AKS 36: Pre-Columbian America

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AKS 36Pre-Columbian America

• Chapter 9.2 Pages 240-243
• Chapter 16.2 16.3 Pages 446-463

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36a explain the rise and fall of the Olmec,
Mayan, Aztec, and Incan empires

• WARM-UP

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The Olmecs

• Geographical Location
• Along Gulf Coast of Mexico
• Environmental Conditions
• Covered with swamps rain forests
• Hot and humid climate

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The Olmecs

• Rise of the Olmec
• Emerged around 1200 B.C. and thrived between
  800-400 B.C.
• Civilization Rose Because
• Fertile river plains
• Abundant resources of salt, tar, clay, wood, and
  rubber

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The Olmecs

• Urban Design
• Combined pyramids, plazas, and giant sculptures
• Built thriving urban communities at sites such as
  San Lorenzo and La Venta

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The Olmecs

• Economy Trade
• Largest trading network throughout Mesoamerica
  (Mexico City to the North and Honduras to the
  South)
• Traded raw materials and various stones
• Trade helped boost the economy and spread Olmecs
  influence

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The Olmecs

• Social Structure
• Had ruling class
• Had nature gods
• Worshipped Jaguar spirit
• Prosperous people

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The Olmecs

• Reasons for Decline
• Unknown
• Because there are no records

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The Olmecs

• Legacy
• mother culture
• Known as this because of their influence on other
  cultures
• Left behind art styles, ceremonial centers,
  ritual ball games, an elite ruling class and
  stone symbols that may have led to writing
• First known civilization builders in Mesoamerica

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The Mayans

• Geographic Location
• Yucatan Peninsula, SE Mexico, northern Guatemala
• Environmental Conditions
• Dry scrub forests in Yucatan
• Dense jungles elsewhere

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The Mayans

• Rise of the Mayans
• Emerged around 250 and thrived between 250-900
• Traits of Mayans
• Religious beliefs important
• Theocracy
• Independent city-states
• Intensive agriculture

• Civilization Rose Because
• They had a united culture
• They were loyal to their king
• They had a wealthy and prosperous culture
• They were able to produce more food to feed a
  larger population

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The Mayans

• Reasons for Decline
• Many physical and human resources used for
  religious activities
• Frequent warfare occurred between kingdoms
• Population growth created a need for more land

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The Aztecs

• Geographic Location
• Central Mexico in the Valley of Mexico
• Environmental Conditions
• Several shallow lakes
• Fertile soil

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The Aztecs

• Rise of the Aztecs
• Emerged around 1200 and thrived between
  1400-1500s
• Traits of Aztecs
• Religious beliefs important
• Theocracy
• Powerful army
• Empire of tribute states

• Civilization Rose Because
• They had a united culture
• They were loyal to their emperor
• They added lands through military conquest,
  power, and used prisoners for religious sacrifice
• The adding of lands provided wealth

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The Aztecs

• Reasons for Decline
• Many physical and human resources used for
  religious activities
• The need for prisoners changed warfare style to
  less deadly and less aggressive
• Tribute states became rebellious and needed to be
  controlled

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The Incas

• Geographic Location
• Andes Mountain region branching out from Peru
• Environmental Conditions
• Highlands
• Fertile soil in Valley of Cuzco

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The Incas

• Rise of the Incas
• Emerged around 1200s and thrived between
  1450-1550
• Traits of Incas
• Religious beliefs important
• Theocracy
• Major road systems
• Type of welfare state with a huge bureaucracy

• Civilization Rose Because
• They had a united culture
• They were loyal to their emperor
• The entire empire was connected and that aided
  control
• They cared for the entire population during good
  and bad times

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The Incas

• Reasons for Decline
• Many physical and human resources used for
  religious activities
• Enemies also used their road system to move
  troops
• People struggled to care for themselves with the
  elimination of the welfare states
• Ultimately, invasions by Spanish conquistadors
  led to their demise

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36b compare the culture of the Americas
including government, economy, religion, social
structure, technology, and the arts of the
Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas

• WARM-UP

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The Mayans

• Government
• Independent city-states, each ruled by a god-king
• Central city with giant pyramids, temples,
  palaces, stone carvings, and surrounding
  residential areas

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The Mayans

• Economy
• Based on trade and farming
• City-states linked through trade alliances
• Sophisticated farming methods such as planting on
  raised platforms above swamps and on hillside
  terraces
• Grew maize (corn), beans, squash

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The Mayans

• Religion
• Polytheistic
• Prayed and offered gods food, blood, and human
  sacrifices

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The Mayans

• Social Structure
• King
• Seen as a holy figure, position was hereditary
• Three Social Classes
• Nobles priests, warriors
• Middle Class merchants, artisans
• Peasants

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The Mayans

• Technology
• Mayan Calendar
• Supposedly predicts the end of the world on Dec.
  21, 2012
• Mathematics
• Understood the concept of zero
• Astronomy
• Calculated solar year at 365.2420 days (only
  0.0002 off)
• City-Building
• Ex. Tikal
• Sophisticated agricultural techniques

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The Mayans

• The Arts
• Hieroglyphics
• Writing system, 800 symbols
• Pyramids
• Ball Courts
• For religious games
• Jaguar Architecture
• Steles (inscribed markers)

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The Aztecs

• Government
• Small city-states
• Empire divided into 38 provinces with 5-15
  million people
• Triple Alliance
• Military state formed in 1428

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The Aztecs

• Economy
• Ruled loosely, making conquered areas pay
  tributes to them
• If people resisted tributes or revolted, they
  would destroy the villages and capture or
  slaughter its inhabitants
• Trade connected by water and canals that canoes
  could bring directly to the city

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The Aztecs

• Religion
• Polytheistic
• Public ceremonies with human sacrifices
• The city of Tenochtitlan was founded based on the
  Aztec legend of Huitzilopochtli (god of the sun
  and warfare)
• Huitzilopochtli needed nourishment of human blood
  for the sun to rise each day
• Over 1,000 gods
• Elaborate ceremonies performed to win the favor
  of different gods including ritual dramas,
  songs, and dances with masked performers

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The Aztecs

• Social Structure
• Emperor
• Nobles
• govt officials, generals, religious leaders
• Commoners
• Merchants, craftspeople, soldiers, farmers who
  owned land
• Slaves

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The Aztecs

• Technology
• Planned Cities
• Tenochtitlan was greater than any European city
  of the time built on a lake bed to provide an
  easy defense system
• Causeways
• Roads built over the marshy lands water
• Chinampas
• Floating gardens built on the marshy fringes of
  the lake

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The Aztecs

• The Arts
• Elaborate temples
• Pyramids
• Stone carvings paintings for gods
• Masks for religious ceremonies

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The Incas

• Government
• Ruler
• Had to be a descendant of the sun god, Inti, to
  rule
• Bureaucratic
• Conquered territories were divided into
  manageable community units governed by a central
  bureaucracy
• Can be compared to socialism or welfare state

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The Incas

• Economy
• State controlled most economic activity
• Regulated the production distribution of goods

Macchu Picchu
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The Incas

• Religion
• Polytheistic
• Religion helped to reinforce the power of the
  state
• Cuzco was both the administrative and religious
  capital of the empire
• Mamakuna Virgins of the Sun
• Committed to a lifetime of religious service
  activities
• Yamacuna
• Men who were full-time workers for the state who
  aided in religious activities

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The Incas

• Social Structure
• Based on community cooperation
• Social groups were identified by officially
  dictated patterns of clothing
• Family
• Divided into groups of 10, 100, 1000, 10000
• A chief led each group
• Local administration in the hands of local rulers
• Language
• Imposed a single, uniform language throughout the
  empire
• Conquered Peoples
• Were peacefully conquered whenever possible to
  gain loyalty
• Were allowed to continue their traditional ways
  of life

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The Incas

• Technology
• Road System
• 14,000-mile long network of bridges and roads
• All roads led to the capital
• These roads tied the empire together
• Engineers Stonemasons
• Accomplished their with using no iron tools,
  wheels, or mortar

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The Incas

• The Arts
• Temple of the Sun (Cuzco)
• Most sacred shrine in empire, covered in gold
• Gold
• Extremely abundant
• Covered city walls and used for decoration