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Ancient Cultures of Central and
South America:The Maya, Aztec, and Inca
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Mayan Map
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The Mayans
The culture's beginnings have been traced
back to 1500 BC.
The Height of Mayan civilizationwas
between 600 and 900 AD.
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Mayan Writing
devised a complex
style of hieroglyphic
writing that has yet to
be fully deciphered. Maya words are
formed from various
combinations of
nearly 800 signs.
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Maya Technology
The Maya, for example,were so advanced inmathematics andastronomy that their
calendar was the world'smost accurate until thiscentury. They could alsopredict solar and lunareclipses.
The Maya calendar wasadopted by the otherMesoamerican nations,such as the Aztecs and
the Toltec.
The pyramid was used as a calendar:
four stairways, each with 91 steps and a
platform at the top, making a total of 365,
equivalent to the number of days in acalendar year.
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Agriculture
The basis of the culture was farming,
which included not only the cultivation of
maize, beans, squash, and chili peppers,
but also "cash crops" of cotton and cacao.
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Religion
The most revered deities (Gods) were
Itzamna and Ix Chel, father and mother of
all other gods, and the rain god Chac.
Kukulcan was the Mayan name for thefeathered serpent, god of the ruling caste.
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Downfall
Insufficient food supply, earthquakes,
pestilence, invasion by outsiders, internal
rebellion or a combination of these factors
have all been suggested as possiblecauses for the fall of the Mayan eminence.
What appears certain is that by 900 AD
the Maya's numerous ceremonial centershad been abandoned.
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Aztec map
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Aztec
Prior to the 15th century, the Aztecs were
a marginal tribe living on the edge of Lake
Texcoco, the site of present day Mexico
City
Leading a highly codified government was
an all-powerful emperor who exacted
taxes from the conquered and distributedland to his people, especially the warriors.
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Tenochtitlan
By 1473, after subjugating neighboring
tribes, they ruled the largest empire
Mexico had ever seen. Their capital of
Tenochtitlan, set in the lake, was apicturesque city of pyramids, mile-long
floating roads, aqueducts, animated
marketplaces, and one hundred thousandresidents.
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Tenochtitlan
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Government
Leading a highly codified government was
an all-powerful emperor who exacted
taxes from the conquered and distributed
land to his people, especially the warriors.
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Aztec Calendar
-The Aztecs used a Calendar similar toThe Mayans. It had a 365 day a yearCalendar.
-In the mythology of the Aztecs, thefirst age of mankind ended with the
animals devouring humans. Thesecond age was finished by wind, thethird by fire, and the fourth by water.The present fifth epoch is calledNahui-Olin (Sun of Earthquake), whichbegan in 3113 BC and will end on
December 24, 2011. It will be the lastdestruction of human existence on Earth.
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Aztec Writing
The Aztec Language
was based on
symbols representing
writing. They would combine
symbols to create
sentences.
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Mythology
According to an Aztec
myth, the white-faced
Quetzacuatl - their
most important god. He is the god of
intelligence and the
god of creation.
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Inca Map
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Inca
Between 1200 and 1535 AD, the Inca
population lived in the part of South
America extending from the Equator to the
Pacific coast of Chile.
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Incan Government
The Inca society was arranged by a strict hierarchicalstructure.
The Highest Level the Sapa, high priest or ruler, and thearmy commander at the top.
The temple priests, architects and regional armycommanders were next.
The two lowest classes consisted of artisans, armycaptains, farmers, and herders.
Farmers provided most of the food for the rest of thepopulation. They had to pay tax in the form of gold,which were distributed to the higher classes.
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Inca Agriculture
The Inca developed drainage systems and
canals to expand their crop resources. Potatoes,
tomatoes, cotton, peanuts and coca were among
the many crops grown by the Inca. Llama were used for meat and transportation.
There was more than enough resources
available for everyone. Increased subsistence
levels led to a growth in the Inca population.
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Inca Technology
The Incas had an incredible system of roads.One road ran almost the entire length of theSouth American Pacific coast.
Since the Incas lived in the Andes Mountains,the roads took great engineering andarchitectural skill to build.
On the coast, the roads were not surfaced.
The Incas paved their highland roads with flatstones and built stone walls to prevent travelersfrom falling off cliffs.
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