History of Latin America: Ancient Civilizations and European Colonization Aztec, and Mayan

Maya Civilization Located in Central America and southern Mexico

Economy Based on trade and agriculture Traded precious stones, exotic birds, and vegetables Farmers were key to the economy since they were the ones actually growing the food for the civilization. Many domestic animals such as cows, pigs, goats, and chickens were unknown to Mayans. The only animals they raised were turkeys, guniea pigs, ducks, and edible dogs. Bees were also raised to produce honey for themselves or for trade. Mayans hunted deer and wild boar as game meat using dogs and clubs. Blow pipes and pellets made of clay were used to hunt birds. The Mayans also fished.

Accomplishments Architecture – step pyramid Hieroglyphics Fully developed written langauge. Astronomy noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and math/astronomy systems.

Calendar…The Mayans did not predict the end of the world in 2012… Mayan were skilled mathematicians. Invented a 360 day calendar – very similar to the one we use today. Their calendar did not predict the end of the world. The calendar cycle simply ended . In the Mayan calendar, the long calendar count begins in 3,114 BC and is divided into roughly 394-year periods called Baktuns. Mayans held the number 13 sacred and the 13th Baktun ends next year. Sven Gronemeyer, a researcher of Mayan codes from La Trobe University in Australia, who has been trying to decode the calendar, said the so-called end day reflects a transition from one era to the next in which Bolon Yokte returns. "Because Bolon Yokte was already present at the day of creation ... it just seemed natural for the Mayan that Bolon Yokte will again be present," he said. Of the approximately 15,000 registered glyphic texts found in different parts of what was then the Mayan empire, only two mention 2012, the Institute said. "The Maya did not think about humanity, global warming or predict the poles would fuse together," said Alfonso Ladena, a professor from the Complutense University of Madrid. "We project our worries on them."

Aztec Civilization Located in Central and Southern Mexico

Economy Based on agriculture, fishing, and trade Capital city – Tenochtitlan was built on an island in the middle of a lake – Now the center of modern Mexico City Grew corn, beans, squash Fish was a major source of protein

Accomplishments Credited for the discovery of chocolate Cacao beans were more valuable than gold – acquired through trade Advanced political system with an emperor                

World Geography South America - Chapters 12 & 13 Colonization Treaty of Tordesillas (1494): Split newly discovered territory between Spain & Portugal at about 22 degrees west By the end of the 16th century, LA colonized – mostly along the coastlines What belonged to Portugal? How do you know? The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 settled the dispute over Latin America between Spain and Portugal, drawing a “line of demarcation” across the continent that granted Brazil (and some islands in the Atlantic Ocean) to Portugal, and giving all land west to the Spanish. Also had some settlers from France & the Netherlands (in Brazil and the Caribbean). llhammon

World Geography South America - Chapters 12 & 13 European Exploration “God, Gold, and Glory” were motivations Diseases brought by the Europeans wiped out many of the indigenous Intermixing common European colonists + indigenous = mestizo African + indigenous = mulatto Europeans/Whites were the largest group of people Native cultures were conquered and/or decimated by diseases in the settlement of Latin America. Some diseases brought by Europeans were smallpox and measles. Historians cannot determine the number of natives who died due to European diseases, but some put the figures as high as 85% and as low as 25%. (In some areas, it was definitely on the higher end.) Due to the lack of written records, specific numbers are hard to verify. Many of the survivors were forced to work in European plantations and mines. Roman Catholic missionaries arrived & set up missions to convert the American Indians to Christianity. Towns developed around these churches, seen especially in Mexico. Because the imperial powers had come here to make a fortune, they worked the native peoples as slaves. When a large majority of them died, this resulted in the importation of African slaves. You can see the results of this most clearly in Haiti, Jamaica, and Brazil. The descendants of Europeans and native peoples are called mestizo. The descendants of Africans and native peoples are called mulatto. Whites are the majority in most areas, though this is not true in some places – like Mexico and Guatemala. Most all Latin American nations were able to gain their independence in the early 1800s. llhammon

European culture still seen in LA today Languages= Spanish & Portuguese Portuguese is spoken only in Brazil Most Latin Americans are Christians, mostly Roman Catholic Economy still oriented toward export Linguistic map of Latin America. Spanish is in green, Portuguese in orange, and French in blue. The Portuguese banned the Native language of Brazil = Tupi. Why Roman Catholic? The result of missionaries