MESOAMERICA

1
MESOAMERICA
2
MOST LIKELY THEORY

• First Americans originated in Gobi Desert
• Some migrated to Siberia around 15,000 years ago
• Crossed Bering Strait in Alaska
• Land bridge probably existed at the time
• Gradually dispersed throughout North and South
  America

3
NEW THEORY

• Ancestors of modern Native Americans originated
  in Europe
• Ice Age extended shorelines of North America,
  Europe, and Greenland far into the Atlantic
• Prehistoric people traveled along shoreline
  hunting and crossed over
• Settled here and gradually dispersed through
  hemisphere
• Exterminated by Central Asian immigrants who came
  later

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EMERGENCE OF INDIAN CIVILIZATION

• Indians developed different cultures depending on
  the ecology of the region where they settled
• Some developed true civilizations
• Those in southern Mexico, northern Central
  America, and the Andes Mountains in Peru

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OLMEC CIVILIZATION

• Appeared around 1200 BCE
• In swampy region along the Gulf of Mexico near
  modern-day Vera Cruz
• Not in a river valley
• Three major cities
• San Lorenzo, La Venta, and Très Zapotes

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OLMEC ACHIEVEMENTS

• Talented engineers and architects
• Built underground sewer system at San Lorenzo
• Built pyramids and palaces from stone
• Also carved giant stone heads
• Largest is 9 feet tall and weighs 15 tons
• No one knows their exact function
• Also developed a writing system and a system to
  record calendar dates

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OLMEC RELIGION

• Polytheistic
• Most important god portrayed as half man/half
  jaguar
• Believed that certain people could turn into
  jaguars at will
• Variation of the were-wolf myth

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TEOTIHUACÁN

• Olmec civilization faded around 900 BCE but
  influenced later civilizations
• Teotihuacán
• 200-700 AD
• Giant city containing 200,000 people
• Two giant pyramids
• Pyramid of the Sun
• Pyramid of the Moon
• Hundreds of other buildings

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MAYANS

• Located in Yucatan, Honduras, and Guatemala
• 300-900 AD
• Sophisticated agriculture
• Two to three harvests a year
• Supported population of 2 million people
• Divided into a number of small states
• Never a single united state

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MAYAN CITIES

• Semi-urban people
• Built huge ceremonial centers that resembled
  cities
• Contained pyramids, plazas, wide streets
• Only used during religious celebrations
• Most Mayans lived in small villages that
  surrounded centers
• Moved to centers for celebration and then
  returned to their villages when it was over

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MAYAN RELIGION

• Extraordinarily complex
• Chief god was Itzamná
• Creator of human beings and inventor of art and
  science
• Countless other gods below him
• 13 levels of heaven and 9 levels of hell

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MAYAN ACHIEVEMENTS

• Sophisticated mathematics
• Understood concept of zero
• Developed place-value system
• Developed elaborate but accurate calendar
• Literate but little of their writing survives

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COLLAPSE OF MAYAN STATES

• Mayan states collapsed around 900 AD
• Perhaps due to natural catastrophe
• Left behind impressive ruins, achievements in
  sciences, and language

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TOLTECS

• Moved into southern Mexico from north around time
  of Mayan collapse
• Took over and expanded Mayan centers
• Built capital city of Tula using Mayan
  architectural and construction techniques

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MORE ON TOLTECS

• Developed impressive metal-working industry
• Specialized in jewelry
• Established trade network which stretched into
  northern South America
• Civilization flourished for around 100 years
• Empire eventually fragmented into small states,
  constantly fighting among themselves

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THE AZTECS ARRIVE

• Also known as Mexicas
• Originally a nomadic tribe from north
• Looking for promised land
• Found it in 1325 AD on island in middle of Lake
  Texcoco in central Mexico
• Built capital city on island
• Tenochtitlán

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RISE OF THE AZTECS

• Rich mud of island home ideally suited for
  agriculture
• Produced abundant crops
• Standard of living increased dramatically
• Were in high demand as mercenaries in wars
  between post-Toltec states
• Rose rapidly
• Stepped into power vacuum and took over much of
  central and coastal Mexico and northern Central
  America

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TENOCHTITLÁN

• Grew wealthy from tribute from conquered
  territory
• Turned city into magnificent place
• Canals served as arteries of transportation
• Aqueduct system for fresh water and sophisticated
  waste removal system
• Huge temples and places
• Brightly colored art

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AZTEC RELIGION

• Two sets of gods
• Nature gods
• Worshipped by farmers
• Had shape of the item the god controlled
• Great gods of state
• Usually portrayed as half human/half animal or as
  monster
• Chief god was Huitzilopochtli
• God of the sun

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HUMAN SACRIFICE

• Believed that the world had passed through four
  previous stages (suns)
• Each one destroyed by catastrophe
• To prevent destruction of fifth sun,
  Huitzilopochtli had to be appeased
• By feeding him human hearts
• Aztecs therefore sacrificed victims by ripping
  out their hearts and holding them up for
  Huitzilopochtli to symbolically eat

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HOW OFTEN DID THEY DO IT?

• Spanish claimed that sacrifice was performed on a
  daily basis and that thousands were sacrificed
  on religious holidays
• Historians have used this information to argue
  that it was the need to get victims that
  motivated Aztec conquests and their harsh legal
  code
• Others claim Spanish exaggerated number of
  sacrifices to justify their conquest and
  destruction of Aztec civilization

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END OF THE AZTECS

• Spanish conquistador, Hernando Cortez, destroyed
  Aztec civilization in 1519
• Very tragic act
• Wiped out a rich and vigorous culture off the
  face of the map
• Enormous loss to all civilized human beings