American Civilizations—Olmec, Maya, Inca, Aztec

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Civilizations of the Americas

Olmec, Mayan, Incan, & Aztec Civilizations

The Civilizations of America

While classical civilizations were developing in the Mediterranean & Asia, advanced societies were developing in isolation in the Americas

During the Ice Age, prehistoric nomads migrated across the land bridge between Asia & America

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During the Neolithic Revolution, these nomads settled into farming villages (Some of which became advanced civilizations)

Olmec:� *First civilization in the area known as Mesoamerica (“Middle America”)

*The Olmecs are often called the “mother culture” because they influenced other Mesoamerican societies

*Almost completely lost now

The Olmecs

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The Olmecs used their wealth (made through trade) to build large stone monuments & pyramids to honor their leaders & gods

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The Olmecs developed a strong trade network in Mesoamerica that brought them great wealth

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Olmec trade allowed them to spread their culture to other Mesoamericans

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We don’t know why, but the Olmec civilization collapsed by 400 B.C.E.

(However, their cities & symbols influenced later cultures, especially the Mayans)

Mayan Empire

• The Maya lived in present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, & Honduras
• One of the most

advanced civilizations

in the world before the

arrival of Europeans -

Left behind architecture

• Reached its highest

development from

about 300 to 900 A.D.

Mayan Empire

• Mayans were polytheists who built large pyramids to honor gods—smaller than Egyptian pyramids but were much more detailed & decorative; contained arches (like the Romans!)

The Mayans

Religion: Mayans were polytheistic & offered their blood, food, & sometimes human sacrifices to please the gods

Mayan Empire

• Accomplishments of the Mayans:
• Developed system of mathematics & number system
• Created accurate calendar with 365 days that could accurately predict eclipses & finding the day of the week many thousands of years in the past or future
• Had exact knowledge of phases of the moon & cycle of Venus

Mayan Empire

• Developed hieroglyphic-style writing to record astronomical observations, calendar calculations, & historical information

12/21/12

Inca Empire

• The Inca built one of the largest & wealthiest empires
• in the world (trade
• & farming)
• It began in the mid-1400s & was located on the western coast of South America

Inca Empire

• Incan Empire extended more than 2,500 miles & included present-day Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, & Argentina— huge territory covered deserts, mountains, & rainforests
• Used terraced mountain- sides & irrigation streams for farming to account for

mountain issues

Inca Empire

• Most famous city was Machu Picchu
• Located high in Andes

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Machu Picchu

Inca Empire

• Accomplishments of the Inca:
• Had no writing, but created record system called quipu (knots tied to colored rope)
• Built suspension bridges
• Built 10,000 miles of roads
• Excellent goldsmiths
• 1^st civilization to harvest potatoes

Aztec Empire

• The Aztec Empire began lasted from 1427 to 1521 (conquered by Spanish conquistadors -

Explorers from

Spain, usually

violent)

• The capital, Tenochtitlán, was located on the present-day site of Mexico City.

Aztec Empire

• The Aztecs were founded by the Mexica, (came from west Mexico)
• Legend predicted the Mexicans would found a great civilization where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus growing out of a rock
• Aztec civilization was created on Lake Texcoco—strategic with abundant food supplies & waterways for transportation

When captured by Spanish conquistadors, Tenochtitlán was possibly the largest city in the world

Aztec Empire

• Farming was the basis of the Aztec economy, but land was not large enough to produce enough food for the population; Aztecs created chinampas (floating gardens), by putting mud on huge mats made of woven reeds & placed them in lake—farmed on soil on these “farms”

Aztec Empire

• Aztec were excellent warriors who expanded their empire by conquering their neighbors
• Aztecs were the “people of the sun” who honored many gods, especially sun god; used human sacrifices to keep the gods happy— victim’s heart was removed & priest ate flesh as sign of respect

• The Spanish conquistador Cortes defeated the Aztecs after the Spanish attempted to make “peace” through the king, Moctezuma. The Aztecs revolted, killing their king, and then there was a bloodbath.

Defeat of the Aztec Empire