LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY

Lesson 2aAncient History

Ancient Cultures

• Maya (250-900) (no one knows why they died out)• Inca (1200-1540) (conquered by Spanish)• Aztec (1325-1520) (conquered by Spanish

Religion in Ancient Latin America

• Leaders were God on earth• Blood sacrifice - Barbed rope• Tongue, lips, penis, or a whole heart• Aztecs demanded human sacrifice

– 20,000 a year– Arms and legs eaten

Maya

Maya• The ONLY fully developed written language of Pre-

Columbian Civilizations• Ate mainly corn • Used cities ONLY for religious purposes• Stopped using cities in year 900 (no known reason)

Pyramid at Chichen Itza

Mayan Calendar(Mesoamerican Long Count calendar)

Start date: August 11, 3114 BCEnd date: December 21, 2012

related to lunar data

Completely accurate http://www.pagetworld.co.uk/mayan.php

World was created five timesWorld was destroyed four times

Maya

• Never disappeared; just stopped using cities• Cities had been used ONLY for religious

purposes• Blood letting• Some human

sacrifice

Inca• Central power• Build Roads and bridges

Machu Picchu

Inca

• Corn and potatoes• Llama and Alpaca

• Rigid structure – royal family had absolute power

• King had absolute power: Sapa Inca (father Inca)

• Most people had no power and little wealth

Aztec

Aztec• Metropolitan• Up to 300,000 people in a city• Montezuma – the last king – had total power• Human sacrifice• Conquered neighboring tribes –

– took prisoners for blood sacrifice• Big city: Tenochtitlan

(now Mexico City)

Spanish Exploration

• Spanish kings had won back control of Spain• Sent Columbus to explore to the West• Gold, God and Glory• Four voyages

– 1992-1502– hit Central America on 4th

• Conquistadores arrived 1517

Spanish Conquerors

• Goal: take gold and silver from Americas• Hernando Cortez

conquered the Aztecs 1517killed Montezuma, king and absolute ruler

• Francisco Pizarro conquered the Incas 1519killed Atualpa, king and absolute ruler

Hernando Cortez

• Conqueror of the Aztecs• Killed Montezuma

Description of Aztecs

• Blood Letting

• Women and Children

• Human Sacrifice

Francisco Pizarro • Captured God-king

Atahualpa• Atahualpa tried to ransom

himself• Pizarro had him executed

1533 (strangled with a garrote

Columbian Exchange

corn

potato

Religion

disease

From the AmericasFrom Europe

Spanish American Society

• Viceroy (governor)• Peninsulare (top ranking – from Spain)• Creole (kids of Peninsulares)• Mestizo (mix – European and Indian)• Mullato (mix – European and African)• Native American• African Slave

South & Central America becomes Latin America

• Language - Spanish– Why Spanish?

• Religion – Catholic– Why were there so many converts?

• Society – Rigid hierarchy– How was society of Spanish Amer like Indian

civilizations?