1. Olmec-The Mother Civilization

2. Olmecs
Mexico

3. OLMEC O - Oldest Cities Bui- L -t-Aqueducts M -other Civilization
Cit- E -s-Build the first
C -entral America and Mexico

4. Olmecs Oldest Cities in the Americas
One of the Earliest Civilizations in History
Lived in BC
It is called the Mother Civilization

5. Olmecs L-Built Aqueducts
Aqueducts are a way of transporting water over long distances using pipes and bridges.

6. Characteristics of Olmec Civilization
Developed their own system of numbers and writing
Ate corn
Came up with trade
Was one of the first to use the calendar
Intensive agricultural techniques, such as the use of animal power, crop rotation, and irrigation. This enables farmers to produce a surplus of food that will not be needed for their own subsistence.
A significant portion of the population that does not devote most of its time to producing food. They can go into other occupations and trade for the food they need. This is called "specialization of labor." It is possible because of the food surplus described above.
The gathering of these non-food producers into permanent settlements, called cities.
A social hierarchy. This can be a chiefdom, in which the chieftain of one noble family or clan rules the people; or a state society, in which the ruling class is supported by a government or bureaucracy. Political power is concentrated in the cities.
The establishment of complex, formal social institutions such as organized religion and education, as opposed to the less formal traditions of other societies.
Development of complex forms of economic exchange. This includes the expansion of trade and may lead to the creation of money and markets.
The accumulation of more material possessions than in simpler societies.
Development of new technologies by people who are not busy producing food. In many early civilizations, metallurgy was an important advancement.
Advanced development of the arts by those who don't have to farm for a living. This can include writing.

7. Olmec Head at La Venta

8. Mayans
Began to develop around 300 A.D. in what is now southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador
Known as “The People of the Jaguar”
Felt Jaguars were a god of the Underworld

9. Mayans http://videos. howstuffworks

10. Olmec Influence on the Mayans
Maize (Corn)
Ceremonial centers with temple pyramids
Calendar based on the Olmec one
Ball games
Rituals involving human sacrifice

11. Mayan Developed a form of writing Skilled in Math
Knew the movements of the sun, moon, and planets
The Mayans started abandoning their cities because they couldn’t produce enough resources to feed everyone.

12. Mayan M- iddle America C A- lendar Mone- Y- used Cacao
A- griculture-Corn, Cacao
N- ature-Worshipped

13. Do you know what cacao makes?
Agriculture
Do you know what cacao makes?
CHOCOLATE!!!
Maize
Cacao

14. Agriculture
Soil in Mesoamerican lowlands was thin and quickly lost fertility
Mayans built terraces to retain the silt and therefore greatly improved agricultural production
Raised maize, cotton, and cacao
Cacao was a precious commodity consumed mostly by nobles and even used as money
Cacao tree

15. Cities

16. Freemen, craftsmen, & farmers
Society
The Mayan population was divided into classes. Here are the classes for the Mayans:
Mayans
Rulers
Nobles & priests
Freemen, craftsmen, & farmers
Slaves 16

17. Social Hierarchy
A Mayan Warrior
A Mayan Priest

18. Social Hierarchy King and ruling family Priests Warriors
Professionals and artisans
Peasants
Slaves

19. Social Hierarchy King and ruling family
Ruled from the city-kingdoms such as Tikal
Believed their connection with the gods was maintained by ritual human sacrifice
Often had names associated with the jaguar
Priests
Maintained an elaborate calendar and transmitted knowledge of writing, astronomy, and mathematics
A Mayan King

20. Social Hierarchy Warriors Professionals and artisans Peasants Slaves
Mayan kingdoms fought constantly with each other and warriors won honor by capturing high-ranking enemies
Captives were usually made slaves, humiliated, tortured, and ritually sacrificed
Professionals and artisans
Architects and sculptors supervised construction of the large monuments and public buildings
Peasants
Fed the entire society
Slaves
Provided physical labor for the construction of cities and monuments
Often had been captured in battle

21. Specialization

22. Specialization Astronomers Mathematicians Warriors
Architects and sculptors
Potters
Tool manufacturers
Textile makers

23. Religion and Education
Human Sacrifice and Bloodletting Ritual

24. Religion: Bloodletting Rituals
Mayans believed the shedding of human blood would prompt the gods to send rain to water the maize
Bloodletting involved both war captives and Mayan royals
Mayan queen holds a bowl filled with strips of paper used to collect blood.

25. Religion: Sacrifice
Natural Wells-Men and women were thrown in as a sacrifice to the rain gods during dry spells.

26. Religion: The Ball Game
Mayans inherited a ball game from the Olmecs that was an important part of Mayan political and religious festivals
High-ranking captives were forced to play the game for their very lives
The losers became sacrificial victims and faced torture and execution immediately following the match
Object of the game was to propel an 8 inch ball of solid baked rubber through a ring or onto a marker without using your hands

27. Mayan Ball Court

28. Economic Exchange
Traded mainly in exotic and luxury goods such as rare animal skins, cacao beans, and finely crafted works of art which rulers coveted as signs of special status
Cacao used as money

29. Observatory at El Caracol
New Technologies
Mayan Calendar
Observatory at El Caracol

30. Mayan numerical system
New Technologies
Excelled in astronomy and mathematics
Could plot planetary cycles and predict eclipses of the sun and moon
By combining astronomy and mathematics, calculated the length of the solar year at days– about 17 seconds shorter than the figure reached by modern astronomers
Mayan numerical system

31. Art and Writing
Mayan writing