Coach Smith

1
Early Civilizations of the Americas

• Coach Smith
• North Shore HS
• 11-22-10

2
Early Civilizations of the Americas
3
(No Transcript)
4
MAYAN Empire

• 1000 B.C. 900 A.D.
• Lived mainly in Central America
• Agricultural people
• Major food crops Maize and beans
• Built the great city of Tikal
• Built flattopped pyramids that housed the tombs
  of rulers, observatories, and ball courts
  (architectural wonders)
• Believed that bright, celestial objects in the
  sky were gods

5
MAYAN CIVILIZATION

• Devised a complex and accurate calendar
• Included the concept of ZERO
• Observation of the night sky enabled them to
  predict eclipses
• Developed a written language based upon glyphs
  (symbolic figures or characters)
• Began abandoning cities between 800-900 A.D.
• Descendants of Mayans still live in southern
  Mexico (Chiapas) and Guatemala

6
(No Transcript)
7
Aztec Empire

• Early 1200 1521 AD
• Warlike people
• Borrowing from earlier civilizations, the Aztecs
  became skilled builders
• Capital was the lake city Tenochtitlan
• Worshipped many gods, especially the sun god
• Built stone pyramid temples to honor their gods
• Believed the sun was a god and would grow weak
  and die unless it was fed a daily diet of blood
  extracted from human hearts.

8
Ancient map of Tenochtitlan
9
Aztec Empire

• Aztecs were feared and hated by other peoples in
  Mexico
• Expanded the empire through war and conquest
• Conquered less than 30 years after Columbus
  first voyage by a small army of Spaniards led by
  Hernando Cortez.
• Intermixed with the Spanish to make modern
  Mexicans.

10
The Inca
11
Inca Empire

• (1200 1532 A.D.)
•   Found in Peru and Ecuador, throughout the
  Andes Mountains Capital City Cuzco (high in the
  Andes)
•       Terraced slopes of the mountains to grow
  potatoes
•       Excelled in bridge and aqueduct
  construction
•       Built earthquake proof buildings

12
Inca Empire

• Ruled by an absolute monarch Lord Inca
  believed he was a descendant of the sun
• Very organized government took a census of the
  Incas entire population
• Kept record by tying knots in a rope device
  called a QUIPU - A pattern of
  knots stood for a certain number
• Built 10,000 miles of roads to connect the empire
• Conquered by Pizarro and the Spanish
  conquistadors
• Descendents of the Inca live in Peru