Mayan, Aztec, Inca

11a,b

OlmecsO Built the first planned city in Central

AmericaO Had giant stone pyramids O Invented a hieroglyphic form of writingO Invented a number system with a zeroO Had accurate calendarsO Around the 1st century BCE the Olmec

civilization disappeared. No one knows why

Mayan

Mayan locationO Located in the Mexican and Central

American rain forests on what is now the Yucatan Peninsula

O Homeland stretched from southern Mexico into northern Central America.

Mayan Cities O From 250 A.D to 900 A.D. the Maya

built many spectacular cities O Each city was an independent city-

state that was ruled by a god-king.O Also, the cities served as a center for

religious ceremonies and trade

Mayan CitiesO One important city that represents

the Mayan civilization is Chichen ItzaO This city exemplifies a multitude of

architectural styles (Styles seen through central Mexico)

Mayan EconomyO The economy was based on

agriculture and tradeO They grew maize, beans, and squashO Between the different Mayan city-

states, the people traded local products such as salt and flint

Mayan religionO The Mayans believed in many gods (gods of

corn and death)O Worshiped their god in many ways such as

prayer, offerings, pierced and cut bodies, human sacrifices

O Used pyramids in dedication to different gods and rulers

ToltecsO In the 800s the Toltecs became the

most powerful society in Central America

O They had a polytheistic religion and built many temples

O Society began to weaken about the 1100s and fell to the Aztecs in 1200 A.D

Aztec

Aztec LocationO Located in arid valley in central

MexicoO Fertile land and accessible resources

Aztec EmpireO Arrived in the Valley of Mexico

around 1200 A.DO By the 1500s, they controlled an

empire that stretched 80,000 milesO Their power was based on military

conquests

Aztec EmpireO In the social class, the Emperor was

at the topO Military, government officials ,and

priests made up the noble classO Soldiers, merchants and farmers who

owned land made up the Commoners

O At the bottom it was the captured people who were enslaved

Aztec EconomyO The Aztec economy was based on

agriculture O Also, conquered people were

expected to pay tribute O This was done in the form of gold,

maize, cacao beans, and cotton

TenochtitlanO City located on a small island located

in Lake TexcocoO Connected by raised roads called

causewaysO People came to trade goods such as

avocados and chili peppersO Home to many government buildings

and pyramids

Aztec religionO Worshiped thousands of gods.. Many

were adopted from previous Mesoamerican cultures

O Pyramids were used for worshipO Rituals such as ceremonies were

used often to please the gods

Incan

Incan LocationO Located in the Andes Mountains of

South America

Incan EmpireO By the 1500s, the Inca controlled

2,500 Miles of land alongside the western coast of South America

O The emperor was worshiped because he was thought to be a descendant of the sun god Inti

O The empire was tolerant of conquered people.. This allowed them to gain loyalty

Incan EconomyO The economy was based on high-

altitude agricultureO Grew crops such as potatoes and

maizeO The terrain was rocky and limited

that area in which they could farm

Incan ReligionO The Incans focused on key nature

gods such as the moon, the starts and thunder

O Worshiped less gods than the AztecsO Religious practices included sacrifice

Road SystemO The Incas created about 14000 mile

long network of roads that symbolized the power of the Incan state

O The road system benefited anything from trade to transporting troops to various areas

Machu PicchuO Incan city that held many public

buildings, temples, and a central plaza

AchievementsO Calendars

O The Mayans developed a 260 calendar that had 20 day months and a 365 day calendar with 18 20 day months

O The calendar was used to keep track of the best times to plant crops

O The Aztecs also had a calendar similar to the Mayans

O The Mayans also developed an advanced writing system (First books of the Western HemisphereO 800 hieroglyphics

O Government Record KeepingO The Incans created an accounting

device used to keep track of warriors and gold

O Knots and their position on a string represented different things that the government had to keep track of

O MathO The Mayans created a number system

that was based on a base 20 system..this was used primarily for the calendar and astronomical work