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C IVILIZATION S : M ESOAMERICA (M AYANS , A ZTECS , I NCANS )
M A Y A ( P . 395-399)
Geography
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Location/region
Physical features
Environment
Movement
Neighbors
Religion
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Holy books
Beliefs, teachings
Deities
Sin/salvation
Conversion
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Achievements
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Arts/music
Literature
Philosophy
Math/science
Conquests
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A Z T E C ( P . 400-406)
From southern Mexico into northern
Central America
Includes the Yucatan Peninsula
Jungle, forest, mountain landscape
Cities: Tikal, Chichen Itza
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Polytheistic
Gods associated with nature (EX: god
of corn, death, rain, etc.)
Gods associated with 4 cardinal
directions
Worshiped gods via offerings of food,
flowers, etc.
Believed in the power of
human/blood sacrifice (at times) but
did not use sacrifice a lot
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Giant, elaborate pyramids, palaces,
temples
Stone carving dedicated to rulers and the
gods
Constructed ball courts (game had
religious, political sig.)
Created calendar
Developments in math, science,
astronomy
Base 20 number system
Writing system = glyphs
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I N C A ( P . 407-411)
Located in central Mexico (“Valley of
Mexico”)
Situated around lakes in valley =
access to fertile soil
Major city: Tenochtitlan
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Polytheistic
Major god: Quetzalcoatl
Myth of Quetzalcoatl – that the god
would come back one day 
influences Mayan culture heavily
Involved ritual offerings to the gods
Calendar of ritual religious festivals
Carried out human sacrifice on a
massive scale
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Elaborate temples, pyramids,
monuments to leaders/gods
Developed planned cities
Raised roadways
Chinampas
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In South America (mod-day Peru);
expanded to include 2500 miles
Centered in mountainous region in
the “Valley of Kuzco”
Polytheistic (fewer gods than Aztecs
and Mayans)
Gods represented different parts of
nature
Worship the sun = worship the king
(King is descended from the sun god)
Had religious ceremonies, sacrifices
Extensive road system developed to
connect vast empire
Founded schools
Elaborate temples, pyramids, and
monuments to gods/leaders
Engineers and stonemasons – but had no
iron and did not use the wheel
Built irrigation canals and agricultural
fields; created a calendar (day/night)
Developed a way to freeze-dry goods
Created accounting device (quipu) to
record numerical data
MAYA
Political
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Leaders, elites
Gov’t structure
War
Diplomacy,
treaties
 Courts, laws
Economic
 Type of system
 Technology,
industry
 Trade, commerce
 Capital/money
 Types of
businesses
Social
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Family
Women’s rights
Social classes
Inequalities
Daily life
What
happened to
them?
Series of independent city-states
each ruled by a god-king
City-states connected by alliances
Theocracy
Kinghood = hereditary
AZTEC
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Started out as city-states during
Olmec, Toltec period, developed into
empire when Aztecs officially took
over
Took over city-states as they formed
the Aztec Empire
Formed the Triple Alliance
Demanded tribute from city-states,
people that were conquered
INCA
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Agricultural and trade-based
economy
Grew beans, maize, squash
Traded salt, flint, feathers, shells,
and honey
Economic alliances (trade) between
city-states strengthened the bonds
between Mayan cities
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Social classes existed (not
egalitarian)
1. King 2. Nobles 3. Merchants,
specialized workers 4. Peasants
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1. Emperor
2. Military leaders/nobles/priests
3. Commoners
4. Slaves
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Disappeared
B/c of Overuse of physical, natural
resources
Frequent warfare
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Soil depletion, overpopulation
Problems of Montezuma’s death
More and more tribute demanded =
increased the # of uprisings against Aztec
Empire
Arrival of the Spanish
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Trade was important to Aztec econ.
Traded obsidian, precious metals,
etc.
Had incredibly large market areas in
cities to help trade
Also grew some crops as well (grown
on chinampas or floating plots of
land in the lakes
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Empire, not city-states
Organized into bureaucracy
Theocracy (Incan leader had to be
descended from the sun god)
Worshipped dead rulers by
preserving their bodies (mummies)
Used force and conquest to create
strong Incan empire
Demanded tribute (mita) from the
people they conquered
Capital at Kuzco
Efficient economic system (trade and
agriculture-based)
Used complex road system to
facilitate trade
Used system of runners (think Pony
Express) to deliver messages and
trade goods
State-controlled economy
Socialist almost in its economy
(everything belonged to the entire
civilization, no private or personal
trade)
Used clothing as a physical marker of
social class
11 families = noble because they
were descendants of the sun god
Evil omen released by King Capac
King’s son died, civil war broke out
Atahualpa won the civil war, but could not
reunite kingdom
Spanish arrived