Mesoamerican
Civilization
Agenda
Bell Ringer: What is a major technological
achievement of Classical Civilization?
Mesoamerican Civilization
The Bridge of Technology?
Exploration and the Aztecs Video
Comparative Essay Outline
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.
Rome and Han
Review Guide Unit 1 Test
6.
1.
The Vote, Tuesday or Thursday
How did they get here?
 Ancestors travelled
across the Bering Land
Bridge 15,000 BCE.
 Inhabited Incan empire
around 11,000 BCE.
Mayan
 Located on the Yucatan
Peninsula.
 Majority were farmers,
but a noble class
develops owning land.
 Religion is polytheistic.

Human sacrifice is
practiced
(decapitation)
 “Ball Court”- religious
significance, losers
were sacrificed.
Mayan Culture
 Mayan Calendar (yeah,
that one)



Hieroglyphs used on
calendar.
Astronomy and
Mathematics used.
Language was
deciphered through the
calendar.
 City-State culture,
warfare among
individual areas.
Incan Empire
 Last civilization to keep
ancient traditions prior to
conquistadors.
 Empire divided into four
quarters
 Quipu was the records
keeping system, utilizing a
series of knots to record data
numerically.
 State created through
warfare, ended through
conquest.
Aztec
 Became the dominant




city-state through
warfare.
Aztec ruler claimed to
descend from the gods.
Council of Lords
assisted the King.
Remainder of society
were commoners
Class system strict. No
movement.
Aztec Culture
 Religion was based on
the destruction of the
world.


Human sacrifice to
appease gods, and
prevent destruction.
Hearts ripped out of
their chests.
 Writing System based
on hieroglyphs.
 Most writing was
destroyed by Cortez in
his invasion in 1519 CE.