Early Civilizations of Mesoamerica

3. Mesoamerica Main Idea Civilizations in Mesoamerica were some of the earliest and most advanced in the Americas.

4. Olmec Society • Lived in hot, humid lowlands • 1200 BC to AD 300 • Built first large towns in Mesoamerica • Earliest Olmec town • Pyramid, courtyard • Eight giant stone heads • Thronelike monuments • Towns served as ceremonial, political and religious centers • Olmec rulers, families lived in towns • Lower social classes lived outside the towns • Elite led ceremonies, controlled trade network • Trade • From Gulf to Pacific coast • Rubber, pottery, furs • Also beliefs, art, games The First Civilizations Mesoamerica, southern Mexico and northern Central America, was ideal for farming. Cities and complex social structures arose there too.

7. Monte Albán Zapotec • Huge main plaza with pyramids, temples, palaces • Olmec influence in decorations • Large ball court, observatory • Population of 25,000 at height • City declined when leaders lost support of their people • Still used for high-status burials • Southern Mexico 1500 BC to AD 750 • May have had contact with Olmec • Began as farmers, built capital city around 500 BC • Monte Albán, first true city in Mesoamerica • Located high above Valley of Oaxaca The First Civilizations

8. Monte Albán

9. Toltec Highlands of central Mexico, AD 900 to 1200 Capital located at Tula, near obsidian mines Major trade center Pyramids, temples Militaristic society Fierce warriors established dominance over large region Climate change, social conflict led to decline The First Civilizations

12. The Maya • Large civilization • Olmec, Zapotec, Toltec small in comparison • Developed around 1000 BC • More than 40 cities of 5,000 to 100,000 each at height • Early Maya Civilization • First lived in small villages • Grew corn, beans, squash • Good rainfall, rich soils • Rain forest challenges • Slash-and burn agriculture • Clearing forest land for crops • Flat terraces built in hillsides to control erosion • Trade developed • Farming did not provide all needs • Villages traded for cotton, jade • Trade of cacao, salt, obsidian helped villages grow to cities

13. The Maya • Cities and Government • Most cities built between AD 250 and 900, the Classic Age • Cities Tikal and Copan among the most spectacular in Mesoamerica • Brightly painted pyramids, temples and palaces found there • City-States • Each had own ruler and government • No ruler ever united the cities into single empire • Cities linked even without central government • Cities linked • Highlands traded jade, obsidian for cotton, rubber, cacao from lowlands • Cities also linked by warfare with each other • Through battles kings tried to gain land, power

14. Tikal

16. Religious Offerings Upper Class Society Other Classes • Offering blood by piercing tongue, skin • Human sacrifice only occasionally • Ritual ball game, losing team having hearts sacrificed to gods • Priests, who led religious ceremonies • Professional warriors, who got war victims for human sacrifice • Merchants, craftspeople middle class • Lower class • Farmers • Slaves • Provided food, labor for other classes The Maya The Maya worshipped many gods and believed they influenced daily life; they also believed their kings communicated with the gods. To keep the gods happy, the Maya performed private and public rituals.

18. The Maya • Achievements • Impressive buildings and architecture, including canals • Advances in astronomy, math, writing • Observed movements of sun, moon, planets • Calendar system • Created based on astronomical observations • 365-day farming, 260-day religious calendars • More accurate than that used in Europe at same time • Number and writing systems • Number system included new concepts, including “zero” • Complex writing system of glyphs, or symbols, representing objects, sounds • Carved writing in stone, also in bark-paper book called a codex

22. Decline of Mayan civilization, AD 900 Caused by number of factors Environmental damage, drought Warfare increased over competition for land, destroyed more crops Abuse of power by strong kings Civilization declined but did not disappear Maya moved from forest to coastal cities Remained for several hundred years The Maya

23. Rise of the Empire Lake Texcoco • Began as separate farming tribes • Probably subject of the Toltecs • Legend: settle where they saw an eagle on a cactus eating a snake • Migrated south to Valley of Mexico, 1100s • Good farmland already taken • A swampy island in valley • Site where legend says Aztecs saw eagle and snake • Founded city of Tenochtitlán • From here, continued rise to power The Aztecs About the time that Mayan cities in Yucatán reached their height, the Aztecs began to rise to power in the north. The early Aztecs were a small group of unlucky farmers from northwestern Mexico, who in time created the most powerful empire in Mesoamerica. In addition to being farmers, the Aztecs were also fierce warriors. They began fighting to control other towns around Lake Texcoco.

26. Wealth and Strength Conquering Warriors • Tribute paid in many forms, feathers, food, pottery, blankets • Tribute was basis of economy • Gained wealth and strength through trade as well • System of roads aided trade of goods like jade, cacao • Merchants also acted as spies for Aztec emperor • Aztecs gained strength in 1420s with alliance with Texcoco and Tlacopan • Alliance gained control over huge region beyond Lake Texcoco • Aztecs ruled 400 to 500 other city states, 5 million people • Required conquered people to pay tribute The Aztecs

27. Enchanted Vision Floating Gardens • Walled compound at city center • Pyramid with two temples on top • Other temples, government buildings, palaces, a ball court • Political and religious heart of the empire • First Europeans, “enchanted vision” • Swampy island in middle of lake • Not much land for farming • Aztecs built floating gardens at city’s edge • Tenochtitlán connected by canals and causeways to biggest market • Vendors paid tax to support army The Aztecs • Tenochtitlán • Capital city of Aztec empire • Covered 5 square miles • Population of about 200,000 • One of largest cities in world at time • Site of present day Mexico City

30. Society and Religion Religious Ceremonies • King was part of royal family, but had to be elected • Lived in palace at Tenochtitlán • Certain nobles served as government officials • Just below king were priests • Interpreted calendars • Performed religious ceremonies • Believed gods needed blood • Sacrificed as many as 20,000 victims a year • European perspective, “walls splashed and caked with blood…stank abominably” • Slaves. prisoners used for sacrifices • Certain warriors who captured victims also upper class The Aztecs Just as the economy of the Aztec Empire was highly organized, so was its society, with the king at the top, followed by priests.

31. Huitzilopochtli - sun god

32. The Aztecs • Other classes • Merchants, artisans wealthy, respected • Merchants rich from trading • Artisans important, made goods required for tribute • Lower class • Most were farmers, very poor • Did not own their own land • Paid so much in tribute, it was difficult to survive • Chance for improvement • Farmers could become warriors or study at special schools • All attended school until 15 • Continuing in special schools led to work in government • Slaves • Suffered most in Aztec society • Most had been captured in battle, or could not pay debts • Some worked as farmers, laborers; some sacrificed

33. Sciences Achievements • Kept written records, though not as advanced as Mayan • Composed poetry, riddles, historical accounts • Used astronomy to create religious and solar calendars much like the Maya • Aztec Empire lasted less than 200 years, brought to end by European contact, 1500s • Aztecs known for achievements in art and science • Artisans made bright feathers into headdresses, shields, costumes • Metalworkers fashioned gold, silver, copper into jewelry, masks • Stoneworkers decorated temples with elaborate statues The Aztecs

36. South America Main Idea Several early cultures in South America adapted to extreme environmental conditions. One of them, the Incas, built one of the biggest and most powerful empires in the Americas.

37. South American Geography • West Coast geography is based on extremes • Atacama Desert – driest in the world • Andes Mountains – 2nd highest in the world • Eastern side of Andes is rain forest

38. Atacama Desert • Driest place on Earth • 600 miles of coastline • 70,000 square miles • Salt basins, sands, lava flows

39. The Chavín Chavín Crops • Lived in Peruvian highlands, 800 to 400 BC • Chavin de Huantar • Urban religious, trading center of culture • Home to about 3,000 farmers, craftspeople • Several different ecological zones represented in Andes • Warmer valleys had irrigation systems, grew corn • Cooler higher in mountains, grew potatoes • High-altitude grasslands, raised llamas and alpacas • Other Andean peoples later adopted these methods of farming Early Cultures in South America The western region of South America is one of environmental contrasts where early peoples learned to adapt and build civilizations.

43. The Nazca The Moche • Desert people, 200 BC to AD 600, best known for huge designs on desert floor • Many theories, including having to do with location of water • Built irrigation canals and relied on springs, flooding of streams to water crops • Farming supported large population • Lived in coastal desert of Peru in farming, fishing villages 400 BC to AD 600 • Built irrigation canals in desert, channeled flow of Andean streams to crops • Best known for skilled metalwork in gold, silver, pottery • Pottery depicted scenes of everyday life, including warfare Early Cultures in South America

44. The Moche

45. The Nazca

49. The Inca Empire • Inca’s expansive empire • Brought entire South American region into one empire • Began as small Andean tribe • Early 1500s, empire expanded along Pacific coast, Andes • Government • Period of rapid expansion began 1400s from Cuzco • Pachacuti used political alliances, military force • Expanded by later leaders • Ruling a large empire • Incas needed strong government • Emperor had most power • Did not want conquered people to rebel • Creating stability • Moved leaders of conquered areas out • Moved loyal new leaders in • Military used to protect against rebellion, external attacks