Download Slide 1

Compare and contrast the cultures of the, Maya, Inca and Aztec including roles
of the people within each society and region
M
A
Y
a
The Maya were divided into two main classes: nobles and
commoners. The nobles: the king, top officials, and priests. The
majority of Maya society were commoners, mostly farmers, who
worked the land of the Empire. Lower ranking lords and higher
ranking commoners formed a kind of middle class.
Achievements in astronomy
and mathematics
The Mayas were brilliant
astronomers. Although they had no
telescopes, they made detailed
observations of the heavens. They
plotted the positions of the sun,
moon and planets. With this data,
they were able to predict events such
as eclipses of the sun, and the moon.
The Mayas used a 260-day
religious calendar and a 365-day
solar calendar.
The Mayas also developed an
advanced number system. The Maya
understood the concept of zero long
before Europeans did. Their number
system was flexible enough to be
used for multiplication and division.
Compare and contrast the cultures of the, Maya, Inca and Aztec including roles
of the people within each society and region
A
Z
t
e
c
The Aztec were divided into two main classes: nobles and
commoners. The largest group of commoners were farmers, but
also included groups such as artisans and merchants. At the
lowest level were slaves who worked for the noble families.
How the Aztec Empire was defeated by the Spanish
In 1519, Hernando Cortes sailed
to Mexico to conquer the rich
Aztec Empire. When Cortes and
his soldiers reached the capital
of the Aztecs, Montezuma, their
king welcomed Cortes as an
honored guest. Tensions
mounted between the Aztecs
and the Spaniards. In the battle
that broke out, Montezuma was
killed. Soon after, the Spanish
were forced to retreat. Cortes
returned and began a siege of
the city. Then, a smallpox
epidemic killed most of the
Aztecs. The survivor
surrendered in 1521.
Compare and contrast the cultures of the, Maya, Inca and Aztec including roles
of the people within each society and region
I
n
c
a
There were three ranks of nobles: nobles by birth, Appointed
nobles, and Non-Inca Chiefs. Commoners were divided into
categories based on age and gender.
How the Inca Empire was defeated by the Spanish
Francisco Pizarro and a small
group of conquistadors came to the
Inca Empire in 1531. There, a
smallpox epidemic had killed many
Incas. Pizarro took advantage of
the chaos in the empire. He invited
Atahualpa, the emperor, to a
friendly meeting and then had him
imprisoned. Atahualpa arranged for
a ransom that added up to almost
20 tons of gold and silver. This was
said to be the largest ransom in
history. However, Pizarro did not
honor his end of the bargain. He
rejected the Inca ransom and
ordered Atahualpa killed, with that
the Inca Empire was defeated.
Compare and contrast the cultures of the, Maya, Inca and
Aztec including roles of the people within each society and region.
Maya
Inca
Aztec
Government
•City-states with
separate rulers
•Emperor
•Empire divided
with separate
rulers.
•King
•City-states
governed by
local chiefs
Economy
•Farming
•Farming; trade
•Farming; trade
Religion
•Belief in many
gods
•Human sacrifice
•Belief in many
gods
•Belief in many
gods
•Human
sacrifice
•Irrigation system
•Terrace farming
•Road system with
bridges, tunnels
•Writing system
•Irrigation
system
•Poetry
•Sculptures
Achievements •Writing system
•Discoveries in
mathematics,
astronomy
•Calendar
•Architecture