LATIN AMERICA: Early Civilizations
Chapt 10, Sect 1
1. What were the chief cultural characteristics and accomplishments of the Mayan
civilization?
Mayan characteristics: Southern Mexico and Central America; 300s-900s AD
Mayan accomplishments: built great cities; created an accurate calendar; developed
hieroglyphics for writing; developed the concept of zero
2. What were the chief cultural characteristics and accomplishments of the Aztec
civilization?
Aztec characteristics: Mexico’s Central Plateau (Valley of Mexico); 1100s-1500s AD
Aztec accomplishments: built great cities; developed more than 1000 medicines
from plants; collected taxes from those they conquered; created classes of citizens
3. What were the chief cultural characteristics and accomplishments of the Incan
civilization?
Incan characteristics: Along the western coast of South America, from Ecuador to
Chile; 1200s-1500s AD
Incan accomplishments: built great cities; built aqueducts to carry water to fields;
created terraced lands to increase farming area; created more than 19,000 miles of
roads; had a strong central government.
maize
corn
hieroglyphics
system of writing using signs and symbols
aqueduct
pipe or channel designed to carry water from a distant source
Copan
Mayan city in present-day Honduras
Valley of Mexico
between the Sierra Madres Mountains, this area was inhabited by the Aztecs
Tenochtitlan
central city of the Aztec empire at the site of present-day Mexico City
Cuzco
Incan capital in present-day Peru
Nuggets:
 Pok -tok was an ancient Mayan game, in which players tried to get a ball down the
court and through the hoop (as high as 20’ up the wall) without using their hands or
feet – just their head, shoulders, elbows, hips, etc.
 Mayan thrived in Central America from 300-900 AD.
 Mayans built great cities that were also religious centers. Large, pyramid-shaped
temples stood in the center of the cities.
 Maize (corn) was the most important Mayan crop. Farmers also grew beans, squash,
peppers, and avocados.
LATIN AMERICA: Early Civilizations
Chapt 10, Sect 1
Mayan
Calendar
Zero
Hieroglyphics
Aztec
1000+ medicines
Classes of People
Taxes
Some in Southern
Mexico
Built Great Cities
19,000 Miles of Roads
Aqueducts
Terraced Fields
Incan
Conquered by
Spanish
Nuggets (continued)
 Mayan priests studied the stars and planets and created an accurate calendar to
decide when to hold religious ceremonies and when farmers should plant/harvest
crops.
 Mayans created hieroglyphics (writing system) and the concept of zero (a
placeholder)
 About 900 AD Mayans abandoned their cities, but no one knows why. Millions still
live in southern Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
 Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico (central plateau area) about 1100 AD.
 Tenochtitlan, present-day Mexico City, was built in 1325.
 In 1400s, Aztec warriors conquered other people in the region and forced those
they conquered to pay taxes.
 Aztecs created classes of people: rulers; nobles and priests; warriors and traders;
craftsmen; and farmers.
 Aztecs created more than 1000 medicines from plants.
 Aztec priests (astronomers) predicted eclipses and movement of planets.
 About 1200 AD Incas settled in Cuzco, a village in the Andes that grew to be the
capitol of the Inca empire.
 Incas planted maize and other crops.
 Incan empire was more than 2500 in length and had more than 12,000,000 people
 Quechua, the Incan language, is still spoken by many in present-day Peru, Eucador,
Bolivia, Chile, and Columbia.
 Incas were farmers, builders, and managers. They built: great cities; more than
19,000 miles of roads; aqueducts to water their fields; and terraced land for
farming.
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SUMMARY: The Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas had developed unique civilizations in Latin America before
Europeans arrived.