught and held
rainwater were built. They also built
channels that could be opened to drain off
excess water.
Most Mayans were farmers. They grew
corn, beans, and squash – the basic food
crops of Middle America.
Men usually cultivated the crops, while
women turned them into food
Adapting to their Environment:
Aztec Farming Techniques
As the Aztec’s population grew, they found
an ingenious way to create more farmland.
They built Chinampas, or artificial islands
Made of earth piled on reed mats that were
Anchored to the shallow lake bed where they
grew corn, beans, and squash
Mayan Religious Beliefs
The Maya worshipped a pantheon of nature
gods, each of which had both a benevolent
side and a malevolent side. The most
important deity was the supreme god
Itzamná, the creator god, the god of the fire
and god of the hearth.
Another important Mayan god was Kukulcán,
the Feathered Serpent, who appears on many
temples and was later adopted by the Toltecs
and Aztecs as Quetzalcoatl. Also important
was Chac, a hooked-nose god of rain and
lightning.
Mayan priests would perform
Rituals of human sacrifice to the Gods
Aztec Religious Beliefs
The Aztec priests were a class apart. They
performed the rituals needed to please the many
Aztec gods and prevent droughts, floods, or other
disasters. The chief Aztec god was
Huitzilopochtli, the sun god. His giant pyramidtemple towered above central Tenochtitlan.
Huitzilopochtli, the Aztecs believed battled the
forces of darkness each night and was reborn
each morning. To give the sun strength to rise
each day, the Aztecs offered human sacrifices.
Priests offered the hearts of tens of thousands of victims to Huitzilopochtli and other
Aztec gods. Most of the victims were prisoners of war, but sometimes a noble family
gave up one of its own members to appease the gods.
Mayan and Aztec Achievements:
Astronomical Calculations
Both the Mayans and Aztecs created accurate 365-day solar calendars mainly
for religious purposes. Mayan priests needed to measure time accurately in
order to hold ceremonies at the correct moment. As a result, priests became
expert mathematicians and astronomers. Some used their knowledge of
astronomy and mathematics to foretell the future
Decline of the Mayas
About 900 A.D, the Mayas abandoned their
cities, leaving their great stone palaces and
temples to be swallowed up by the jungle.
No one knows for sure why Mayan
civilization declined. Possibly, frequent
warfare forced the Mayas to abandon their
traditional agricultural methods. Or,
overpopulation may have led to over
farming, which in turn exhausted the soil.
Heavy taxes to finance wars and temple
building may have sparked peasant revolts.
Decline of the Aztecs
At the height of Aztec power in 1519, word reached
Tenochtitlan that pale-skinned, bearded men, had
landed on the east coast. Montezuma, king of the
Aztecs, possibly believing that Hernando Cortes, was
the god-king returning from the east, invited Cortes
into his capital.
Later, Relations between the Aztecs and
Spaniards soon grew strained, and the Aztecs
Drove the Spanish from the city. Montezuma was
killed in the fighting. By 1521 however, Cortes and
his Indian allies captured and demolished
Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs had been conquered
Architecture
1. Study the examples of Mayan and Aztec
Architecture and illustrations of the city. Describe 3
ways they are similar:
Written Language
Study the examples of Mayan and Aztec written
language. Describe 2 ways they are similar.
Adaption to Environment: Farming Techniques
Provide examples as to how the Mayans adapted
to their tropical environment
1.
1.
2.
2.
How did the Aztecs adapt to their environment?
How is it similar to other ancient civilizations?
3.
Religious Beliefs
Explain 2 ways the religious beliefs of the Mayans
and Aztecs were similar.
1.
The Mayas and the Aztecs
Mayan and Aztec Achievements
Astronomical Calculations
1. Which achievement was accomplished by both
the Mayas and Aztecs?
Decline
Explain 2 possible theories as to why the Maya’s
civilization declined.
1.
2.
2.
2. Why was this achievement useful?
Explain one way they were different
How did the decline of the Aztecs differ from the
decline of the Maya?
Close: