05_Aztecs_and_Maya_Carousel_Lesson_PPT.ppt

8/14/2019 05_Aztecs_and_Maya_Carousel_Lesson_PPT.ppt

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2/28 Aim: How were the Mayans and Aztecs

Similar? Different?

HW: pagecompare/

contrast Aztec

and Mayanachievements

The Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, Mexico. Temple to

the god Kukulkan.


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Mayan Architecture

Temple at Chichen Itza

Temple at TikalIllustration of Tikal before the civilization fell


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Aztec Architecture

Aztec temples near Mexico City


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Mayan Written Language

The Mayan language is called Nahuatl

Which is a system of pictograms


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Aztec Written Language

Aztec language was also based on

Nuhatl which is still spoken in some

parts of Mexico and Central

America today


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Adapting to their Environment:Mayan Farming Techniques

In order to support a large population, the

Mayans had to adapt to their tropical

environment. Rain forests were cleared,

then raised fields that caught and held

rainwater were built. They also built

channels that could be opened to drain off

excess water.

Most Mayans were farmers. They grew

corn, beans, and squashthe basic food

crops of Middle America.

Men usually cultivated the crops, while

women turned them into food


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As the Aztecs population grew, they found

an ingenious way to create more farmland.

They built Chinampas, or artificial islands

Made of earth piled on reed mats that were

Anchored to the shallow lake bed where they

grew corn, beans, and squash

Adapting to their Environment:Aztec Farming Techniques


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Mayan Religious Beliefs

The Maya worshipped a pantheon of naturegods, each of which had both a benevolent

side and a malevolent side. The most

important deity was the supreme god

Itzamn, the creator god, the god of the fire

and god of the hearth.

Another important Mayan god was Kukulcn,

the Feathered Serpent, who appears on many

temples and was later adopted by the Toltecs

and Aztecs as Quetzalcoatl. Also important

was Chac, a hooked-nose god of rain and

lightning.

Mayan priests would performRituals of human sacrifice to the Gods


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Aztec Religious Beliefs

The Aztec priests were a class apart. Theyperformed the rituals needed to please the many

Aztec gods and prevent droughts, floods, or other

disasters. The chief Aztec god was

Huitzilopochtli, the sun god. His giant pyramid-

temple towered above central Tenochtitlan.

Huitzilopochtli, the Aztecs believed battled the

forces of darkness each night and was reborn

each morning. To give the sun strength to rise

each day, the Aztecs offered human sacrifices.

Priests offered the hearts of tens of thousands of victims to Huitzilopochtli and other

Aztec gods. Most of the victims were prisoners of war, but sometimes a noble family

gave up one of its own members to appease the gods.


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Mayan and Aztec Achievements:Astronomical Calculations

Both the Mayans and Aztecs created accurate 365-day solar calendars mainly

for religious purposes. Mayan priests needed to measure time accurately in

order to hold ceremonies at the correct moment. As a result, priests became

expert mathematicians and astronomers. Some used their knowledge of

astronomy and mathematics to foretell the future


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Decline of the Mayas

About 900 A.D, the Mayas abandoned theircities, leaving their great stone palaces and

temples to be swallowed up by the jungle.

No one knows for sure why Mayan

civilization declined. Possibly, frequentwarfare forced the Mayas to abandon their

traditional agricultural methods. Or,

overpopulation may have led to over

farming, which in turn exhausted the soil.

Heavy taxes to finance wars and temple

building may have sparked peasant revolts.


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Decline of the Aztecs

At the height of Aztec power in 1519, word reachedTenochtitlan that pale-skinned, bearded men, had

landed on the east coast. Montezuma, king of the

Aztecs, possibly believing that Hernando Cortes, was

the god-king returning from the east, invited Cortes

into his capital.

Later, Relations between the Aztecs andSpaniards soon grew strained, and the Aztecs

Drove the Spanish from the city. Montezuma was

killed in the fighting. By 1521 however, Cortes and

his Indian allies captured and demolished

Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs had been conquered

A hit t W itt L Ad ti t E i t F i T h i


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Architecture

1. Study the examples of Mayan and Aztec

Architecture and illustrations of the city. Describe 3

ways they are similar:

1.

2.

3.

Written Language

Study the examples of Mayan and Aztec written

language. Describe 2 ways they are similar.

1.

2.

How is it similar to other ancient civilizations?

Adaption to Environment: Farming Techniques

Provide examples as to how the Mayans adapted

to their tropical environment

How did the Aztecs adapt to their environment?

Religious Beliefs

Explain 2 ways the religious beliefs of the Mayans

and Aztecs were similar.

1.

2.

Explain one way they were different

Mayan and Aztec Achievements

Astronomical Calculations

1. Which achievement was accomplished by both

the Mayas and Aztecs?

2. Why was this achievement useful?

Decline

Explain 2 possible theories as to why the Mayas

civilization declined.

1.

2.

How did the decline of the Aztecs differ from the

decline of the Maya?

The Mayas and the Aztecs


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