The AMERICAS

NORTH AMERICA The Iroquois – eastern woodlands (northeast) Built longhouses Women owned the dwellings and harvested the crops Three “sister” crops: corn, beans, and squash Men hunted and protected the community Made up of five different nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and Cayuga

Formed a joint gov’t called the Iroquois League Created to end wars, was a council of representatives that met regularly to settle disputes First experiment with democracy in North America

Mesoamerica Name used for areas of Mexico and Central America Site of the first farming settlements in the Americas

The Maya One of the most advanced civilizations in the Americas Practiced slash-and-burn agriculture to farm the rain forest Burning vegetation to clear the land for crops

Built splendid pyramids, temples, and palaces The kings of the Mayan city-states claimed to be descended from gods Had many rituals to satisfy the gods One ritual involved piercing the tongue or skin to offer blood to the gods Another was a game involving a rubber ball that you had to get through a stone hoop using only your elbows, knees, or hips – the losing team often were killed and their hearts sacrificed to the gods Practiced human sacrifice to appease the gods Among the first people to come up with the concept of zero and had a 365 day calendar

The Aztec At its height the Aztec controlled 5 million people and hundreds of cities The capital city of Tenochtitlan was one of the largest in the world at the time, with 200,000 inhabitants

The king, although he was elected by a group of nobles, claimed to be descended from gods Aztec religious ceremonies were particularly bloody Believed that the gods needed human blood, hoped human sacrifice would postpone the day of reckoning Aztec sacrificed as many as 20,000 victims a year Mostly used slaves or prisoners of war as sacrifices Warriors were responsible for capturing the victims

South America The Inca – 1300s to 1500s Starts out in Peru, eventually includes 12 million people Capital at Cuzco

The emperor had most of the power Believed to related to the sun god Used the quipu to keep track of the movement of goods throughout the empire Form of communication Religion was a key element of the Inca society Built 24,800 miles worth of roads and suspension bridges The arrival of the Spanish brought an end to the empire