Mesoamerican

Civilizations
Olmec 1300 B.C.-
The first civilization of Mesoamerica

They were located in the hot and swampy lowlands along

the coast of the Gulf of Mexico south of Veracruz.

They had large cities that were centers for religious rituals.

They carved colossal stone heads

They may have been to represent

their ancestors or gods.
Teotihuacán
Was the first major city in Mesoamerica
Arose around 250 B.C. and collapsed about 800 A.D.

May have had as many as 200,000 inhabitants at its height.

Has a main thoroughfare, known as the Avenue of the Dead, had two
main temples.
The Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon.
Mayan civilization
• Located in the Mexican and Central American
rain forest
• Represented by Chichén Itzá
• Group of city-states ruled by a king
• Economy based on agriculture and trade
• Polytheistic religion—Pyramids

Yucatán Peninsula
-Maya were found in the Yucatan Peninsula and Part of Guatemala

Maya: Between 300 and 900 A.D.

-Flourished during this time. We do not know why it fell into
decline. The Maya abandoned their cities, we do not know why.

Political and Social Structure

Cities-Were built around a central pyramid
Pyramid-Was topped with a shrine to the gods.
City-States-Each governed by a hereditary ruling class
Tikal, Guatemala
 Maya Society
• Complex class structure
• Upper class included kings, priests, warriors, and merchants
• Lower class included most of the Maya
• Farmers had to give crops to ruler and serve in the army
• Slaves held the lowest position in society
• Slaves included orphans, slaves’ children, and people who
owed money
Mayan Kings
-Ruled the Mayan Kingdom
They claimed they were divine
Were assisted by nobles and a class of scribes
Made special blood sacrifices to maintain the kingdom.

People
-Included townspeople, skilled artisans, officials, and
merchants.
Many people were peasant farmers who worked on terraced
hillsides farming.
Men did the fighting and hunting, women made cornmeal
and were responsible for homemaking and raising children.
 Religion
The Maya were Polytheistic.
They believed that all of life was in the hands of a divine power.
They were responsible for pleasing the gods.

Their gods were ranked in order of importance, the Jaguar was the
god of night and was seen as evil.
The Maya practiced human sacrifice to appease their gods.

Human sacrifice was also used to mark special occasions.

When a king ascended to the throne war captives were tortured and
beheaded to mark the occasion.
 Mayan Warfare
• Mayan cities usually battled each other to gain power
• Warfare very bloody
• Fought hand-to-hand using spears, flint knives, and wooden clubs
• Often killed enemy prisoners
• Burned enemy towns and villages
• Warfare may have led to the destruction of the Mayan civilization
Accomplishments
Language
The Maya developed an independent
Hieroglyphic language.

The Spanish destroyed most of the Mayan

writings. They were not seen as having any
value. Their language was not translated
until the 20th century.
Calendar
The Maya developed a calendar that
had two different parts.
It had a solar calendar with 365
days, divided into 18 months with
20 days each with 5 extra days at
the end.
A Lunar calendar and a Calendar
based on the movement of the
Planet Venus. This was a sacred
calendar with 260 days and 13
weeks of 20 days each.
The Mayan calendar says our
present world was created in 3114
B.C. and the current era will end on
December 23 2012 A.D.
 Maya Achievements
• Art and architectural achievements
• Sculpture and jade and gold jewelry
• Built cities using metal tools
• Mayan cities largest architectural achievement
• Built observatories to study the stars
• Developed the calendar and number systems
• Also developed a writing system similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics
 Causes of the Decline of the Mayan
Civilization
• Began to collapse around 900
• The cause of the collapse is unknown
• Warfare may have contributed
• Kings made demands of people (taxes, work on monumental
architecture) and they may have rebelled
• A long period of dry weather may have made it hard to grow
crops
• A mix of events probably led to the decline
Aztec civilization
• Located in arid valley in central Mexico
• Represented by Tenochtitlan
• Ruled by an emperor
• Economy based on agriculture and tribute from
conquered peoples
• Polytheistic religion with pyramids/rituals

The Aztec began c. 12th century A.D.

Began a long migration that brought them into the Valley of Mexico.
They established their capital city at Tenochtitlán.
Tenochtitlán
An Aztec legend said that when the people found their new home
they would see an eagle perched on a cactus holding a snake. They
saw this in lake Texcoco.
Their city was built up on rafts made from reeds and covered with
dirt. They were called chinampas. Present-Day Mexico-City is built
on top of this city. The original was destroyed by the Spanish.
Lake Texcoco-Swampy lake that was the home of the capital city.
Tenochtitlán means the Place of the Prickly Pear Cactus.
Political and Social Structure
By 1500 there were about 8 million people in the Aztec Empire.

Aztec Emperor
Ruled over the Aztec Empire.
Was the supreme leader of the people.
He claimed that he was divine.

People
Made up of commoners, indentured workers, and slaves.
Most people were farmers, but they also traded with people in the
surrounding areas.

Men were to be the warriors, while a woman’s role was to be in the

home. Women were allowed to own and inherit property and enter
contracts. Women wove textiles and raised children. They could
also be priestesses.
• Teotihuacan around 400 CE population of
200,000
• Tenochtitlan 150,000 in 1500
• Tenochtitlan in middle of Lake Texcoco,
surrounded by chinampas
• Central zone with palace and temples,
surrounded by residential zones, smaller palaces,
markets, gardens, and a zoo
Tenochtitlan
 Economy and Government
• State controlled use and distribution of many
commodities (many gained as tribute from conquered
areas)
• Local markets controlled by clans
• Big market for long distance trade controlled by
merchant class
• Government regulated exchange of goods, sent
inspectors to supervise trade
• Many city states in central Mexico
• Population of Aztec empire around 1500 about 20
Million
Chinampas in Lake Texcoco
Religion
Had a polytheistic religion based on warfare.

Huitzilopochtli
Their chief god. He was the god of the sun. The Aztec
offered him human sacrifice to give him strength to battle the forces
of darkness each night so that he could rise each morning.

Quetzalcoatl
The feathered Serpent
He believed he had left the valley of
Mexico and promised to return in triumph.

Human Sacrifice
Each Aztec city contained a pyramid where they
practiced human sacrifice as a way to postpone
the end of the world.
Destruction of the Aztec
The subjugation of the people of the Aztec
Empire bred hatred and discontent among the
people. When the Spanish arrived they did
not have a difficult time finding allies to fight
the Aztec.

Hernán Cortés 1519

Spanish Conquistador who came to the valley of Mexico in 1519
with 550 soldiers and 16 horses. He was at first greeted by the
Aztec Emperor Montezuma (Moctezuma). The Spanish later
kidnapped the Emperor and made him a puppet. The people
rebelled and the Emperor was killed. The Spanish barely escaped.

The Spanish returned several months later. Many of the natives had
fallen ill with Smallpox. Cortés and his allies destroyed the Aztec
capital and subjugated the Aztec people.
Incan civilization
• Located in the Andes Mountains of South America
• Represented by Machu Picchu
• Ruled by an emperor
• Economy based on high-altitude agriculture
• Polytheistic religion
• Road system

Late 1300's Inca

The Inca started as a small group that were located in Cuzco. They
did not begin to become powerful until after the fall of the Moche
of Peru.

Pachacuti
Unified the Inca and established the Inca Empire.
Organization of the Empire
Incan state was built on war.
The conquered peoples were all taught the same
language.
Each region was appointed a governor who
answered to the Emperor.

Road System: 24, 800 miles of Road

The Inca built roads to unify their people.
Roads made travel and communication
throughout the empire more efficient.

There were rest houses and storage depots along

with bridges to span ravines and waterways.
 Culture
Were required to marry from within their own social group.
Women were expected to live at home, the only alternative was to
be a priestess.
Most people were farmers, they also herded llamas and alpacas.

Quipu-A
Quipu system of knotted strings used by the Inca to keep
records.
Great Builders
They had great buildings made of
stone held without mortar. Their
roads also show their ability as
great builders.

Machu Picchu
City built at 8,000 ft above sea
level.

Urubamba River
River below Machu Picchu
Waru waru around Lake Titicaca
Defeat
The Spanish arrived in 1531

1531: Francisco Pizarro

Spanish Conquistador led a band of 180 men with
superior weapons.
The Inca, like the Aztec, were devastated by disease.

Smallpox
Devastated the Population

Civil War
After the death of the Inca Emperor a civil war broke out, Pizarro took
advantage and defeated the people.

Defeat
Pizarro and his men established Lima as the new capital of the Spanish
Colony in 1535.
Achievements of Mayan, Aztec, and
Incan civilizations

• Calendars

• Mathematics

• Writing and other record-keeping

systems