Download Maya, Aztec, and Inca

Ancient Civilizations
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Enormous cities with many temples in form of pyramids
 Priests-ran the government, ruled cities & performed
ceremonies (Lord Pacal-one of the most famous Maya rulers)
 Rulers did not do their job alone—chose a council of elders &
warriors
▪ Enforcers and Judges
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One people
 Same language and used same
system of counting
 Same myths, same gods
 Same laws, same style of clothing
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Religion
 Many gods—polytheistic
▪ Gods were a huge part of their daily life
▪ God of Rain, lady Rainbow, God of maize (corn), God of Sun
▪ People offered a chocolate drink to the gods & drank it
 Afterlife
▪ Commoners buried dead in their homes (under floors)
▪ Nobles-buried in tombs
 Underworld (one of 3 layers of their world)
 Masks and Mirrors (used by priests and men)
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Slaves
 People captured from warring tribes
▪ Worked in nobles’ homes, cared for children, worked in fields
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Sacred Ball Games-watched by many people
 Pok-a-tok
 Human sacrifice!
Why did the Mayan people disappear?
-War? Famine? Disease? Environment?
-Spanish came & invaded in the 1500s…
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According to legend, the capital
Tenochtitlan (“the Place of the
Prickly Pear Cactus”) was founded
in 1325 (current Mexico City).
 City states included pyramid-like
temples, ball courts, palaces, canals,
aqueducts, schools, roads, etc.
 Calpulli leaders-4 elected nobles on
the council
▪ One was selected as the ruler (tlatoani)
▪ In Tenochtitlan, the “huey tlatoani” (great
speaker)-Emperor
▪ Emperors-believed to be related to gods
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Expansion—war
When Aztecs conquered a tribe,
they demanded tribute: food,
clothing, precious stone, supplies,
captives (often sacrificed to their
gods)
 Hated and feared by other tribes…
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The emperor lived in Tenochtitlan
The empire had city-states
controlled by noble families
Crime & Punishment---quite severe

Polytheistic—believed in many
gods
 Gods for every aspect of their life
 Believed that success in daily life
depended on blessings of gods
 Temples and shrines

Believed human sacrifice was
necessary

Nobles had slaves
 They were not captured people, but Aztecs
 2 ways to become a slave: punishment for a crime
or sold into slavery
▪ You could not be born into slavery
▪ Slaves could buy their freedom or run towards it!
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Spanish soldiers led by Hernan Cortes came
to the empire looking for gold (with horses
and guns).

Spanish brought with them diseases that the
Aztecs had never had and couldn’t recover.

Many were killed, including the ruler,
Montezuma II.

Montezuma II (ruled 1502-1520)
thought that it was a god that
arrived (actually Cortes).
 Montezuma II sent gifts-hoping to
keep him away from Tenochtitlan,
but Cortes wanted gold…
 Cortes persuaded angry, upset
Aztec city-states to overthrow
Montezuma II

Montezuma II was arrestedmany were upset at Montezuma
II and so they rose upMontezuma II was killed…
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Debated for hundreds of years…
 Montezuma II—used as a puppet to
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control the Aztecs
Spanish forces arrived to arrest Cortes
A revolt was incited by a Spaniard left in
control of Tenochtitlan
Cortes brought out Montezuma II to
calm the crowd…the Spanish say that
Montezuma II was killed by the angry
crowd
The Aztec account says he was found
with 5 wounds from a Spanish dagger
After killing hundreds of Spanish and
forcing Corets out, Cortes’ forces
defeated the Aztecs and took control of
the empire.