Ancient civilizations of the Americas

Farming Techniques• Slash-and-burn

• Chinampas

• Irrigation

• Terraces

Polytheistic Religion

• Olmec (Jaguar rain god, fire and corn god)

• Aztec (1,000 gods, sun god most important– Calendar told them when to celebrate

• Mayan (160 gods, sun, moon, rain and corn)– Ceremonies such as ball game– Sacrifice animals and people to the gods

Spanish Conquest

• Spanish Conquistadors (conquerors) conquered most of South America and much of North America. Disease, native allies and superior weapons helped– Hernan Cortes conquered

the Aztecs– Francisco Pizzaro conquered

the Inca

Pyramids• The Olmec, Maya and Aztec all

used pyramids for religious ceremonies. On top, you were closer to the gods.– Priests not kings were on top.– Aztecs would sacrifice humans on

top of their sun pyramid.

Calendar/Astronomy• Mayans used calendar to

know when to plant and harvest. They marked dates and made predictions (ie 2012)

• The Aztec Calendar did the same but, it also told them when to have their religious ceremonies.

Priests, Noble, Farmers• Priests in all cultures were in charge of the

ceremonies that brought rain, sun, harvest and good luck. Often, they were the only ones who could read.

• Nobles were the powerful leaders: kings, warrior and rich.

• Farmers were often slaves or poor peasants who could be nothing else but a farmer.

The OlmecSculpture

Legacy• Considered the Mother

Culture that affected all cultures.

- glyph writing (pictures)

-Pyramids

-Large sculptures

-Worshipped sun and rain gods.

• 3,000 Years old.

Mayan Empire

Mayan Class StructureClass Structure

• Ruling class (kings)

• Nobility (scholars, architects, priests, merchants)

• Peasants (warriors and farmers)

• Slaves (captured enemies)

Mayans (500 bc-1500 ad)

Moon Pyramid Achievements

• Codex a book that used glyphs for writing.

• Built 40 large cities and the largest pyramid outside of Egypt.

• Great mathematicians, astronomers and calendar makers.

Accomplishments

The Maya

• Terraces

• The number zero

• Brain Surgery

• Chasqui

• 200,000 Man Army

• 40 large cities

• 12 Million subjects

• Accurate calendar

AccomplishmentsTerraced Farming Numeric System with the

# 0

Accomplishments

Mayan Calendar 40 Large Cities

Which One is Mayan?

Wrote Codex Books Wrote w/ Quipus

Which one is Mayan?

Chinampas Large Pyramids

Which is Mayan? Ball Game Canals

Which one is Mayan?

Massive Sculptures Irrigation

Mayans and Aztecs

The Aweso

me Aztecs

Introduction

1.For the first 200 years, the Aztecs were constantly on the move.

2.They came from Aztlan (somewhere in the north)

3.Sun and war god told them to settle where they saw an eagle on a cactus.

Aztecs

Settlement the Aztecs settled on an island in Lake Texcoco.

Their city was called Tenochtitlan

They built canoes so they could fish, hunt waterfowl, and trade.

Empire

• 12 million people lived in the Aztec empire

• Aztecs became rich off of tribute (a tax on conquered people)

Religion• Calendar told when

to farm, and what ceremonies to use.

• Gods were agriculture gods.

• For a good harvest it was important to have a sacrifice.

Religion

Floating GardensTo survive on an island in a lake, the Aztecs made floating gardens called chinampas.

Free School for EveryoneThe Aztecs were the only people to

have free schools that every child had to attend.

They read and studied codices (a codex but more advanced)

All-Girls SchoolGirls learned about religion and were trained to be good wives and mothers.

They also learned how to make beautiful woven textiles.

Spanish ConquestCortez and Montezuma • Cortez defeats

Montezuma II with the help of:

1.disease

2.Indian allies

3.Superior weapons4.Aztec’s believed he

was a god.

Temple to Church

The Inca Empire

The Inca

Governing an Empire• Divided empire up

into family groups

• Make everyone learn the Quechua language

• The conquered were allowed to follow their traditional ways

Daily life in the Empire• Used terraces on

mountain sides.

• Used irrigation

• Llamas for food, wool and packing

• Chasquis

• Huge road system

Inca Army• 200,000 man army

•Army was mainly commoners who had to join during times of war

Writing• The Quipu allowed

for excellent government records: taxes, trade…

• They could be used to send messages

• Some were used to preserve their history and legends.

Roads• 14,000 miles of

Roads.

Built bridges, tunnels,

Steps, and flat roads

Medical Advances

• Brain surgery

• Medicine

• Blood transfusions

• Quinine: for fevers.

Mesoamerica

Yucatan Peninsula

Slash-and-burn Agriculture

The Olmec/Mother Culture

Glyphs

Maya

Codex

Tenochtitlan

Montezuma II

Hernan Cortes

Quipu

The Chasqui

Francisco Pizarro

Chinampas

Conquistadors