Meso American Civilizations

The First Civilizations

Mesoamerica, southern Mexico and northern Central America, was ideal for farming.

• Cities and complex social structures arose there too.

Olmec

• Lived in hot, humid lowlands
• 1200 BC to AD 300
• Built first large towns in Mesoamerica
• Earliest Olmec town
• Pyramid, courtyard
• Eight giant stone heads
• Throne like monuments
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The First Civilizations

Toltec

• Highlands of central Mexico, AD 900 to 1200
• Capital located at Tula, near obsidian mines
• Major trade center
• Pyramids, temples
• Militaristic society
• Fierce warriors established dominance over large region
• Climate change, social conflict led to decline

The First Civilizations

Large civilization

• Olmec, Zapotec, Toltec small in comparison
• Developed around 1000 BC
• More than 40 cities of 5,000 to 100,000 each at height

Early Maya Civilization

• First lived in small villages
• Grew corn, beans, squash
• Good rainfall, rich soils

Rain forest challenges

• Slash-and burn agriculture
• Clearing forest land for crops
• Flat terraces built in hillsides to control erosion

Trade developed

• Farming did not provide all needs
• Villages traded for cotton, jade
• Trade of cacao, salt, obsidian helped villages grow to cities

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The Maya

Cities and Government

• Most cities built between AD 250 and 900, the Classic Age
• Cities Tikal and Copan among the most spectacular in Mesoamerica
• Brightly painted pyramids, temples and palaces found there

City-States

• Each had own ruler and government
• No ruler ever united the cities into single empire
• Cities linked even without central government

Cities linked

• Highlands traded jade, obsidian for cotton, rubber, cacao from lowlands
• Cities also linked by warfare with each other
• Through battles kings tried to gain land, power

The Maya

• The Maya worshipped many gods and believed they influenced daily life;
• They also believed their kings communicated with the gods.
• To keep the gods happy, the Maya performed private and public rituals.

Religious Offerings

• Offering blood by piercing tongue, skin
• Human sacrifice only occasionally
• Ritual ball game, losing team having hearts sacrificed to gods

Upper Class Society

• Priests, who led religious ceremonies
• Professional warriors, who got war victims for human sacrifice

Other Classes

• Merchants, craftspeople middle class
• Lower class
• Farmers
• Slaves
• Provided food, labor for other classes

The Maya

Achievements

• Impressive buildings and architecture, including canals
• Advances in astronomy, math, writing
• Observed movements of sun, moon, planets

Calendar system

• Created based on astronomical observations
• 365-day farming, 260-day religious calendars
• More accurate than that used in Europe at same time

Number and writing systems

• Number system included new concepts, including “zero”
• Complex writing system of glyphs, or symbols, representing objects, sounds
• Carved writing in stone, also in bark-paper book called a codex

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The Maya

Decline of Mayan civilization, AD 900

• Caused by number of factors
• Environmental damage, drought
• Warfare increased over competition for land, destroyed more crops
• Abuse of power by strong kings
• Civilization declined but did not disappear
• Maya moved from forest to coastal cities
• Remained for several hundred years

The Maya

• At the height of Mayan Civilization, the Aztecs began to rise to power in the north.
• Rise of the Empire
• Legend: settle where they saw an eagle on a cactus eating a snake
• Migrated south to Valley of Mexico, 1100s
• Good farmland already taken

Lake Texcoco

• A swampy island in valley
• Site where legend says Aztecs saw eagle and snake
• Founded city of Tenochtitlán
• From here, continued rise to power
• In addition to being farmers, the Aztecs were also fierce warriors.
• They began fighting to control other towns around Lake Texcoco.

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The Aztecs

Conquering Warriors

• Aztecs gained strength in 1420s with alliance with Texcoco and Tlacopan
• Alliance gained control over huge region beyond Lake Texcoco
• Aztecs ruled 400 to 500 other city states, 5 million people
• Required conquered people to pay tribute

Wealth and Strength

• Tribute paid in many forms, feathers, food, pottery, blankets
• Tribute was basis of economy
• Gained wealth and strength through trade as well
• System of roads aided trade of goods like jade, cacao
• Merchants also acted as spies for Aztec emperor

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The Aztecs

Tenochtitlán

• Capital city of Aztec empire
• Covered 5 square miles
• Population of about 200,000
• One of largest cities in world at time
• Site of present day Mexico City

Enchanted Vision

• Walled compound at city center
• Pyramid with two temples on top
• Other temples, government buildings, palaces, a ball court
• Political and religious heart of the empire
• First Europeans, “enchanted vision”

Floating Gardens

• Swampy island in middle of lake
• Not much land for farming
• Aztecs built floating gardens at city’s edge
• Tenochtitlán connected by canals and causeways to biggest market
• Vendors paid tax to support army

The Aztecs

Tenochtitlán

The Aztec had an organized society, with the king at the top, followed by priests.

Society and Religion

• King was part of royal family, but had to be elected
• Lived in palace at Tenochtitlán
• Certain nobles served as government officials
• Just below king were priests
• Interpreted calendars
• Performed religious ceremonies

Religious Ceremonies

• Believed gods needed blood
• Sacrificed as many as 20,000 victims a year
• European perspective,
• “walls splashed and caked with blood…stank abominably”
• Slaves. prisoners used for sacrifices
• Certain warriors who captured victims also upper class

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The Aztecs

Other classes

• Merchants, artisans wealthy, respected
• Merchants rich from trading
• Artisans important, made goods required for tribute

Lower class

• Most were farmers, very poor
• Did not own their own land
• Paid so much in tribute, it was difficult to survive

Chance for improvement

• Farmers could become warriors or study at special schools
• All attended school until 15
• Continuing in special schools led to work in government

Slaves

• Suffered most in Aztec society
• Most had been captured in battle, or could not pay debts
• Some worked as farmers, laborers; some sacrificed

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The Aztecs

The Aztecs

The western region of South America is one of environmental contrasts where early peoples learned to adapt and build civilizations.

Early Cultures in South America

Inca’s expansive empire

• Brought entire South American region into one empire
• Began as small Andean tribe
• Early 1500s, empire expanded along Pacific coast, Andes

Ruling a large empire

• Incas needed strong government
• Emperor had most power
• Did not want conquered people to rebel

Government

• Period of rapid expansion began 1400s from Cuzco
• Pachacuti used political alliances, military force
• Expanded by later leaders

Creating stability

• Moved leaders of conquered areas out
• Moved loyal new leaders in
• Military used to protect against rebellion, external attacks

The Inca Empire

Economy

• Strictly controlled by government
• Common people required to pay labor tax, called the mita
• Government told each household what work to do to pay tax

Tracking goods

• Inca used quipu, colored and knotted cords representing numbers, dates
• No written language, quipu used to record taxes, number livestock, census
• Road system improved communication, helped government control economy

Mita

• Paid by weaving cloth, working on government farms, mines, building roads
• No merchants, goods distributed by government
• Extra food, goods stored in government warehouses for emergencies

The Inca Empire

Religion a key element of Inca society

People allowed to worship local gods

• Sun god was most important of all
• Believed kings related to sun god
• Main temple located in Cuzco
• Mummies of dead kings worshipped
• Religious ceremonies often included sacrifices of llamas, cloth or food, rarely humans

The Inca Empire

In spite of the high level of achievement, the Inca Empire lasted only about 100 years. Arrival of Spanish in 1532 marked end of Empire.

The Inca Empire

The government also played a big role in Inca society. Each family was grouped with others into a cooperative community called an ayllu.

The Inca Empire

Clip (3mins)- http://www.history.com/shows/mankind-the-story-of-all-of-us/videos/mankind-the-story-of-all-of-us-rise-of-the-incas?m=5189719baf036&s=All&f=1&free=false

The government also played a big role in Inca society. Each family was grouped with others into a cooperative community called an ayllu.

Answer Question #2