Mayan%20Civilization

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Mayan Civilization

• Location Mexico and Central American rain forest
• Government city-states ruled by a king
• Economy Agriculture and trade
• Religion Polytheistic and built pyramids
• Declined for unknown reasons

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Cities/Government

• Each city was ruled by a chief (king). Cities
  traded with each other, but they also went to war
  with one another.

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Mayan People

• Most people were farmers, but the soil was so
  good, they really only had to farm 50 days out of
  the year. The main crop was maize corn)

• They spend the rest of the year with community
  projects (building things to honor the chief)

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Scientific Advancements

• The Mayans had a form of written language
  (hieroglyphs) that allowed them the keep records
  and write stories.

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Mayans and Math

• The Mayans developed a number system and math
  skills early. It looks similar to tally marks.

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Mayan Astronomy

• The Mayans also studied astronomy. They watched
  the sun and the planets. This allowed them to
  develop an accurate calendar.

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Religion

• The Mayans were polytheistic. Gods were based on
  nature (sun, rain, maize, etc.)

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Mayan Gods

• Their were over 150 different gods, and religion
  played a huge role in Mayan life.

• Many Mayan customs, especially religious ones,
  required human sacrifice.

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Recreation

• Mayans loved to sing, dance, and play sports.

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• The most popular game they played was called
  Pok-a-Tok. Teams of players would try to get a
  rubbery ball through a hoop, but you could not
  use your hands or feet (only body, legs, or arms).

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Beauty

• The Mayan people preferred long, flat heads. So,
  when babies were born, and their skulls were
  still soft, they would make them wooden vices to
  shape their heads.

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Beauty

• Having a large, prominent nose was also a sign of
  nobility.
• Most hairstyles entailed a ponytail

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Mayan Civilization

• Represented by Chichen Itza

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Aztec Civilization

• Location In arid (dry) valley in Central Mexico
• Government Ruled by an emperor
• Economy Agriculture
• Religion Polytheistic and built pyramids where
  the Gods were thirsty for human sacrifice

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Aztec Civilization

• Sacrificed 20,000 to 50,000 people each year
• Aztecs were engaged in much warfare
• Sacrificed those they conquered

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Aztec Civilization

• Represented by Tenochtitlan

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Farming

• Farming was the major industry for the Aztecs.
  Corn was a staple crop. They also hunted and
  fished.

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Family

• Aztec men supported their families and his
  government (by paying taxes). Aztec women ran
  the house and raised the children.

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Homes

• Aztecs has simple homes with simple furniture.
  Houses had beds, a low table, a kitchen, and a
  small shrine for the gods. Bathrooms were in
  separate buildings.

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Aztec Society

• The easiest and most common way to climb through
  up the social ladder was to show courage in
  battle. One of the main reasons to go to war was
  to capture enemies for sacrifice.

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Aztec Civilization

• Invented Tlachtli
• A ballgame that uses a rubber ball or heads of
  sacrificed victims
• No use of hands
• Shoot the ball into a hoop on the side of a wall

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Religion

• Aztecs also believed in many gods. The sun was
  very important to the religion and they
  worshipped it.

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Religion

• They believed that one day the sun would erupt
  and the world would end violently. To stop this,
  they fed the sun human blood (sacrifice).

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Aztec Written Language

• The Aztecs had a written language, but it was
  pictographs.
• They also had a number system for counting.

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Incan Civilization

• Location Andes Mountains of South America
• Government Ruled by Emperor
• Economy Agriculture in high altitudes
• Religion Polytheistic

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Incan Civilization

• Represented by Machu Picchu

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Incan Civilization
Prevented water from running off too quickly.

• Agriculture in high altitude in the mountains
• Used Terracing

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Farming

• Terracing allowed the Incans to use more land for
  cultivation. It also helped to resist erosion of
  the land by wind and rain. Staple crops were
  potatoes, corn, and quinoa.

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Cities

• Commoners paid the taxes to support the
  civilization (not the nobility or the sick and
  elderly)

• People either lived on the coast or in the
  highlands.
• They lived in simple houses made of either stone
  bricks or of mud.

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Family

• Men were responsible for working (usually on
  farms) and supporting the family.
• Women were responsible for taking care of the
  home and children.
• Commoners had to educate their children.

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Religion

• The Incans worshipped many gods, shrines and
  objects, especially the sun.
• They believed in an afterworld. So, they were
  buried with things they thought might be useful

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Human Sacrifice

• Human sacrifice was common in religious
  ceremonies. It was usually done by priests and
  was an act of communion with the gods.

• The Incans believed that the gods had sacrificed
  themselves in the creation of the sun and moon,
  so people had to do the same thing.

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Medicine

• Surgeons could bore holes in the head or amputate
  limbs when necessary.

• Incans believed disease was supernatural. They
  treated sickness with herbs, but also with urine,
  and bleeding the sick.

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Record Keeping

• The Incans did keep records, but it was with
  knotting strings. Based on length of strings,
  color, types of knots, and position of strings.
  They did not WRITE!

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Incan Civilization

• Used QUIPU system of knots on a cord to record
  important information
• Road System