Chapter 7 - The Americas Section 2: Mesoamerica

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Chapter 7 - The Americas Section 2 Mesoamerica
Aztec and Mayan Empires
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Section 2 Mesoamerica
Main Idea Civilizations in Mesoamerica were some
of the earliest and most advanced in the Americas.

• Reading Focus
• What were the first civilizations in Mesoamerica
  like?
• What were some characteristics of Maya
  civilization?
• What made the Aztec empire one of the strongest
  in the ancient Americas?

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I. The First Civilizations
Mesoamerica - southern Mexico and northern
Central America - first farming settlements in
the Americas
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A. The Olmec

• 1200 BC - AD 300 first large towns in
• Mesoamerica pyramids, courtyard, giant stone
• heads, and monuments

The Olmec carved giant heads from basalt that
came from 50 miles away
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A. The Olmec

• Elite led ceremonies, controlled trade from Gulf
  of Mexico to Pacific coast cultural diffusion

Artists conception of the ancient Olmec city of
La Venta
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B. The Zapotec

• 1500 BC to AD 750 southern Mexico began as
  farmers, built capital city of Monte Albán around
  500 BC

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B. The Zapotec

• Monte Albán first city in Mesoamerica Olmec
  influence - main plaza with pyramids, temples,
  palaces, ball court

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C. The Toltec

• AD 900 to 1200 highlands of central Mexico
• militaristic society - warriors established
  dominance over region

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C. The Toltec

• Built pyramid-shaped temples and spread the
• worship of their god, Quetzalcoatl

Tula, capital city of the Toltec
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II. The Maya

• 1000 BC - One of the most advanced people in
• the Americas occupied the Yucatán peninsula

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A. Early Maya Civilization

• First lived in small villages used
  slash-and-burn agriculture and terraced hillsides
  to grow crops

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A. Early Maya Civilization

• Most cities built during Mayan Classic Age - AD
  250 to 900 became city-States with own ruler and
  government

The Great Plaza (center) and North Acropolis
(top) at Tikal
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A. Early Maya Civilization

• Worshipped many gods performed rituals blood
  offerings and occasional human sacrifice

The shaman is about to perform a cha-chac
ceremony a petition to the god, Chac, to send
rain
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B. Achievements

• Many advancements in
• architecture
• math - concept of zero
• astronomy - 365-day farming, 260-day
• religious calendars

Maya Calendar, called the Sunstone
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B. Achievements

• Complex writing system glyphs represent
  objects, sounds carved writing in stone and in
  bark-paper book called a codex

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III. The Aztecs

• Early Aztecs were farmers from northwestern
  Mexico, created most powerful empire in
  Mesoamerica

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A. Rise of the Empire

• According to legend, would settle where they saw
  an eagle on a cactus eating a snake AD 1100s -
  migrated south to Valley of Mexico

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A. Rise of the Empire

• Aztecs saw eagle and snake on swampy island in
  Lake Texcoco founded city of Tenochtitlán

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A. Rise of the Empire

• Formed alliance with nearby cities gained
  control over huge region beyond Lake Texcoco

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A. Rise of the Empire

• Aztecs were fierce warriors conquered 400 to 500
  city states required people to pay tribute

TYPICAL AZTEC WARRIOR AND WEAPONS
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A. Rise of the Empire

• Tribute was basis of economy gained wealth and
  strength from tribute and trade

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A. Rise of the Empire

• Tenochtitlan was capital city with temples,
• marketplaces, palaces and 200,000 people

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B. Society and Religion

• Society organized with king at the top, followed
• by priests, warriors, merchants, farmers, and
• slaves

Aztec Tribute List
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B. Society and Religion

• Believed gods needed blood sacrificed up to
• 20,000 victims - prisoners and slaves yearly to
• feed their sun god

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B. Society and Religion

• Late 1400s - Empire declined due to unrest
• among conquered peoples defeated by
• Spanish in 1521

Hernan Cortes and Malinche meet Aztec emperor
Moctezuma II