Download Olmec, Mayan, Aztec, Incan PP File

Mayan, Aztec, Inca
11a,b
Olmecs
O Built the first planned city in Central America
O Had giant stone pyramids
O Invented a hieroglyphic form of writing
O Invented a number system with a zero
O Had accurate calendars
O Around the 1st century BCE the Olmec
civilization disappeared. No one knows why
Mayan
Mayan location
O Located in the Mexican and Central
American rain forests on what is now the
Yucatan Peninsula
O Homeland stretched from southern Mexico
into northern Central America.
Mayan Cities
O From 250 A.D to 900 A.D. the Maya built
many spectacular cities
O Each city was an independent city-state that
was ruled by a god-king.
O Also, the cities served as a center for
religious ceremonies and trade
Mayan Cities
O One important city that represents the
Mayan civilization is Chichen Itza
O This city exemplifies a multitude of
architectural styles (Styles seen through
central Mexico)
Mayan Economy
O The economy was based on agriculture and
trade
O They grew maize, beans, and squash
O Between the different Mayan city-states, the
people traded local products such as salt
and flint
Mayan religion
O The Mayans believed in many gods (gods of corn and
death)
O Worshiped their god in many ways such as prayer,
offerings, pierced and cut bodies, human sacrifices
O Used pyramids in dedication to different gods and
rulers
Toltecs
O In the 800s the Toltecs became the most
powerful society in Central America
O They had a polytheistic religion and built
many temples
O Society began to weaken about the 1100s
and fell to the Aztecs in 1200 A.D
Aztec
Aztec Location
O Located in arid valley in central Mexico
O Fertile land and accessible resources
Aztec Empire
O Arrived in the Valley of Mexico around 1200
A.D
O By the 1500s, they controlled an empire
that stretched 80,000 miles
O Their power was based on military
conquests
Aztec Empire
O In the social class, the Emperor was at the
top
O Military, government officials ,and priests
made up the noble class
O Soldiers, merchants and farmers who owned
land made up the Commoners
O At the bottom it was the captured people
who were enslaved
Aztec Economy
O The Aztec economy was based on
agriculture
O Also, conquered people were expected to
pay tribute
O This was done in the form of gold, maize,
cacao beans, and cotton
Tenochtitlan
O City located on a small island located in
Lake Texcoco
O Connected by raised roads called causeways
O People came to trade goods such as
avocados and chili peppers
O Home to many government buildings and
pyramids
Aztec religion
O Worshiped thousands of gods.. Many were
adopted from previous Mesoamerican
cultures
O Pyramids were used for worship
O Rituals such as ceremonies were used often
to please the gods
Incan
Incan Location
O Located in the Andes Mountains of South
America
Incan Empire
O By the 1500s, the Inca controlled 2,500
Miles of land alongside the western coast of
South America
O The emperor was worshiped because he
was thought to be a descendant of the sun
god Inti
O The empire was tolerant of conquered
people.. This allowed them to gain loyalty
Incan Economy
O The economy was based on high-altitude
agriculture
O Grew crops such as potatoes and maize
O The terrain was rocky and limited that area
in which they could farm
Incan Religion
O The Incans focused on key nature gods such
as the moon, the starts and thunder
O Worshiped less gods than the Aztecs
O Religious practices included sacrifice
Road System
O The Incas created about 14000 mile long
network of roads that symbolized the power
of the Incan state
O The road system benefited anything from
trade to transporting troops to various areas
Machu Picchu
O Incan city that held many public buildings,
temples, and a central plaza
Achievements
O Calendars
O The Mayans developed a 260 calendar that
had 20 day months and a 365 day calendar
with 18 20 day months
O The calendar was used to keep track of the
best times to plant crops
O The Aztecs also had a calendar similar to the
Mayans
O The Mayans also developed an advanced writing
system (First books of the Western Hemisphere
O 800 hieroglyphics
O Government Record Keeping
O The Incans created an accounting device
used to keep track of warriors and gold
O Knots and their position on a string
represented different things that the
government had to keep track of
O Math
O The Mayans created a number system that
was based on a base 20 system..this was
used primarily for the calendar and
astronomical work