Latin American Ancient Civilizations…

 Once upon a time, where Mexico City now stands, the waters of Lake Texcoco once lapped the shores of an island city called Tenochititlan. With around 200,000 citizens, Tenochititlan served as the capital of the great Aztec Empire….

 The Aztecs were originally a number of tribes of wandering warriors, the Mexica being the most dominant group  During the 1200’s the Aztec grew and dominated the region until the 1500’s, when they were conquered by the Spanish

 This empire centered on warfare  All able men, including priests, were expected to join the Aztec army  The first reason to join was to protect the empire  The second reason was religious-they believed that anyone who died in battle had the great honor of dying for the Aztec god of war: Huizilopochtli

 They were located on an island, protecting them from attack  Unfortunately much of the island was marsh, posing a major challenge for farming  The Aztec built floating gardens called chinampas; they grew maize, beans, squash; avocados, tomatoes, peppers, and flowers  They also raised turkeys, ducks, geese, and dogs for food

 The Aztecs built pyramids similar to the Egyptians  Many of these were built as temples to worship in  There were many rituals performed at temples

 Aztecs Aztecs

 The Maya had a huge civilization…it covered what is today southern and eastern Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Belize (Central America)  Small Mayan communities existed as early as 1600 B.C.  From A.D. 250 until A.D. 900 the Maya were one of Latin America’s most important civilizations

 They studied math and astronomy extensively  They had a 365 day calendar based on the sun’s movement  The Mayan’s also established the best- developed written language in ancient Latin America  They used symbols for words-this is called hieroglyphs

 The Mayans used the slash and burn method of agriculture  They cut down and burned trees, planting crops in their place  After a few years they led the forest grow back, so the soil can regain fertility  Later the area could be used again using the slash and burn method  This method was used by subsistence farmers who would use the land until the soil needed to regain its nutrition  The Mayans also built up ridges of farming land on flood plains-they were rich with nutrients and the ridges kept the crops from getting too wet

 Around A.D. 900 the Maya way of life begin to change  Construction of massive temples and stone monuments stopped  Cities were abandoned  Mayan people are still around however, they are just spread out  More than 6 million people still live in Guatemala, Belize and southern Mexico-they also still speak dialects based on the languages of their Mayan ancestors

 Mayans Mayans

 Around 1400, in the Andes Mountains in Peru, the Inca rose up to conquer the people of the surrounding areas  From their capital in Cuzco, the Inca ruled a huge empire that included parts of what are now Colombia, Equador, Bolivia, northern Chile, and northwestern Argentina

 Just like the Aztec’s and Mayan’s the Incas also found creative ways to farm in their environment  To farm on the steep mountainsides, the Inca farmed on stone terraces  It gave the Inca large areas of flat land to farm and helped to prevent erosion of the soil  In the desert areas to the west, the Inca built irrigation canals to water their crops; some of the canals spanned the entire valleys  They grew crops such as potatoes, maize, and a grain called quinoa

 Stone roads were built, some of which are in use today  Having no written language, or knowledge of the wheel, runners carried verbal messages on these roads  Runners worked in relay teams  Messages could travel as much as 150 miles a day  This communication system was an extensive road system that connect the empire that stretched for thousands of miles

 Like the Aztec’s the Inca’s are known for their advanced architectural techniques  Their stonework was especially impressive  They built many massive buildings with stones weighing as much as 200 tons-they used wooden rollers to move the stones  The most incredible of their stonework is Machu Picchu  This city stands 8,000 feet above sea level

Inca