1. EARLY SOCIETIES OF MESOAMERICA (And Oceania) Chapter 5

2. THE OLMECS Olmecs: The "rubber people" -1st society of Mesoamerica
Earliest center, on the coast of Mexico Gulf, 1200 B.C.E.Earliest ceremonial center at San Lorenzo
The other two later centers: La Venta and Tres Zapotes
Olmec society
Authoritarian in nature
Colossal human heads - possibly likenesses of rulers
Rulers' power as shown in construction of huge pyramids
Commoners labored regularly for the authoritarian elite.
Traded in art, jade, obsidian, animal skins
Decline and fall of Olmec society
The cause remains a mystery
Olmecs systematically destroyed their ceremonial centers
Most likely, civil conflict ruined their society
Influence of Olmec traditions
Maize, ceremonial centers were common to later societies
Other legacies: Calendar(used by others), rituals of human sacrifice, ballgame
Olmecs did not leave written records
Domestication of small animals-turkeys, dogs. Used for food and protection.
Use of Ceremonial centers. For elite only and people came during ceremonies only. Rubber tree plants around them gave rise to nickname of Rubber people.
Technological advancements: drainage systems to divert water; colossal human heads 20 tons moved by human labor.
Spread through military and trade. Lacked metal so used obsidian.
Ceremonial pyramids, calendar, human sacrifice, and ball game survived after decline.
Civil conflict may have been cause of decline.

3. OLMEC ART

4. THE MAYA The Maya Tikal Chichén Itzá Maya decline
highlands of Guatemala
Teotihuacan became dominant during the 4th century C.E.
Besides maize, also cultivated cotton and cacao
Tikal
Most important Maya political center, 300 to 900 C.E.
Maya warfare
Victorious warriors won enormous prestige
War captives became slaves or sacrificial victims to gods
Chichén Itzá
Rose as a power by 9th century CE.
Organized a loose empire in the northern Yucatan
Tried to base society on assimilation of captives.
Maya decline
Began in 800 C.E., the Mayas (except in Chichén Itzá) deserted their cities
Causes of decline remain unclear –Invasion; dissension;civil war; water problems; natural disasters???????
A bustling city of 40,000 people
Enormous plazas, scores of temples, pyramids, palaces
Use of terracing to help with soil
Temple of the Giant Jaguar 154 ft tall
City kingdoms which fought constantly to get captives which led to prestige. Torture and human sacrifice

5. MAYAN SOCIETY Maya society
Kings, priests, and hereditary nobility at the top
Merchants were from the ruling class, served also as ambassadors
Professional architects and artisans were important
Peasants and slaves were majority of population
Maya Science
Maya priests understood planetary cycles and could predict eclipses
Besides the solar year of 365 days, also had ceremonialcalendar of 260 days and 20 months
Zero-invented by Maya
Use of terraces to to trap silt for agriculture
Maya writing
Maya scribes used writing extensively
Only four books survived the destruction by Spanish conquerors
The Maya ballgame
Played by two individuals or two teams
Very popular, every ceremonial center had stone-paved courts

6. MAYAN RELIGION Religious thought Bloodletting rituals
Popol Vuh, a Maya creation myth
Gods created humans out of maize and water
1st ceremonial city was Kaminaljuyu
Bloodletting rituals
The most important rituals, to honor the gods for rains
Sacrificing captives ledto many wars for victims
Also voluntary bloodshedding

7. MAYAN TRADE

8. TEOTIHUACAN The city of Teotihuacan Teotihuacan society
Built in the highlands of Mexico
Colossal pyramids of sun and moon dominated the skyline
Between 400 and 600 C.E., the city had 200,000 inhabitants
Paintings and murals reflect the importance of priests
Teotihuacan society
Rulers and priests dominated society
Two-thirds of the city inhabitants worked in fields during daytime
Artisans were famous for their obsidian tools and orange pottery
Professional merchants traded extensively throughout Mesoamerica
No sign of military organization or conquest
Cultural traditions
Inherited Olmecs' culture
Honored an earth god and a rain god
Decline of Teotihuacan
Military pressure from other peoples since 500 C.E.
Began to decline 650 C.E.; Invaders sacked city, mid-8th century

9. Norte Chico
3000 B.C.E. to 1800 B.C.E.
1st complex society of Americas.
Fishing based
No pottery or writing found.
Lacked defensive walls. Self contained.
Difficult to know what government or life was like for this group of Andean Peoples.

10. CHAVIN AND MOCHE The Chavín Cult Complexity of Andean society
Very popular around 900 to 800 B.C.E.
Vanished completely by about 300 B.C.E.
Cult was probably related to introduction of maize
Cult left large temple complexes and elaborate art works
Complexity of Andean society
Techniques of producing cotton textiles and fishing nets
Discovered gold, silver, and copper metallurgy
Early Andeans did not make use of writing
Mochica ( C.E.)
One of several early Andean states, located in northern Peru
Mochica ceramics: lives of different social classes
Mochica did not integrate the whole Andean region

11. ANDEAN GEOGRAPHY

12. Oceania Early Societies in Australia and New Guinea Early migrations
Human migrants arrived in Australia and New Guinea at least 60,000 years ago
By the mid-centuries of the first millennium C.E., human communities in all habitable islands of the Pacific Ocean
About 10,000 years ago, rising seas separated Australia and New Guinea
Australia: hunting and gathering until the 19th and 20th centuries C.E.
New Guinea: Turned to agriculture about 3000 B.C.E.
Early hunting and gathering societies in Australia
Small communities, seasonal migrations for food
Plant-based diet of the Australian peoples
Animals and fish were also in their diet

13. Austronesian Society Austronesian peoples
From southeast Asia, spoke Austronesian languages
seafaring skills
Settled in north New Guinea, 3000 B.C.E.
Early agriculture in New Guinea
Austronesians introduced root crops and herding animals
Indigenous peoples soon began to cultivate crops and keep animals
Agriculture brought population growth and specialization