Download Early Latin American Societies

Ancient Civilizations of
Latin America
You Live Where?
Most ancient people settled
on the flat plains near rivers
or the ocean. . . .places that
were easy to reach and easy
to defend. But not the three
early civilizations of Latin
America. They established
their homes in challenging
settings, such as the dense
jungles of Central America,
the high mountains of South
America and on a marshy
island in the middle of a lake
in Mexico.
The Mayas were one of Latin America’s most important early societies that started
as early as 1600 B.C. and flourished for hundreds of years building cities and
communities throughout parts of southern Mexico and Central America. Farming was
essential to Mayan Life using a technique known as slash & burn to clear land for their
crops. The Mayas worshipped many gods and built elaborate temples and
monuments in their honor. Around A.D. 900, however, construction of temples
stopped and cities were abandoned. No one is quite sure what happened to bring an
end to the Mayan Civilization, but the people did not completely die out. Their
descendents live on today in places such as Chiapas, Mexico and still speak dialects
based on the ancient language of the Mayas.
Mayan Civilization in Mexico & Central America
The Mayas
Quick Facts
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Studied math extensively and were
one of the first civilizations to
understand the mathematical
concept of Zero.
Were avid astronomers and
developed two calendars….a 260
day calendar of sacred days and a
365 calendar based on the sun’s
movement.
Constructed massive stone pyramids
and temples WITHOUT the use of
metal tools. Many of which are still
standing.
Established the best developed
written language in ancient Latin
America using symbols known as
hieroglyphs.
Mayan Numbering System
Did You Know. . .
Mayan nobles spent a great deal
of time on their personal
appearance. They pierced their ears.
They covered their bodies with
tattoos. They painted their bodies.
They loved fancy colorful
embroidery added to their clothing.
They loved straight black hair and
high cheekbones. They loved
jewelry. Hats were important. The
Mayas believed that the bigger the
hat, the more important the wearer.
Some of the headdresses worn by
nobles were taller than they were.
As in most ancient cultures, their life
was one of leisure. They had the
time to spend on what they
believed made them look beautiful.
The Aztecs were made up of a number of wandering tribes, including the lead
tribe, the Mexica, from which Mexico got its name. During the 1200’s, the Aztec
grew in numbers and military strength until they controlled the region. The Aztec
Empire centered on warfare. Their capital city, Tenochtitlan, was built on an
island in the center of a lake. Mexico City was later built on top of it. The island
location of Tenochtitlan made it difficult for enemies to attack, but also difficult
for farmers to raise crops and livestock. The Aztecs dominated Mexico until the
early 1500’s when they were conquered by Cortes and his Spanish army.
Aztec Quick Facts
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Farmers in Tenochtitlan raised crops on
floating gardens called chinampas, which
were anchored between the trucks of
willow trees.
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All men, even the priests, were expected
to join the army as part of their religious
duty. The Aztec believed that anyone
who died in battle was honoring their god
of war.
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A popular entertainment for the Aztecs
was a ballgame called tlachtli where
opponents tried to get a ball through a
hoop at each end of the court without
using their hands.
Did You Know . . .
When the Spaniards under Hernan Cortez
gazed upon the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán
in Mexico in 1519,they were amazed by the
scene before them. There, in the middle of a
wide lake was a shimmering city with vast
buildings sitting on an island in the middle of
a large lake. The astonishment of those first
Spanish visitors soon turned to horror when
they saw the vast scale of ritual sacrifices
made by the Aztecs.
Even today, it is hard to understand this
ritual sacrifice that the Aztec made to their
god of war at the pyramid built in his honor.
It is estimated that approximately 20,000
people per year were sacrificed by the
Aztecs. Captives were taken to the top of
pyramids where, upon a ritual flat stone
table, they were killed and their bodies
tossed down the steps of the pyramids. The
scene to both the Spaniards of that time and
to us today is truly gruesome.
Around 1400, high in the Andes
Mountains of Peru, a group of people
called the Inca rose up to conquer the
people of the surrounding area and build
their capital city of Cuzco. The Incas soon
ruled a huge empire that covered large
areas of South America. While the nobles
had unlimited freedom, the commoners
worked for the state. The state took care of
everyone and saw to it that no one went
hungry. But the government was harsh.
Laws were strictly enforced and the
common people had very little freedom.
The Incas were farmers and built stone
terraces on the steep mountainsides to
prevent the erosion of soil. The Incas also
built roads on which runners worked in
teams to relay verbal messages from one
end of the empire to the other. The
messages were always passed by way of
mouth, because unlike the Mayas, the Incas
had no written language of their own.
Inca Quick Facts
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Incas loved gold and silver, but had no
use for money. Everything was paid for
in physical labor. Taxes were paid for by
helping build roads or working in mines.
The Incas were the only Latin America
people who knew how to blacksmith, but
they had no knowledge of the wheel.
The law did not allow commoners to be
idle. Everyone had to work at his or her
assigned job. Even the amount of time
they spent sleeping or bathing was
controlled by a government official.
Commoners were not allowed to own
property or their own businesses. The
government owned everything and was
strict about enforcing laws. Even walking
on one of the paved roads without
permission was punishable by death.
Because they had no written language ,
the Incas developed a system of record
keeping using patterns of knots tied on
strings called Quipu.
Did you know . . .
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The Incas were known as the "Children of the
Sun". They worshiped gods of nature - the sun god,
the god of thunder, Moon, rainbows, mountain tops,
stars, planets, and many more. Like the ancient
Greeks, the Incas believed the gods could intervene
to help you or hinder you. To avoid problems, they
worshiped all the gods every day.
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The Incas believed in an afterlife. They
mummified their dead. It was easy. They simply set
the dead body out in the cold in above ground
tombs. The Incas could enter and reenter these
tombs, leaving gifts of food and belongings.
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The bodies of the dead nobles were carefully
mummified and often left in the palaces where they
had lived and ruled. Their relatives would treat them
as though they were still alive. Servants brought
them food and personal items. Their family
consulted them for advice on daily affairs. On
parade days and other special occasions, the
mummies were taken outside and carried through
the streets.
Frozen Mummified Girl
Found on a Mountaintop
The Arrival of the Spanish
Although no one knows for certain how
or why the Mayan civilization came to an
end, there is no doubt as to what brought
an end to the reign of the Aztecs and
Incas in Latin America - - - the arrvial of
the Spanish.
Hernan Cortes captured the Aztec leader
Montezuma II and claimed his empire for
Spain in 1521. Ten years later, another
Spanish soldier, Francisco Pizarro
defeated the Inca ruler, Atahualpa,
putting him to death and claiming his
empire for Spain.
The glory days of the great Native
American civilizations of Latin America
were over. A new empire, Spain, was in
control.
Questions
Use Textbook pp. 160 -168
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Where did each of the three ancient civilization of Latin America built their
cities? (p. 160)
List four accomplishments of the Maya. (p. 161)
What was essential to Maya and what method did they use? (p. 161)
Where do Maya people still live to today?
Give two reasons all able Aztec men expected to join the army. (p. 162)
How did the Aztecs build their floating gardens called chinampas? (p. 162)
What crops did the Inca grow? (p. 163)
What Incan city still remains today and in what country is it located. (p. 140)
What did trade between Latin America and Spain become known as? (p. 166)