Exploring Mesoamerica: The Rich History and Cultures of the Region

1. Mesoamerica Me so excited to learn!

2. http://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&hl=en&q=mexico&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wlhttp://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&hl=en&q=mexico&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

3. How they got here • Land Bridge • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGmC0W6ejFg&playnext=1&list=PL7DECE98A7359208E&index=17&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1 • Created during Ice Age when oceans froze, lowering water levels • Believed to have occurred 10,000-12,000 years ago • Thought they may have been following food

4. How they got here • May have paddled along shore in boats

5. Mesoamerica • Mesoamerica- the land between North and South America • Consists of Mexico and central America

6. The Americas • People had to adapt to a variety of climates • The biggest adaptation occurred across the Americas • Farming!! • In Mesoamerica, they grew beans, peppers, tomatoes, squash, and maize- the Native American name for corn

7. The Americas • In South America, in addition to maize, they farmed cassava and others • They domesticated animals • Animals known for fur were prized • Llamas! • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbPDKHXWlLQ&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

8. Olmecs • Earliest civilization in Americas • 1500-400 B.C. • Know very little about them • Society controlled by priests and nobles • Invented calendar, system of hieroglyphics • Art found its way into later civilizations • Considered “mother culture” of later civilzations

9. Olmecs • Much Olmec art carved into stone • Remains a mystery how they moved stone heads without machinery • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uKmdzmW0AY&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

10. Mayans • The Mayans were among the first Olmec-influenced groups to thrive • Developed two unique farming methods: • 1) Burn and clear- would set fire to area of forest to clear way for crops • Had to leave land alone when it became no longer fertile • 2) Raised fields- done to avoid flooding

11. Mayans

12. Mayans • Mayan city-states emerged • No empire emerged, though they shared ideas through trade • Items traded include things for daily use, as well as feathers, jade, and jaguar pelts

13. Mayans • Each Mayan city had its own, usually male, ruler • Ruling class, small middle class of merchants • Most were farmers, who paid taxes to cities in the form of food and labor

14. Mayans • Many Mayan cities featured temples like the one in the background • On the top, priests would perform sacrifices while people watched from below • They also built tall stone monuments, called stelas, representing rulers, nobles, and gods

15. Mayans • Stela also contain writings by scribes about events. • They also wrote books, but all but three of them were burned by Spanish invaders, as they were written by non-Christians

16. Mayans • Mayan priests were very concerned with holding ceremonies at correct times • As a result, they had to become mathematicians and astronomers • Mayan priests developed an accurate 365 solar calendar, and a 260 day ritual calendar • They counted days from the believed date of creation using a mathematical system, and created short and long cycles • The reason many people believe in a 2012 apocalypse is that the longest cycle found in Mayan artifacts ends on 12/21/12

17. Mayans • Around 900 AD, Mayan civilization began to decline • Mayans abandoned their cities • Many theories as to why: warfare, over-farming • However, due to thickness of jungles in area, many Mayans were never reached by Spanish raid in the 1500s. • More than 2 million Mayans survive today in mesoamerica