1. Ancient Civilizations of Latin America

2. The Olmec

3.  Ancient Mexico along Caribbean coast  1300 BC – 400 BC  Considered the “mother culture” of later Mesoamerican civilizations.  Built pyramids and huge sculptures  (40 ton, 10 ft. heads, carried 50 miles)  Overshadowed by the Mayans

4. Olmec Statues

5. The Maya

6.  Southern Mexico – Yucatan Peninsula and Guatemala  300 A.D. to 900 A.D.  Capital City = Tikal

7. Mayan Achievements  Developed a symbol for “0”  Played Mayan futbol (soccer)

8. Mayan Futbol

10. What Happened to the Mayan Civilization?  Mysteriously declined after 900 AD, later conquered by Spanish in 16 th century. Ancient Maya Video

11. The Aztec

12.  Between 1300 A.D. and 1500 A.D.  Central Mexico  Capital City = Tenochtitlan (Mexico City)  “Chinampas” – floating islands  Developed a calendar  Conquered by Hernando Cortes (Spain) in 1521

13. Tenochtitlan

14. The Inca The Inca

15. The Inca  About 1300 A.D. to 1500 A.D.  Ecuador, Peru, Chile  Capital City = Cuzco (Peru)  Conquered by Francisco Pizzarro (Spain) in 1531

16. Inca Achievements  Medicine  Trepanation - Skull Surgery Skull SurgerySkull Surgery  Developed “Quipu” for record keeping  Built cities in the Andes Mountains with terraces for farming  Famous “Machu Pichu” ruins (Peru)

17. Machu Pichu Engineering

18. Wright's excavation revealed a vast underground drainage system with layers of topsoil, sandy gravel, and granite waste rock. Photo credit: © 2009 NGHT, Inc. and WGBH Educational Foundation

19. Roughly 700 terraces carved into the mountain and fortified by granite walls help keep Machu Picchu stable. Photo credit: © Ricardo Preve/National Geographic Television

20. Another Inca marvel: On the morning of the summer solstice, light pours into a window of the Temple of the Sun to illuminate a sacred rock. Photo credit: © Ricardo Preve/National Geographic Television

21. The canal and fountain system, designed to provide a steady flow of fresh water, shows remarkable planning and foresight. Photo credit: © Ricardo Preve/National Geographic Television

22. Inca - Quipu