1 of 18

LATIN AMERICA

Ancient Civilizations

Chapter 7, Section 3

2 of 18

THE OLMEC AND MAYA

  • Olmec were the first known civilization to develop in Latin America.
    • Lived along the Gulf Coast in what is now southern Mexico.

​

  • Maya were another civilization to develop in the area.
    • Lived in the YucatΓ‘n Peninsula, Guatemala, and northern Belize.

3 of 18

THE OLMEC AND MAYA

  • Both civilizations built well-laid-out cities and complex civilizations.

​

  • Were farmers, artists, and architects.

4 of 18

THE OLMEC AND MAYA

  • The Olmecs were traders.

​

  • Olmec cities included plazas, housing areas, and ceremonial centers.

​

  • Known for their huge stone sculptures of heads.

5 of 18

THE OLMEC AND MAYA

  • Olmecs began to abandon their cities in 600 BC.

​

  • Was considered a cultural hearth.
    • Place of origin of a major culture.

​

​

6 of 18

THE OLMEC AND MAYA

  • Maya lived in southern Mexico and northern Central America.
    • As early as 1500 BC.
    • Height of their civilization was about 250 AD.

​

  • Cities consisted of plazas, palaces, pyramids, stone temples, and ball courts.

​

​

7 of 18

THE OLMEC AND MAYA

  • Maya were advanced in science and technology.
    • Created a 365 day calendar.
    • Developed a counting system up to 20.
    • First civilization to use zero (0).

​

  • Developed a writing system called glyph
    • Carved symbols that stood for syllables or words.

​

​

8 of 18

THE OLMEC AND MAYA

  • About 900 AD, the Maya started to abandon their cities.

​

​

9 of 18

THE AZTEC AND INCA

  • The Aztecs and Inca created vast empires.
    • Empire – political system in which people or lands are controlled by one ruler.

​

  • The Aztecs moved from northern Mexico into the Valley of Mexico around 1300 AD.
    • Based upon the legend of the Eagle on the Prickly Pear.

​

​

​

​

10 of 18

MEXICAN FLAG

11 of 18

THE AZTECS AND INCAS

  • City included houses and causeways (roads made of earth).

​

  • At height of the empire, they had around 300,000 people.

​

  • Used the watery environment to create chinampas (island gardens)

​

​

12 of 18

13 of 18

THE AZTECS AND INCAS

  • Incas lived in the Andes mountains in what is now Peru.

​

  • Controlled a large empire from 1400 to 1533 AD.
    • Spaniards conquered them.

​

​

​

​

​

​

14 of 18

THE AZTECS AND INCAS

  • Incas built complex cities such as Machu Picchu.

​

  • To farm, they cut terraces into the mountainsides.

​

  • Built aqueducts to water their crops.

​

​

​

​

​

​

15 of 18

MACHU PICCHU

16 of 18

THE AZTECS AND INCAS

  • Built 14,000 miles of roads.

​

  • Used quipus (counting tools of knotted cords) to keep records.

​

  • About 45% of Peru’s population are Quechua, descendants of the Inca.

​

​

​

​

​

​

17 of 18

THE AZTECS AND INCAS

  • People that live in the area still use terraces and aqueducts.

​

​

​

​

​

​

18 of 18

HOMEWORK

​

  • Read p. 212-217

​

  • Answer #1, 3-8

​

  • Read P. 218-219*

​

​

​

​

​

​