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Civilizations of MesoAmerica
Aztecs, Mayans and Incas
Aztecs
Who were the
Aztecs?
Civilization in the
Valley of Mexico
Ruled the region
from 1100s to 1500s
Aztec Empire
Aztec Empire
•Arrived in the Valley of
Mexico in 1148
•Economy based on
agriculture
•Spanned from the Pacific
Coast to the Gulf of Mexico
•Major city: Tenochtitlan
•By 1520, included 20
million people
Aztec Culture
What was life like in
Aztec Culture?
Aztec culture divided
into 2 classes,
commoners and
nobles
Noble male children
attended school until
15
Women were
subordinate to men
Slavery was common
Aztec Culture
What was life like in
Aztec Culture?
Laws were simple
and harsh
Most crimes
punishable by
death, beatings or
mutilation
Slander ( or lying)
was punishable by
the loss of your lips!
Aztecs
What caused the
end to the Aztec
Civilization?
Aztec Rule Montezuma
thought Spanish explorer
Cortez was a returning god.
Montezuma offered gifts of
gold.
Excited by the riches, Hernan
Cortes led an army to defeat
the Aztecs in 1520
Education
Aztecs
What were some
contributions the
Aztecs made to the
world?
One of the first civilizations to
require education
Medicine
Surgery
Muscle relaxing medication
Mathematics
Idea of zero
Accurate calendar
Food
Popcorn
Chocolate
Chewing gum
Contributions difficult to
trace because of destruction
by Catholic missionaries
Aztec Beliefs
What were the
beliefs of the Aztec
people?
Aztecs religion was
polytheistic (more
than one god), they
worshiped about
1,000 different gods.
The head of the
gods was
Huizilopochtlid,
god of war and
god of sun.
Aztec Beliefs
What did
the Aztecs
Believe?
They put their greatest
efforts into making strong,
beautiful temples to please
their gods.
Their arts had a part in their
religion. They drew pictures
that told about their gods.
They recorded religious
events with hieroglyphics
and even number symbols.
They worshipped the sun god
the most.
Aztec Beliefs
What did Aztecs
believe?
The god of the Sun had
told the Aztecs to wander
until they found an eagle
with a serpent in its
mouth perched on a
cactus growing from a
rock. When they found
this, they claimed the
area around it, which is
now known as
Tenochtitlan.
Aztec Beliefs
Who was
responsible for
worship in Aztec
Culture?
Priests and
priestesses were
very important
people. They
acted as doctors,
and taught
science, art,
writing, music,
dance, history,
and counting.
Aztec Beliefs
Where did people
worship?
Religious ceremonies took
place in a temple called a
teocalli.
This temple had sacred
pools for ceremonial
cleansing, gardens, living
quarters for a priest, and
racks to hold the skulls of
victims.
Religion played a great part
in Aztec life.
Aztec Beliefs
How did Aztecs
worship?
Sacrifice was one of the main
events in the Aztec religion.
Priests made human sacrifices
to make the sun god happy.
Aztecs fought in wars to
capture men to sacrifice.
On God's Feast Day, they killed
their slaves for the gods.
Human sacrifices were offerings
to the sun and earth so that
food would grow.
Mayan Civilization
Pre-Classic(2600 B.C.E-250 B.C.E)
Classic (250 C.E-900 C.E)
Mayan Collapse
Post-Classic period ( 1000-1600 C.E)
Mayan Civilization
Where did Mayan
Civilization occur?
Southern Mexico: Yucatan
peninsula, and modern
Chapas, and Tabasco in
Mexico
Mayan Society
What was life like in
the Mayan
Civilization?
leader
nobles
Trade/warriors
Farmers/slaves
Land divided into
states (major city and
surrounding towns)
were headed by a
ruler who was often a
priest
Mayan Society
What was life like in
the Mayan
Civilization?
Very few people
lived in the urban
centers
Mostly involved in
agriculture
Mayan Society
What was life like in
the Mayan
Civilization?
Mayan civilization had
unique ideas of beauty
Crossed Eyes:
Considered particularly
beautiful
• Babies were given objects to
stare at to encourage
crossed eyes
High, flat, sloping forehead
• Tied boards to babies
foreheads
Mayan Beliefs
What did Mayan
People believe?
Polytheistic (more
than one god)
Gods were not
good or evil,
Like Aztecs, religious
ceremonies closely
tied to natural cycles
( moon phases,
seasons, etc.)
Mayan Beliefs
What did the Mayan
people believe?
Religious ceremonies
consisted of singing,
dancing, competitions,
dramatic performances,
and some human
sacrifice
Human sacrifice usually
voluntary
Participants gives blood
or pieces (arms, tongue,
eye, etc) to the god
Mayan Beliefs
What did the Mayan
people believe?
Mayan people
believed in an
afterlife
Heaven was reserved
for people who died
in sacrifice, childbirth
or hanged
Hell or xibal was for
everyone else
Mayan Beliefs
What was the role of
priests in Mayan
society?
Believed priests
could talk to gods
Most daily life
directed by priests
Decided: when to
plant, who could
marry, sometimes
leaders
Mayan Beliefs
What did Mayan
People believe?
Believed in the
underworld, the sky and
the Earth
Knowing the past meant
knowing the cycle of
the present and
knowing the present
provided information for
knowing the future
This focus on time led
to development of
sophisticated calendars
and time keepers
End of the Mayan Civilization
Why did the Mayan
Civilization end?
It took 170 years for
the Spanish to get
control of Mayan
lands.
Mayans remained
independent until the
1700s
Mayan culture,
language, and art
still practiced
Mayan Civilization
What are some
contributions the
Mayan civilization
made to the world?
Written language
Calendars
Art and architecture
Temple building
City development
Mayan Temples
Inca Civilization
Inca Location
Where was the Inca
civilization?
Along the coast of
South America.
Modern Chile, Peru,
parts of Argentina
and Boliva
Andes Mountain
Range
Inca Time Period
When was the Inca
civilization?
Little historic record of
where the Incas came
from.
No written language
Cuzco( in modern Peru)
is the center.
Incas began spreading
out from Cuzco in the
1400s
eventually created one of
the largest empires in all
of history
Inca Society
What was it like to live
in Inca Society?
leader
Royal family
Tribal leader
Clan leader
Common people
Royal family had
absolute power
Relationships within
clans based on
community and
cooperation
Strongly held belief that
there is enough for
everyone
Conquered people
required to pay a labor
tax which provided
roads and farmlands
through the Andes
mountains
Inca Society
What was it like to
live in Inca society?
Most people lived above
10,000 feet in elevation
Worshiped at over
15,000 ft. in elevation
Difficult today, scientists
still wonder how the
Incas did it
Clothing made from
Alpaca, and lama wool
for the cool
temperatures at high
altitudes
Inca Beliefs
What did Incas
believe?
Polytheistic (more than
one god)
Gods mostly tied to
natural objects or
events
Main god- Sun-god
Sun-god was the only
god to have temples
Royal family descended
from the sun-god
Referred to as “the Giver
of Life”
Inca Beliefs
What did the Incas
believe?
Worshipped with
monthly festivals to
honor gods
Human sacrifice rare
in Incan Culture
Reserved for major
festivals or the
crowning of a new
emperor
Contributions of Inca Civilization
What
contributions
did Inca
Civilization
make?
Engineering
Forts built of cut stone that fit so
precisely together they do not require
mortar and are still standing in near
perfect condition
Highly sophisticated network of
roads, more roads than the Romans
Aqueducts and irrigation systems
Advanced Surgery and
Medicine
Textiles and Ceramics
Contributions of the Inca
Civilization
End of the Inca Civilization
Why did the Inca
Civilization end?
Inspired by Cortes’
victory over the Aztecs,
Francisco Pizzaro,
another Spanish
explorer invaded in
1531 with 200 soldiers
Pizzaro captured the
Incan ruler and killed
him in 1533.
Pizzaro did not gain
complete control over
the region until the
1560’s.
Macchu Picchu
• Probably built at the
height of the Incan
Empire around 1450
•7,500 feet above sea
level
•Self sustaining city
•One of the great
wonders of the world