The Mayan People
The Maya adjusted to life in the tropical rain forest and built a culture based on their religious beliefs.
Be able to locate the Mayans and the Aztec on the map.
Mayan city-states
The Maya lived in the Peten, the Mayan word for “flat region.”
Swamps and sinkholes connected them to underground rivers and
streams and provided water.
Mayan Mayan
Underground Underground
GranariesGranaries
In Peten, the dense forests blocked out the sun.
Only because they had organized government and civilization could they have built cities and fields in
Peten.
Set up city-states where rulers supplied leadership and military
force for building projects.
Mayan Rulers
believed they were descendants
from the sun
claimed right to rule
as god-kings
expected every person to serve
them
• Video: Chamber of the Underworld
WHY?A way to please and honor the gods
Humans kept gods strong by giving their own life-giving fluid, blood
Maya believed that the gods gave life-giving fluid in the rain
Why? Mayan priests offered captives to Chac, god of rain and sunlight
They believed Chac lived in waters below the sink-holes, so captives were thrown in
Religion was at the core of Mayan life.
Mayan Mayan CultivationCultivation
Chac, God of RainChac, God of RainChac, God of RainChac, God of Rain
Tikal - Wall Mask of Tikal - Wall Mask of the Rain Godthe Rain God
Mayan Society
Women married into distant Mayan city-state royalty
to strengthentrade and
form alliances
WOMEN had a big role;
could serve as queens What are
Alliances?
class system set up by priests
Huge pyramid with
temple towered over every city
Tikal:Tikal:
Temple Temple of the of the MasksMasks
Chichen-Itza - Chichen-Itza - PyramidPyramid
Chichen-Itza - Chichen-Itza - ObservatoryObservatory
Overview of Tikal Overview of Tikal (Guatemala)(Guatemala)
Temple of the MasksTemple of the MasksTemple of the MasksTemple of the Masks
Tikal - Main CourtTikal - Main Court
Tikal Jungle View at Tikal Jungle View at SunsetSunset
Sports & Contests
Mayan cities had many ball courts. In a Mayan ball game, teams of two or three players tried to drive a hard rubber ball through a decorated stone ring. Players wore helmets, gloves, and knee and hip guards made of animal hide to protect themselves against the hard rubber balls. They were not allowed to use their hands or feet to throw or bat the ball. They had to use their hips to drive the ball through the stone rings. Because the stone rings were placed 27 feet (8m) above the ground on a large rectangular field, players had to have incredible skill to score a goal. Making a goal was so rare that when a player scored, crowds rewarded the hero with clothing and jewelry. Scholars think that a Mayan ball game was more than a sport or contest. It had religious and symbolic meaning—as well as deadly results. The losing team was sacrificed to the gods in a ceremony after the game.
Mayan Ball Game
Chichen-Itza - Ball Chichen-Itza - Ball CourtCourt
Mayan Science and Writing
The priests thought gods revealed plan in the heavens so they studied
moon, stars, and sun.ADVANCES/DEVELOPMENTS:
365-day calendar
used it to predict eclipses and
schedule festivals, plantings, and harvests
written language
to record dates and numbers
in system of hieroglyphics
method of counting based on 20
only nobles could read language but after
collapse of Maya, no one
could
Mayan GlyphsMayan Glyphs
Mayan GlyphsMayan Glyphs
Mayan Mayan MathematicsMathematics
sky king house child citysky king house child city sky king house child citysky king house child city
Mayan Drinking Mayan Drinking Cup for ChocolateCup for Chocolate
PakalPakal: The Maya Astronaut: The Maya Astronaut
The Maya
The Aztec
Main Idea: The Aztec moved into the Valley of Mexico, where they created an empire based on conquest and war.
The Aztecs The Aztecs WereWereFierce Fierce WarriorsWarriors
The Aztec arrived in Mexico around
A.D. 1250Their sun god – the feathered serpent
Quetzalcoatl – had promised them a home according to legend when the “eagle
screams and spreads it wings and eats the serpent”
Quetzalcoatl:The God of Wisdom & LearningThe God of Wisdom & Learning
Aztec sacrificed
a local princess whose father then chased
them
Aztec reached Lake Texcoco and shelter
on swampy island
Aztec believed this was there land,
so they built a great city in the midst of swamp.
(An eagle perchedOn a pear cactus
Tore apart a snake-It was their sign!)
According to
legend:
• Video: Tenochtilan
New city called: Tenochtitlan which means “place of the prickly pear cactus
Aztec Kings:1. claimed descent from gods2. were picked by council of
warriors, priests, and nobles3. usually last son of the royal
family was picked
The The Codex Codex MendozaMendoza : :
The FoundingThe Foundingofof
TenochtitlanTenochtitlan
Ruins of the City Center, Ruins of the City Center, TenochtitlanTenochtitlan
Aztec View of TenochtitlanAztec View of Tenochtitlan
Tenochtitlan: The “Venice” of the Tenochtitlan: The “Venice” of the AmericasAmericas
Aztec Aztec ChinampaChinampa or Floating Garden: or Floating Garden:15ft. to 30ft. wide15ft. to 30ft. wide
TenochtitlanTenochtitlan
KING
NOBLES
COMMONERS
Largest group (farmers, artisans, traders) Could join
nobility by performing brave
act in war
ENSLAVED PEOPLE
UNSKILLED LABORERS
Social pyramid of
Aztec society
Aztec MathAztec Math
Aztec WritingAztec Writing
Aztec Sun Stone -- CalendarAztec Sun Stone -- Calendar
Religion:Death seen as honorable; Afterlife for fallen soldiers,
sacrificed captives, and women who died in childbirth
Others went to “Land of the Dead” – the lowest level of the underworld
Sons trained for war, girls trained to take care of the house and family
The god Huitzilopochtli :“ We shall conquer all the people in the universe.”
This god was honored by a pyramid in the center of Tenochtitlan known as the Grand Temple
Grand Temple: 135 feet, 100+ steps, thousands of victims sacrificed there
Aztec Sun MotifsAztec Sun Motifs
Aztec Aztec CodexCodex (15c Manuscript)(15c Manuscript)
Aztecs Sacrifice Neighboring Aztecs Sacrifice Neighboring Tribes to the Sun GodTribes to the Sun God
Heart SacrificeHeart Sacrificeon an Aztec Temple Pyramidon an Aztec Temple Pyramid
Wall of Skulls, TenochtitlanWall of Skulls, Tenochtitlan
Sacrificial Statue, Sacrificial Statue, TenochtitlanTenochtitlan
AZTEC VIDEO FOR HUMAN SACRIFICE
Aztec GoldAztec Gold
Life in the Incan Empire
Main Idea: To unite their huge empire, Incan rulers set up a highly organized government and society .
Pachacuti ruled 1438–1471
His name means “Earthshaker”1. 1438 he and son began to
built the largest empire in the Americas (2500
miles north to south)2. set up strong central
government but let local rulers stay in power
3. local rulers took sons to Cuzco, the capital, for training
4. required the people to learn Quechua, the language spoken by the Inca
5. Designed system of roads which covered about 25,000 miles when finished
Cuzco: Ancient Capital of the Inca Cuzco: Ancient Capital of the Inca (11,000 ft. above (11,000 ft. above sea sea level)level)
Inca believed sun god Inti protected Cuzco.
Rulers there were called
“sons of the sun.”
Temple of the Sun at Cuzco
Emperor and wife (Coya)
Head Priest and Commander
Regional Army Commanders
Farmers, Herders, and Ordinary Soldiers
Temple priests, Army commanders, and Skilled workers
Social pyramid of
Inca society
They Further divided society into 12 job categories beneath the bottom level.
INCAN SOCIETY
They rarely did human sacrifice (only in troubled times)
When they did, they sacrificed children because they thought children
were more pure and then worshipped them as gods
They Built large works of stone:
They used no writing, no wheels,
no iron tools.
Machu Picchu Stone city built by Pachacuti probablyfor royal family a
as a festival center.
Used quipo, a rope with
knotted cords of different lengths and colors. Each
knot represented a number or item.
They were skilled engineers.
The stones fit precisely together
The The QuipuQuipu: : An Incan An Incan DatabaseDatabase
Machu PicchuMachu Picchu
Machu PicchuMachu Picchu
Incan Suspension Bridges
Incan Suspension Bridges
Incan Terrace Incan Terrace FarmingFarming
Incan Digging Incan Digging SticksSticks
Maize in Incan Maize in Incan PotteryPottery
& Gold Work& Gold Work
Over 100 Different Over 100 Different Types of Potatoes Types of Potatoes
Cultivated Cultivated by the Incansby the Incans
Produce from a Produce from a Typical Incan Typical Incan Market Market
Incan Ceramic JarsIncan Ceramic Jars
PeanutPeanutPeanutPeanut PotatoPotatoPotatoPotato SquashSquashSquashSquash
Cacao Cacao GodGod
Cacao Cacao GodGod
Cacao PodCacao PodCacao PodCacao Pod
Incan MummiesIncan Mummies
Inca Gold & SilverInca Gold & Silver
Life in North America
Main Idea: The geography in lands north of present-day Mexico shaped the development of many different Native American cultures .By A.D. 1500 about 2 million people lived north
of Mesoamerica, spoke about 300 languages, and called themselves a
thousand different names.
People of theFar North
Arctic regions in Canada
settled about 3000 B.C
The Inuit built igloos, dome-shaped
homes from blocks of ice
and snow
used blubber from seals and whales for oil in lamps and energy food
used dogsleds to
travel on land and seal-skin
kayaks to travel by sea
most hunted seals, walruses,
polar bears, caribou
Life on theWest Coast
In Pacific northwest peoples
like Tlingit, Haida, and
ChinookSetttled.
Used cedar trees
to build wooden houses and
canoes
California was home
to about 500 different
cultures
Fished for otters,
seals, whales, salmon
Became the most heavily populated
regions due to rich food
resources
Life on theGreat Plains
Farming was not as easy due to
dense grass roots on the plains.
Mandan, Hidatsa, Pawnee settled along Missouri,
Arkansas, Red Rivers
Men hunted, women gathered,
and the buffalo was important.
They did not have iron tools
Life in the Southwest
Theylacked abundant
resources of California peoples
They built irrigation canals (Hopi, Acoma,
Pueblo, and Zuni)
Early people like Hohokam and
Anasazi taught descendants
lessons like how to farm
They built apartment-like homes using
sun-dried mud bricks called
adobe
In the 1500s 2 groups
of hunters: Apache and
Navajo moved in the area
Life in theEastern
Woodlands
all over woodlands,
governments were formed
Confederations, governments that
link several groups, formed.
Some had strict social classes and codes of law
like the Natchez and
Cherokee
dense forests
combined farming
with fishing and hunting
THE IROQUOIS CONFEDERATION
WHO Onondaga, Seneca, Mohawk, Oneida, and Cayuga
WHY To end fighting among themselves
HOWGreat Peace – a code of laws governed the league
OTHER
A Grand Council formed to make decisions, and women were able to select men to sit on
Grand Council
RESULTHelped members unite against other woodland enemies like the powerful Algonquian
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