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Early Civilizations of Latin America Aztecs • Started in Northern Mexico living in the desert regions • Moved into the Central Plateau • 1325 the god Uitzilopochtli told them where to settle – “An eagle perched atop a cactus holding a snake in its beak.” • Settled on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco • Called the city Tenochtitlan (current site of Mexico City) • Eagle, Snake and Cactus are national symbols for Mexico The Aztec Empire • Built and started an advanced civilization in the Central Plateau of Mexico • Pyramid temples for their religious beliefs and practices • Aztecs had only one ruler or king • Chosen by the priests, nobles and warriors • Conquered and maintained a large empire • Defeated peoples and kingdoms had to pay tribute to the Aztecs Aztec Conquest and Prisoners • Prisoners of war were either used as slaves or as sacrificial victims • Aztecs believed that the god of war needed to be pleased • To be successful in battles meant that they had to kill many people • Made the Aztecs feared and hated by other peoples. Aztec Religion • Worshipped many gods (polytheistic) • Priests were powerful people in society and controlled the large temple pyramids • Recorded knowledge of science, math and medicine into written books • Chief God was – Quetzalcoatl (keht suh koh aht l) – Believed that he brought maize to the Earth – Sailed off into the Eastern Sea according to legand and would return one day • Connection to the arrival of Cortes and the Spanish Success of Tenochtitlan • By 1500 it was home to 150,000 people • Largest city in the world at that time • Farming invention to use swampy land • Chinampas- small floating islands to plant crops on • Large markets that sold many different goods Aztec Society • Education – Aztecs were among the first people to educate boys and girls – Boys were trained in war and strategy – Girls were trained in homecoming skills • Women in Society – Could own property and remarry if her husband died – Priestesses, weavers, musicians and midwives – Mostly concerned with making food and clothing • Class Activity – What are the boys learning and from whom? – What are the girls learning and from whom? – Why would it be important to educate both boys and girls? – Look at picture on page 451 for more examples Mayans • Ancient Mayans lived in the lowland rainforests of Central America • Between 300 and 900 A.D the Mayans were at their height of power • Road network allowed the major cities to communicate and trade with one another – Tikal and Palenque for example • Merchants traded: – Cotton, gold jewelry, etc.. Mayan Lifestyles • Farming – Complex farming methods due to environment – Built raised fields for crops – Caught the rain and used it as irrigation – Able to drain water by using channels – Able to support a city of 20,000 people • Government/Society – Organized into city-states and not one large empire – King, nobles, priests, artisans, merchants, peasants and laborers, finally slaves – Merchants- sold fine cloth, ornaments, feathered cloaks – Peasants/Laborers- grew the food and built temples Mayan Religion • Believed that Gods controlled the universe of nature • Priests performed rituals to please the gods • Pyramid temples were at the center of the cities – See Page 449 for Mural Picture • Played a ball game called pok-a-tok – Ordinary people played for fun – Nobles played for the gods so that the priests could tell what would happen in the future Mayan Achievements • Great skill in architecture with all the buildings • Developed a system of writing (called Glyphs) – Covered temple wall and stone pillars – Dealt with religious and historical events • Made a calendar that was 365 ¼ days long – Very similar to the same calendar system we use • Developed the concept (idea) of the number zero – If you don’t like math blame the Mayans ! Incans in Peru • Built a very big empire in the valleys of the Andes Mountains • Covered Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Bolivia • Please Read pages 452453 • Up Close “The Efficient Incas” Incan Lifestyles • Farming – Able to feed a population of 9 million people – Complex irrigation systems were designed • Channeled water from the mountain streams into the fields – Terrace Farming- carving fields out of the sides of mountains – Used fertilizer on their crops • Corn, potatoes and beans • Religion – Worshipped many different gods – Sun God was the chief god – Inca- means children of the sun – Temple of the Sun in Cuzco – Covered the temple walls in sheets in gold – Gold was considered the sweat of the Gods – Priests performed rituals at the site of the Temple Incan Government • Believed that the Incan Emperor owned all the land, mines and fields of the empire • Ruled with the help of priests and nobles • People of the empire were told: – Where to live – What jobs they would perform • Collected taxes on the crops that the peasants grew • Set up a road system that allowed for better communication • Quipi- knotted string that carried messages