Early Civilizations of Middle
America*, Unit 2 Review
Mayan Empire
Incan Empire
Aztec Empire
*Middle America – a term used to mean Mexico and the 7 countries of Central America,
(Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and El Salvador)
The Incas:
People of the
Sun!
During the reign of Topa Inca,
the Incan Empire grew to over
2,500 miles with 12 million
people under his rule, making
it the largest of the 3 empires
we have studies.
During the reign of Topa Inca, the Incan Empire traveled
south, from Ecuador to Argentina, along the coast of the
Pacific Ocean.
Aqueduct
A combination of bridges and
tunnels, using stone pipes which
would bring water from rivers to
people a few hundred miles away.
The Inca built great aqueducts (bridges and
tunnels to transport water) in order to bring
water into their villages from the
mountaintops.
A Census is an official count of all
people living in an area. Quipas was a
knotted string used by the Incas as a
method of keeping records
_____
3,643
Census
Official count or total
number of people in
an area.
Taxes were paid in food. The leader and nobles
were given theirs, and then it was dispersed to
the poor, sick and elderly.
The Inca kept excellent census records (population
count and collecting taxes) with their quipus.
The Inca were master of
stone. They did not have
metal tools yet cut and
interlocked stone so tight
a piece of paper could
not fit through any two
stones. And they were
heavy. They did not have
wheels or horses. Lastly,
their buildings were
earthquake proof!
Along the 2,500 miles of
South American coast, most
of it through the Andes
Mountains, the Incans made
over 14,000 miles of roads
and bridges – an incredible
feat!
-the roads allowed for quick travel of the
Incan army
-the roads allowed a series of runners who
were messengers to travel 250 miles a day
with news of the empire
-the roads allowed for safe travel of trade
caravans
-the roads allowed for taking census and
collecting taxes for the government
Civil War
A war fought between two groups within the
same nation/civilization
The Inca were fighting a civil war (a war within a
nation) in the 1520s, which allowed the Spanish to
easily defeat them.
-They had the largest empire along the Andes coast of South America
-They built over 14,000 miles of roads and bridges
-They built earthquake proof buildings without using metal tools or
cement/concrete
-They built aqueducts which brought water hundreds of miles to dry land
-They kept careful, organized records by taking an annual census and
thus taxing appropriately
-Their government helped the elderly, sick and poor from the collected
taxes. It organized which villagers would work on roads, buildings, and
bridges
-They used quipus to keep records mathematically
-They used runners who kept the empire informed daily running over
250 miles, from town to town
However, they did not have a written language or money as we know either.
Introduction to the Aztec Empire
Main Idea: The
Aztec built their
empire in
Mexico during
the 1400s, with
their capital in
Tenochtitlan.
Its importance is the Aztec transformed a lake into
their capital city and ruled a huge empire.
Conqueror, defeater
A wave of Spanish conquistadors (conquerors) in the
early 1500s disrupted and destroyed many nations
native to the Americas.
The Aztec Civilization
began in the Valley of
Mexico. They settled on
an island in Lake Texcoco,
in 1325. It took time to
develop, but lasted
through the early 1500s.
The Aztec people
were able to change
a swampy lake into a
great city, which was
called Tenochtitlan
which was its capitol
city.
The floating island Tenochtitlan
and the Aztecs are remembered
for great farming.
The illustration
above shows an
Aztec farmer
sowing the
seeds.
The illustration
below shows an
Aztec farmer
reaping what he
sows.
Anchored to a lake, Tenochtitlan had an
endless supply of water.
Farming
Main Idea: Most Aztec were farmers, and
they built floating gardens (chinampas).
 Then
And
Now 
Its importance is even if there’s no rain, the crops still have
water. There will have water to drink and food to eat.
Alliances
Agreement in which people cooperate for a
common reason
Some nations or people form alliances in which
they have an agreement or truce to look out for and
protect each other.
In the case of the Aztec neighboring tribes, they formed alliances with the Spanish to defeat the
Aztec nation. The Aztec were not kind to their neighbors forcing many into slavery or human
sacrifice.
Moctezuma was the leader of the Aztec Empire
when the Spanish arrived in the New World. He
demanded much from his people. He also made
enemies with tribes near the Aztec Empire,
meaning very little peace with neighboring
tribes...
When Cortes arrived in Mexico, he found
many of the Aztecs were willing to assist
him overtake Moctezuma. The Spanish and
Aztec enemies formed alliances.
By 1521,
the Aztec
people
were
defeated by
Cortes
Exploit
To take advantage of someone
Hernan Cortez exploited (took advantage of) the
natives that helped his own needs of waging war
against the Aztec. Afterwards, he enslaved them.
Aztec doctors were able to
make over a thousand types of
medicine from using plants.
However,
they could
not
develop…
Immunity
Resistance to diseases
It’s too bad the Native Americans did not have
immunity (defenses) to European diseases; it would
have made for a much fairer fight.
It only took 15 years for the Spanish to
defeat 2 powerful empires in America
(Aztec and Incan Empires).
The Spanish brought disease to America, which
the Native Americans had never experienced,
nor the immunity to protect them.
Empire
Different groups of people ruled by
one leader or government
Much like ancient Rome, the Aztec built an empire
(expanding nation) in which they conquered other Natives
Americans and took their land and resources.
The Aztecs are remembered for
developing hieroglyphics, accurate
calendars, medicine, designing jewelry,
fine crafts and predicting eclipses.
-They built a magnificent city on a lake
-They were master farmers creating chinampas, floating gardens
-They used artificial irrigation for their farming
-They used a written language, hieroglyphics
-They used a daily calendar based on the Mayan calendar
-Their scientists were able to predict eclipses and movement of the
planets
-Their city of Tenochtitlan was like NYC of today with its culture, zoos,
museums, temples, wide streets and busy markets selling food jewelry
made of silver and gold
-Their fierce army protected merchants as they traveled through the
empire creating an economy
-Their doctors made over 1,000 medicines from plants and herbs
However, they were brutal, often enslaving their enemies or using them for human sacrifice
The Aztec and Mayan form of writing
was known as hieroglyphics.
This is a form of graphic writing,
using signs and symbols instead of
letters, as we do.
The Mayan Civilization
lasted from A.D. 250 – 900.
The Mayan Empire
was the earliest of
the three empires
and was located in
Central America and
Mexico.
The Mayan Empire
lasted the longest
of the three
empires.
The Mayans are
remembered for
being astronomers
and developing an
accurate calendar.
They had an
alphabet. They,
built pyramids and
temples. They
introduced the
value of zero, in
math.
-Their empire was first and lasted the longest, more than twice as long
as the other two empires we studied
-They built great cities which were religious, economic and cultural
centers of the day
-They were great scientists studying the planets and stars, creating two
calendars, one was a daily calendar and one for their
celebrations/holidays
-They were great mathematicians, being one of the first to include the
value and having a symbol for zero
-They built great pyramids and temples
-They had their own written language, hieroglyphics
The Fall of the Mayan Empire
One theory about the fall of the Mayans has them relying heavily on their king.
As time went on, things started to go wrong.
There was crop failure from drought and soil erosion.
The people turned to their king to save the day.
The king would respond with more human sacrifice.
These sacrifices did nothing but deplete the population and cause frustration among the people.
In turn, the people lost faith in the king.
Eventually, the people abandoned, left the cities to live on their own.
Thank you
To review the histories of
For taking time
The Aztec, Incan and Mayan Empires