1. Ancient Civilizations of Latin America

2. You Live Where?
Most ancient people settled on the flat plains near rivers or the ocean places that were easy to reach and easy to defend. But not the three early civilizations of Latin America. They established their homes in challenging settings, such as the dense jungles of Central America, the high mountains of South America and on a marshy island in the middle of a lake in Mexico.

4. The Mayas were one of Latin America’s most important early societies that started as early as 1600 B.C. and flourished for hundreds of years building cities and communities throughout parts of southern Mexico and Central America. Farming was essential to Mayan Life using a technique known as slash & burn to clear land for their crops. The Mayas worshipped many gods and built elaborate temples and monuments in their honor. Around A.D. 900, however, construction of temples stopped and cities were abandoned. No one is quite sure what happened to bring an end to the Mayan Civilization, but the people did not completely die out. Their descendents live on today in places such as Chiapas, Mexico and still speak dialects based on the ancient language of the Mayas.
Mayan Civilization in Mexico & Central America

5. The Mayas Quick Facts
Studied math extensively and were one of the first civilizations to understand the mathematical concept of Zero.
Were avid astronomers and developed two calendars….a 260 day calendar of sacred days and a 365 calendar based on the sun’s movement.
Constructed massive stone pyramids and temples WITHOUT the use of metal tools. Many of which are still standing.
Established the best developed written language in ancient Latin America using symbols known as hieroglyphs.

6. Mayan Numbering System

7. Did You Know. . .
Mayan nobles spent a great deal of time on their personal appearance. They pierced their ears. They covered their bodies with tattoos. They painted their bodies. They loved fancy colorful embroidery added to their clothing. They loved straight black hair and high cheekbones. They loved jewelry. Hats were important. The Mayas believed that the bigger the hat, the more important the wearer. Some of the headdresses worn by nobles were taller than they were. As in most ancient cultures, their life was one of leisure. They had the time to spend on what they believed made them look beautiful.

9. The Aztecs were made up of a number of wandering tribes, including the lead tribe, the Mexica, from which Mexico got its name. During the 1200’s, the Aztec grew in numbers and military strength until they controlled the region. The Aztec Empire centered on warfare. Their capital city, Tenochtitlan, was built on an island in the center of a lake. Mexico City was later built on top of it. The island location of Tenochtitlan made it difficult for enemies to attack, but also difficult for farmers to raise crops and livestock. The Aztecs dominated Mexico until the early 1500’s when they were conquered by Cortes and his Spanish army.

10. Aztec Quick Facts
Farmers in Tenochtitlan raised crops on floating gardens called chinampas, which were anchored between the trucks of willow trees.
All men, even the priests, were expected to join the army as part of their religious duty. The Aztec believed that anyone who died in battle was honoring their god of war.
A popular entertainment for the Aztecs was a ballgame called tlachtli where opponents tried to get a ball through a hoop at each end of the court without using their hands.

11. Did You Know . . .
When the Spaniards under Hernan Cortez gazed upon the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán in Mexico in 1519,they were amazed by the scene before them. There, in the middle of a wide lake was a shimmering city with vast buildings sitting on an island in the middle of a large lake. The astonishment of those first Spanish visitors soon turned to horror when they saw the vast scale of ritual sacrifices made by the Aztecs.
Even today, it is hard to understand this ritual sacrifice that the Aztec made to their god of war at the pyramid built in his honor. It is estimated that approximately 20,000 people per year were sacrificed by the Aztecs. Captives were taken to the top of pyramids where, upon a ritual flat stone table, they were killed and their bodies tossed down the steps of the pyramids. The scene to both the Spaniards of that time and to us today is truly gruesome.

13. Around 1400, high in the Andes Mountains of Peru, a group of people called the Inca rose up to conquer the people of the surrounding area and build their capital city of Cuzco. The Incas soon ruled a huge empire that covered large areas of South America. While the nobles had unlimited freedom, the commoners worked for the state. The state took care of everyone and saw to it that no one went hungry. But the government was harsh. Laws were strictly enforced and the common people had very little freedom.
The Incas were farmers and built stone terraces on the steep mountainsides to prevent the erosion of soil. The Incas also built roads on which runners worked in teams to relay verbal messages from one end of the empire to the other. The messages were always passed by way of mouth, because unlike the Mayas, the Incas had no written language of their own.

14. Inca Quick Facts
Incas loved gold and silver, but had no use for money. Everything was paid for in physical labor. Taxes were paid for by helping build roads or working in mines.
The Incas were the only Latin America people who knew how to blacksmith, but they had no knowledge of the wheel.
The law did not allow commoners to be idle. Everyone had to work at his or her assigned job. Even the amount of time they spent sleeping or bathing was controlled by a government official.
Commoners were not allowed to own property or their own businesses. The government owned everything and was strict about enforcing laws. Even walking on one of the paved roads without permission was punishable by death.
Because they had no written language , the Incas developed a system of record keeping using patterns of knots tied on strings called Quipu.

15. Did you know . . . Frozen Mummified Girl Found on a Mountaintop
The Incas were known as the "Children of the Sun". They worshiped gods of nature - the sun god, the god of thunder, Moon, rainbows, mountain tops, stars, planets, and many more. Like the ancient Greeks, the Incas believed the gods could intervene to help you or hinder you. To avoid problems, they worshiped all the gods every day.
The Incas believed in an afterlife. They mummified their dead. It was easy. They simply set the dead body out in the cold in above ground tombs. The Incas could enter and reenter these tombs, leaving gifts of food and belongings.
The bodies of the dead nobles were carefully mummified and often left in the palaces where they had lived and ruled. Their relatives would treat them as though they were still alive. Servants brought them food and personal items. Their family consulted them for advice on daily affairs. On parade days and other special occasions, the mummies were taken outside and carried through the streets.

16. The Arrival of the Spanish
Although no one knows for certain how or why the Mayan civilization came to an end, there is no doubt as to what brought an end to the reign of the Aztecs and Incas in Latin America the arrvial of the Spanish.
Hernan Cortes captured the Aztec leader Montezuma II and claimed his empire for Spain in Ten years later, another Spanish soldier, Francisco Pizarro defeated the Inca ruler, Atahualpa, putting him to death and claiming his empire for Spain.
The glory days of the great Native American civilizations of Latin America were over. A new empire, Spain, was in control.

17. Questions Use Textbook pp. 160 -168
Where did each of the three ancient civilization of Latin America built their cities? (p. 160)
List four accomplishments of the Maya. (p. 161)
What was essential to Maya and what method did they use? (p. 161)
Where do Maya people still live to today?
Give two reasons all able Aztec men expected to join the army. (p. 162)
How did the Aztecs build their floating gardens called chinampas? (p. 162)
What crops did the Inca grow? (p. 163)
What Incan city still remains today and in what country is it located. (p. 140)
What did trade between Latin America and Spain become known as? (p. 166)