Download Fact Sheet on Three American Societies

Fact Sheet on Three American Societies
MAYA
The Mayan civilization was
based on their land.
They invented a calendar of
365 days divided into 18
months.
The Mayan system of
picture writing has not yet
been fully solved.
A Mayan tablet discovered
in a ruined temple bears the
inscription 6 Eznab UO,
which means November 4,
291 BC in our calendar
They raised corn, sweet
potatoes, peppers, cotton
and tomatoes.
The Mayas worshiped
nature gods, such as gods of
rain, sky, the sun and
harvests.
They used drawings of
human heads as well as dots
and bars to represent
numbers. We understand
their numerical system.
The Mayas build great
temples, which still stand in
Yucatan, Mexico, and
Tikal, Guatemala.
Mothers hung a dangling
object in front of their
babies’ eyes so they would
develop a squint, which was
held to be a mark of beauty.
The invented a system of
counting using zero.
AZTEC
The capital, Tenochtitlan,
“Cactus growing on a
stone,” was built in fertile
valley over 7000 feet
(2120m.) above sea level
The Aztecs worshipped the
god of war and the god of
rain.
They fought wars to gain
prisoners for human
sacrifice and cannibalism
They were great borrowers
and through this avenue
obtained their faming
methods, construction of
buildings and the calendar.
Tenochtitlan was built on an
island in Late Texcoco,
surrounded by high
mountains.
In Aztec society, the nobles
were warriors; priests came
from the best families;
merchants formed a
separate class; artisans did
skilled work with precious
metals and made elaborate
weapons; the lowest class
consisted of farmers and
laborers.
Quetzalcoatl, the Plumed
Serpent, was greatly
honored and also known as
the Fair-Skinned God.
Aztecs believed they would
flourish when he returned to
earth.
Maize, leather goods,
vegetables, pottery,
chocolate, gold, silver, jade,
and jaguar skin were sold in
the markets
INCA
The capital was Cuzco,
located high in the Andes
Mountains.
The Incas had a talent for
organization, which enable
them to build and hold
together a vast empire
The economic base of this
empire was farming.
The Incas built excellent
roads, bridges, buildings,
and large temples of stone.
They worshipped the Sun
God, but rarely made
human sacrifices.
Land was allotted
according to family
circumstances.
All information and
records were kept on
quipu, a base rope with
colored, knotted strings
tied to it.
The Incas raised barley,
corn, wheat and potatoes
on terraced mountainsides.
They had a progressive
society in which all were
taken care of, a factor,
which induced other tribes
to join the Inca Empire.