Early American Early American CivilizationsCivilizations

A. between 1500 B.C. and A.D. 1450, agricultural civilizations grew throughout Mexico, Central America, and South America

B. cities were centered around market places

THE OLMECI. The Olmec - between 1500 and 600 B.C.

A. one of earliest agricultural societies to live along the Gulf Coast of Mexico.

B. archaeologists found stone heads weighing up to 40 tons made of volcanic rock that are believed to be of Olmec rulers

C. religion most likely played an important role in their lives

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THE MAYA

II. The Maya - between A.D. 300 and 900 (Classic Period)

A. located in modern-day Guatemala, Belize and Southern Mexico

THE MAYA

II. The Maya - between A.D. 300 and 900

A. located in modern-day Guatemala, Belize and Southern Mexico

B. cities were religious centers built around enormous stepped temple-pyramids

TikalTikal

El Castillo

Temple at CopanTemple at Copan

Palenque

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THE MAYA II. The Maya - between A.D. 300 and 900

A. located in modern-day Guatemala, Belize and Southern Mexico

B. cities were religious centers built around enormous stepped temple-pyramids

C. they were astronomers and mathematicians

THE MAYA II. The Maya - between A.D. 300 and 900

A. located in modern-day Guatemala, Belize and Southern Mexico

B. cities were religious centers built around enormous stepped temple-pyramids

C. they were astronomers and mathematicians

1. this knowledge was used to schedule religious rituals, plant, and harvest

D. played a game called pok-a-tok

Hoop on a Maya ball courtHoop on a Maya ball court

Ball Court at CopanBall Court at Copan

THE MAYA II. The Maya - between A.D. 300 and 900

A. located in modern-day Guatemala, Belize and Southern Mexico

B. cities were religious centers built around enormous stepped temple-pyramids

C. they were astronomers and mathematicians

1. this knowledge was used to schedule religious rituals, plant, and harvest

D. played a game called pok-a-tok

E. their disappearance is a mystery, however evidence found in 2002 suggests that possibly a massive series of civil wars is responsible

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/09/0917_020919_pilas.html

THE AZTECII. The Aztec - between A.D. 1100’s and 1521

A. lived in central Mexico and on an island near the western shore of Lake TexcocoB. their capital city was Tenochtitlan, an agricultural center and marketplace

Aztec Empire

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Tenochtitlan

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THE AZTECII. The Aztec - between A.D. 1100’s and 1521

A. lived in central Mexico and on an island near the western shore of Lake TexcocoB. their capital city was Tenochtitlan, an agricultural center and marketplaceC. they built canals, bridges, and stone causeways to connect the island to the mainlandD. the powerful Aztec army conquered all of Mexico by A.D. 1500E. there was a defined political and social hierarchyF. they had many godsG. sacrificed thousands of prisoners to the sun god

Temple to Huitzilopochtli

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Aztec sacrifice ritual

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THE INCAS

IV. The Incas - A.D. 1200 to 1533A. developed in the Andes Mountains of South America in what is now Peru, Chile, parts of Ecuador, Bolivia and ArgentinaB. they had a complex political system that included royal governors and tribute collectionC. the Inca emperor had complete control over the lives of the common people

Inca’s terraced fields

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Incas performing brain surgery on a wounded soldier

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Machu Piccu

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