Civilizations of Meso-America
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Transcript of Civilizations of Meso-America
Civilizations of Meso-AmericaAztecs, Mayans and Incas
Aztecs• Who were the
Aztecs?• Civilization in the
Valley of Mexico• Ruled the region
from 1100s to 1500s
Aztec EmpireAztec Empire•Arrived in the Valley of Mexico in 1148•Economy based on agriculture•Spanned from the Pacific Coast to the Gulf of Mexico•Major city: Tenochtitlan•By 1520, included 20 million people
Aztec Culture• What was life like in
Aztec Culture?• Aztec culture
divided into 2 classes, commoners and nobles• Noble male children attended school until 15•Women were subordinate to men• Slavery was common
Aztec Culture• What was life like in
Aztec Culture?• Laws were simple
and harsh•Most crimes punishable by death, beatings or mutilation• Slander ( or lying) was punishable by the loss of your lips!
Aztecs• What caused the
end to the Aztec Civilization?
Aztec Rule Montezuma though Spanish explorer Cortez was a returning god.
Montezuma offered gifts of gold.
Excited by the riches, Hernan Cortes and an army to defeat the Aztecs in 1520
Aztecs• What were some
contributions the Aztecs made to the world?
• Education• One of the first civilizations
to require education• Medicine• Surgery• Muscle relaxing medication
• Mathematics • Idea of zero• Accurate calendar
• Food• Popcorn• Chocolate• Chewing gum
• Contributions difficult to trace because of destruction by Catholic missionaries
Aztec Beliefs• What were the
beliefs of the Aztec people?
• Aztecs religion was polytheistic (more than one god), they worshiped about 1,000 different gods.
• The head of the gods was Huizilopochtlid, god of war and god of sun.
Aztec Beliefs
• What did the Aztecs Believe?
• They put their greatest efforts into making strong, beautiful temples to please their gods.
• Their arts had a part in their religion. They drew pictures that told about their gods.
• They recorded religious events with hieroglyphics and even number symbols.
• They worshipped the sun god the most.
Aztec Beliefs• What did Aztecs
believe? • The god of the Sun had told the Aztecs to wander until they found an eagle with a serpent in its mouth perched on a cactus growing from a rock. When they found this, they claimed the area around it, which is now known as Tenochtitlan.
Aztec Beliefs• Who was
responsible for worship in Aztec Culture?
• Priests and priestesses were very important people. They acted as doctors, and taught science, art, writing, music, dance, history, and counting.
Aztec Beliefs• Where did people
worship? • Religious ceremonies took place in a temple called a teocalli.
• This temple had sacred pools for ceremonial cleansing, gardens, living quarters for a priest, and racks to hold the skulls of victims.
• Religion played a great part in Aztec life.
Aztec Beliefs
• How did Aztecs worship?
• Sacrifice was one of the main events in the Aztec religion.
• Priests made human sacrifices to make the sun god happy.
• Aztecs fought in wars to capture men to sacrifice.
• On God's Feast Day, they killed their slaves for the gods.
• Human sacrifices were offerings to the sun and earth so that food would grow.
Mayan Civilization
Pre-Classic(2600 B.C.E-250 B.C.E)
Classic (250 C.E-900 C.E)
Mayan Collapse
Post-Classic period ( 1000-1600 C.E)
Mayan Civilization• Where did Mayan
Civilization occur?
Southern Mexico: Yucatan peninsula, and modern Chapas, and Tabasco in Mexico
Mayan Society• What was life like in
the Mayan Civilization?
• Land divided into states (major city and surrounding towns) were headed by a ruler who was often a priest
leader
nobles
Trade/warriors
Farmers/slaves
Mayan Society• What was life like in
the Mayan Civilization?
• Very few people lived in the urban centers
• Mostly involved in agriculture
Mayan Society• What was life like in
the Mayan Civilization?
• Mayan civilization had unique ideas of beauty• Crossed Eyes:
Considered particularly beautiful• Babies were given objects
to stare at to encourage crossed eyes
• High, flat, sloping forehead• Tied boards to babies
foreheads
Mayan Beliefs• What did Mayan
People believe?• Polytheistic (more
than one god)• Gods were not
good or evil,• Like Aztecs,
religious ceremonies closely tied to natural cycles ( moon phases, seasons, etc.)
Mayan Beliefs• What did the
Mayan people believe?
• Religious ceremonies consisted of singing, dancing, competitions, dramatic performances, and some human sacrifice• Human sacrifice usually
voluntary• Participants gives blood
or pieces (arms, tongue, eye, etc) to the god
Mayan Beliefs• What did the
Mayan people believe?
• Mayan people believed in an afterlife• Heaven was reserved for people who died in sacrifice, childbirth or hanged• Hell or xibal was for everyone else
Mayan Beliefs• What was the role
of priests in Mayan society?
• Believed priests could talk to gods
• Most daily life directed by priests
• Decided: when to plant, who could marry, sometimes leaders
Mayan Beliefs• What did Mayan
People believe?• Believed in the
underworld, the sky and the Earth
• Knowing the past meant knowing the cycle of the present and knowing the present provided information for knowing the future
• This focus on time led to development of sophisticated calendars and time keepers
End of the Mayan Civilization• Why did the Mayan
Civilization end?• It took 170 years
for the Spanish to get control of Mayan lands.•Mayans remained independent until the 1700s
• Mayan culture, language, and art still practiced
Mayan Civilization• What are some
contributions the Mayan civilization made to the world?
• Written language• Calendars • Art and architecture• Temple building• City development
Mayan Temples
Inca Civilization
Inca Location• Where was the Inca
civilization?
Along the coast of South America.
Modern Chile, Peru, parts of Argentina and Boliva
Andes Mountain Range
Inca Time Period• When was the Inca
civilization?• Little historic record of
where the Incas came from.• No written language
• Cuzco( in modern Peru) is the center. • Incas began spreading
out from Cuzco in the 1400s • eventually created one of
the largest empires in all of history
Inca Society
• What was it like to live in Inca Society?
• Royal family had absolute power
• Relationships within clans based on community and cooperation
• Strongly head belief that there is enough for everyone
• Conquered people required to pay a labor tax which provided roads and farmlands through the Andes mountains
Common people
leader
Royal family
Tribal leader
Clan leader
Inca Society• What was it like to
live in Inca society?• Most people lived
above 10,000 feet in elevation
• Worshiped at over 15,000 ft. in elevation
• Difficult today, scientists still wonder how the Incas did it
• Clothing made from Alpaca, and lama wool for the cool temperatures at high altitudes
Inca Beliefs• What did Incas
believe?• Polytheistic (more than
one god)• Gods mostly tied to
natural objects or events
• Main god- Sun-god• Sun-god was the only
god to have temples• Royal family descended
from the sun-god• Referred to as “the Giver
of Life”
Inca Beliefs• What did the Incas
believe?• Worshipped with
monthly festivals to honor gods
• Human sacrifice rare in Incan Culture• Reserved for major festivals or the crowning of a new emperor
Contributions of Inca Civilization
• What contributions did Inca Civilization make?
• Engineering• Forts built of cut stone that fit so
precisely together they do not require mortar and are still standing in near perfect condition• Highly sophisticated network of
roads, more roads than the Romans• Aqueducts and irrigation systems
• Advanced Surgery and Medicine
• Textiles and Ceramics
Contributions of the Inca Civilization
End of the Inca Civilization• Why did the Inca
Civilization end?• Inspired by Cortes’
victory over the Aztecs, Francisco Pizzaro, another Spanish explorer invaded in 1531 with 200 soldiers
• Pizzaro captured the Incan ruler and killed him in 1533.
• Pizzaro did not gain complete control over the region until the 1560’s.
Macchu Picchu
• Probably built at the height of the Incan Empire around 1450•7,500 feet above sea level•Self sustaining city•One of the great wonders of the world