The New World

The “New World” The Americas

are known as the “New World” because Europeans did not know they existed until about 1500 A.D.

Mesoamerica Meso means

middle. Mesoamerica

includes Mexico and Central America.

The Maya

The Maya Mayan civilization

flourished on and around the Yucatan Peninsula (in what is now Mexico)during the first millenium A.D.

The Maya had multiple small local governments rather than one large central government.

Many Mayan cities were located in the rainforest.

Agriculture The rainforests in which the Maya

lived did not have very fertile soil.

The lack of nutrients in the soil made farming difficult.

Slash and Burn Agriculture was used to help add nutrients to the soil.

Slash and Burn Agriculture Trees and other natural vegetation is cut down

(slashed). The vegetation is burned to add nutrients to

the soil. The heavy rains in the region wash away the

nutrients within a few years, and the farmer move on to a new piece of land.

This practice was more sustainable in ancient times, when the population was much lower.

Slash and Burn is still practiced in tropical climates today. The modern population is much higher (many more people) and the practice is harmful to the environment.

Crops Maize (corn) was the

most important crop Squash such as

pumpkins Beans Tomatoes Sweet potatoes cocoa

Written Language Pictographs (like

Hieroglyphic) Carved into

stone on buildings and written on bark in books called codices.

Pyramids Like the

Egyptians, the Mayans built pyramids that were used as tombs.

Decline Around 900 A.D. the Mayan civilization

declined. Cities were abandoned. Nobody knows what happened to the

Maya. Mayan descendants still live in Mexico

and Central America today.

The Aztecs

The Aztecs The Aztecs

settled in what is now Mexico around 1200 A.D.

Tenochtitlan Tenochtitlan was

the Aztec capital city.

The Aztecs built a large empire, controlling many neighboring peoples.

Tenochtitlan Built in the middle

of a lake. They created more

land by adding mud and vegetation into the lake.

Swampy Causeways led in

to city

Chinampas “Floating Gardens” Shallow areas of the lake are sectioned

off and filled with mud and decaying plant matter.

Separated by canals Fertile with plenty of water Very productive, yielded as many as

seven crops a year

Spanish Conquest The Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortez

arrived in Tenochtitlan in 1519. They were impressed by the grandeur and

wealth of the Aztecs. Cortez and his men wanted gold. People who had been conquered by the

Aztecs joined forces with the Spanish to overthrow them.

Within a few years the Spanish controlled what is now Mexico.

Tenochtitlan became Mexico city.

The Inca

The Inca The Inca

were located in South America, in what is now Peru.

Cuzco The Inca capital city was Cuzco.

Andes The Inca built

their cities high in the Andes Mountains.

They were well culturally adapted to their mountainous geography.

Andes The Inca built

bridges over valleys and gorges.

They could trap their enemies by cutting away the bridges.

Agriculture The Inca

adapted their farming practices to the steep mountain slopes by creating terraces.

Agriculture The Inca’s staple crops

were corn, potatoes, and quinoa.

They also grew tomatoes, avocados, squash, peppers, and peanuts.

Llamas Large animals related to camels.

The only large animal to be domesticated in the New World.

Used for food, as pack animals, and for wool.

Old World Interaction European diseases reached the

Inca before European people. Many of the Inca died from

Smallpox. New World people did not have

the natural resistance to disease such as Smallpox.