WHI: SOL 11a, b

Mesoamerica

Early inhabitants• Migrated from Asia during the last Ice Age, crossing the Bering

Strait by foot• Hunter-gatherers:• During global warming, they migrated east and south to follow

the herds.• Different cultures formed as they spread out.• Cut off from Asia as Ice Age ended, they developed

independently from cultures in the Eastern Hemisphere.• Technology:• Metal was rarely used; many cultures were still in the Stone Age.• Wheel was used, but not for transportation.

Olmec Civilization• Name means “rubber people.”• Parent or base culture of Mesoamerica:• Settled along the Gulf Coast• Influenced area through trade; evidence of trade confirmed by Olmec jade

carvings found throughout Central America• Polytheistic religion:• Performed ritual sacrifices• Played pok-a-tok game• Built temple and pyramids• Went on pilgrimages• Constructed “Colossal Heads”• Achievements:• Calendar

Mayan Civilization

• Located in the Mexican and Central American rain forests on the Yucatan Peninsula (present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize)

• Economy based on agriculture (including irrigation) and trade

• Groups of city-states ruled by kings:• Represented by Chichén Itzá, the premier city-state• Priests, nobles, and warriors—upper class• Everyone else— peasants who paid taxes to the king (using

corn)• No rights for women

Mayan Civilization

• Polytheistic religion:• Pyramids• Priest preoccupied with concept of time• Human sacrifices• Achievements:• Hieroglyphics• Complex 365-day calendar system• Astronomy• Number system• Between 850 and 1000 A.D. (C.E.), city-states abandoned

Aztec Civilization

• Located in arid valley in central Mexico• Represented by the capital Tenochtitlan, an island city in

Lake Texcoco• Government:• Ruled by an emperor with absolute power• Indirect rule; trade and tribute from conquered peoples

held empire together.• Empire built by the conquest of fierce warriors; conquest

provided prisoners and slaves for religious sacrifices• Right of slaves to buy freedom

Aztec Civilization• Economy:• Based on agriculture (beans, squash, tomatoes, and peppers)• Chinampa farming (practice of draining swamps and building up fields in

shallow lake beds)• Polytheistic religion:• Chief god—the sun god• Priests, a special social class• – Recorded knowledge and ran schools• – Served as astronomers and mathematicians• Ritualistic ceremonies performed daily• Based on warfare• Pyramids• Frequent sacrifices

Aztec Civilization

• Achievements:• Causeways• Aqueducts• Canals• Dams

Incan Civilization

• Location:• Developed in the Andes Mountains• Area includes primarily present-day Peru and

northern Chile, as well as smaller area in southern Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and northwestern Argentina

• Important cities:• Cuzco, capital• Machu Picchu

Incan Civilization

• Government:• Ruled by an emperor with absolute power• Direct rule• – Government arranged marriage.• – Citizens were required to have passes for

travel.• – Government controlled harvest.• – Conquered people were forced to adopt

Incan ways

Incan Civilization

• Economy:• Based on high-altitude agriculture (potatoes,

beans, squash, peanut, cotton, llamas, guinea pigs, and alpacas)

• Used terrace-farms• Polytheistic religion:• Chief god—the sun god

Incan Civilization

• Achievements:• Kept records on quipus, a system of knotted

strings• Demonstrated themselves to be superb

engineers• Created vast network of roads linking entire

empire