Post on 23-Feb-2016
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Societies of North AmericaWorld History
Setting the Stage Between 40,000 and 12,000 B.C., hunter-
gatherers crossed the Bering Strait land bridge from Asia to the Americas
First Americans reached the southern tip of South America between 12,000 and 7,000 B.C.
Over the centuries, North American peoples adapted to their environments, creating a diverse set of cultures
MayansWorld History
Maya Create Urban Kingdoms Mayan Empire stretched from Southern Mexico
into Northern Central America
There were both highlands and lowlands
Evolving during the same period as the Olmec civilization. By 250 A.D. Mayan culture overtook that of the Olmecs
Urban Centers 250 to 900 A.D. is known as the Classic
Period of Mayan Civilization
The Maya built spectacular cities, including TIKAL, in northern Guatemala
Other important cities were Copan, Uxmal, and Chichen Itza
Urban Centers Each major city was the center of an entire city-
state Each city served as a center for religious
ceremonies and was ruled by a god-king
Urban centers There are at least 50
major Mayan sites, all with monumental architecture
Pyramid IV at Tikal is 212 feet tall
Agriculture and Trade Support Cities Traded goods amongst city-states
Agriculture was the basis for Mayan life
They grew squash, beans, and maize
Religion Shapes Life Believed in many
gods, who inhabited 13 layers of sky and 9 layers of the underworld
Associated colors and direction with certain gods Chaac
Religious Practices Prayed and made
offerings
Made death masks to great the gods
At Chichen Itza they threw captives into a sinkhole lake, called a cenote, along with gold, jade and other offerings
Written Language Preserves History Developed advanced writing system
Mayan writing consisted of 800 symbols, or glyphs
Some represented words, while others represented symbols
Recorded glyphs of importance in bark-paper books known as codex
Most famous of these books is the Popol Vuh, recounting the story of creation
It is VERY close to the Christian story of creation though they had never interacted at this point
Glyphs
IncansWorld History
Setting the Stage Inca capital was in
southern Peru
They created the largest empire ever seen in the Americas
Inca Come to Power First settled in the
valley of Cuzco
By the 1200’s, the Inca had established their own small empire
Incan Traditions Incan rulers were
descendents of the sun god, Inti
There were 11 noble lineages
These 11 families were called orejones, or “Big Ears”
Machu Picchu A mile and a half high,
Machu Picchu was only accessible by a log bridge
A religious ceremonial city
Near Cusco, Peru
AztecsWorld History
Setting the Stage Aztecs settled in the Valley of Mexico
Located where modern day Mexico City is
Preceded by two other important civilizations who traced their ancestry to the Olmec and Zapotec cultures
Valley of Mexico Valley of Mexico is a mountain basin 7,000
feet above sea level
Valley had several large, shallow lakes, accessible resources, and fertile soil
Attracted two cultures, the Teotihuacán and the Toltec
Teotihuacán: An Early City-State First major civilization of
central Mexico, just outside of Mexico City
At their peak in the sixth century, they had 125,000 people
Had the Pyramid of the Sun, 200 ft. tall with a base higher than that of Egypt’s Great Pyramid
Aztecs Build an Empire Arrived in the Valley of
Mexico in 1200 A.D. Aztecs originally called
themselves Mexica Worshipped the sun god
Huizilopochtli LOTS of human
sacrifices- went to war for sacrifices
Nobles Rule Aztec Society Noble class was made up of military
leaders, government officials, and priests
Three classes in Aztec society were nobles, commoners, and slaves
Commoners included merchants, artisans, soldiers
Trade Brings Wealth Economic center was the huge market of
Tlatelolco
Most of the agricultural produce was grown on CHINAMPAS, farm plots built on the marshy fringes of the lake
Tenochtitlan: A Planned City By the 1500’s, city had
a population of 200,000 people
Had planned markets, temples, canals, and roads
Extra Notes In your notes, copy down the three charts
on pages 399, 406, and 411.