Warm - up

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Warm - up

• What can you tell me that you already know/ have
  heard about the Olmecs, Mayans, Incas, Aztecs?
• Where is Mesoamerica?
• We are going to Computer Lab 105 to explore and
  be able to explain the cultures of MesoAmerica.

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• Where did humans first originate?
• How did people first come to America?

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Mesoamerica

• advanced native civilizations of Central America
  Maya, Aztec and Inca.
• This area stretches south from central Mexico to
  northern Honduras.

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Olmec

• Mesoamericas first known civilization builders!!
• Rise Used rivers and flood plain to build
  cities.
• Fall Unsure, Outside invaders may have caused
  destruction Olmec may have destroyed own
  monuments upon the death of their rulers

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Location

• They established themselves in Southern Mexico

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Art

• Lots of humongous (huge) sculpted heads 5ft tall,
  8 tons! May have represented particular Olmec
  rulers

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Religion

• Polytheistic
• Jaguar Important
• Animists

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Contributions

• The Mother Culture
• Jaguar
• Ballcourt Game ceremonial Centers
• Abundant deposits of salt and tar, as well as
  fine clay for pottery
• Also wood and rubber from the rain forest.

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Maya

• Rise 200 BCE Due to Extensive Trade, Farming
  Techniques
• Fall Frequent warfare between kingdoms disrupted
  trade, invaders from the north
• Population growth creates need for more land

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Location

• Guatemala, Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)

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Economy

• Trade Food, Feathers, flint, salt
• Farming Terrace farming, slash burn, raised
  beds in swamps.enabled production of corn,
  beans, squash

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Government

• City states with God-Kings
• Religion
• Polythestic- Animistic

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Religion Continued

• Chichen-Itza. sacred Mayan religious center. It
  means at the mouth of the well of the Itza

Gods fed on and survived on human blood human
sacrifice.
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Arts/Architecture other Contributions

• Pyramids 4 sided temples
• Tallest structures in MesoAmerica until 1920
• Hieroglyph writing system
• One of only five original writing systems
  invented.
• Maya math used zero. form of decimal system

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• Great astronomers - predict eclipses of sun and
  moon. Believed the earth moved through cycles of
  birth and destruction.
• Best-documented calendars of their time. 365 days
• December 21st, 2012 Mayan Day of Doom The end
  of this cycle according to the Maya.