Download Latin American Civilizations

3 Major Pre-Columbian
Civilizations: Maya, Aztec, Inca
Find these locations and label them on your map.
Early Human Migrations
A.D. 250 - A.D. 900
Lands of the Mayans
The Yucatan
Peninsula
Tikal, Guatemala
Map of Tikal
Temple of the Masks
Tikal:
Temple of
the Masks
Tikal - Wall Mask of the Rain God
Tikal Jungle View at Sunset
Chichen-Itza - Pyramid
Cities were religious centers. Pyramid style Temples stood in the
middle of the city. Worshiped many gods and performed rituals
including human sacrifice to their gods.
Pakal: The Maya Astronaut
Quetzalcoatl:
The God of Wisdom & Learning
Every Spring and Fall equinox, the sun hits the pyramid just
perfectly that a snake is formed on the edge of the staircase. The
head is down on the bottom of the staircase. Architects still aren’t
exactly sure of how the Mayans figured out how to build this.
Chichen-Itza - Observatory
Mayan priests studied the stars and planets. Designed an
accurate calendar to determine cycles.
Mayan Mathematics
First number system with a 0
Mayan Hieroglyphic Writing
System
sky
king
house
child
city
Chichen-Itza - Ball Court Game:
Pok-ta-Pok
Mayan Cultivation of
Maize
Chac, God of Rain 
Farmers worked in fields surrounding the
city. Maize most important crop. Also grew
squash, beans, peppers, avocados, and
papayas.
Mayan Underground Granaries:
Chultunes
Ground the corn into flour to
make tortillas.
Mayan Drinking Cup for
Chocolate
The Great Mystery of the Mayas:
Collapse of the Mayan Civilization
Suddenly left their cities. Why??
 Enormous Population
– Lack of Resources (water, food, materials)
 Revolution against the Government
– Peasant uprising against nobles & priests
 Invasions
 Natural Disaster (earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanos etc.)
 Disease
 Calendar Prophesies
-Mayans believed they were headed for collapse because their
calendar said they were, therefore they thought they should
move to new centers
Maya Review
A.D. 1100 – A.D.1521
Lands of the Aztecs
Aztec View of Tenochtitlan
Island in Lake Texcoco
Population 200,000
Tenochtitlan: The “Venice” of the
Americas
Ruins of the City Center,
Tenochtitlan
Aztecs Human Sacrifice
of Neighboring Tribes to
the Sun God
Aztec Sun Motifs
Heart Sacrifice
on an Aztec Temple Pyramid
Wall of Skulls, Tenochtitlan
Sacrificial Statue, Tenochtitlan
Aztec Chinampa or Floating
Garden:
15ft. to 30ft. wide
Tenochtitlan – Chinampas
of maize, squash, & beans
Aztec Medicine
Aztec doctors made more than 1,000 medicines from plants.
Also set broken bones and practiced dentistry.
Aztec Writing
Aztec Math
Aztec Codex
(15c Manuscript)
Aztec Sun Stone -Calendar
The Aztecs
Were
Fierce
Warriors
Aztec Gold
Aztec Trading
Aztec Collapse
Montezuma II
Aztec Ruler 1519
Hernan Cortes
formed an alliance
with the peasants
and defeated the
Aztecs in 1521
A.D. 1200 - A.D.1535
Lands of the Incas
Cuzco: Ancient Capital of the Inca
Stone Architecture with no mortar or cement. Architecture Stonework
and earthquake proof structures – trapezoid doors and windows &
walls tilted in at 80 degrees instead of 90 degree straight walls.
Machu Picchu:
rediscovered 1911
This city is built into the mountainside with over 3,000 steps
connecting the different levels of the city.
Machu Picchu
Incan Religion
Many Gods
Human Sacrifice
Inti – god of sun: most important god
Viracocha – god of Andes people
Incan Road System
15,000 miles of roads. Runners used to relay messages over vast empire.
Incan Suspension
Bridges
Incan Terrace Farming
Incan Digging Sticks
Maize in Incan Pottery
& Gold Work
Over 100 Different Types of
Potatoes Cultivated
by the Incans
Produce from a Typical Incan
Market
Peppers, Tomatoes, Peanuts
Incan Ceramic Jars
Peanut
Cacao God
Potato
Cacao Pod
Squash
Incan Aqueducts
The Quipu: An Incan Data
Collecting Method
Inca Gold & Silver
Incan Collapse: 1535
Francisco Pizarro
– Guns, cannons, and horses
– European diseases
Incan Mummies
The End