Name __________________________________
Mesoamerica
Geographic Setting
 The first great American civilization developed in_________________ (also called
Middle America)
 The region includes ______________ and _____________.
Olmecs
 The ________________ Empire, which lasted from 1400BC to 500BC, was the first major
American Civilization.
 It emerged in the tropical forests along the Gulf of ______________.
 Instead of cities, the Olmecs built ceremonial centers made up of _________________
temples and other buildings.
 The Olmecs invented a _____________ and developed a system of ______________
made up of carved inscriptions.
 Greatest advancement was their devotion to _____________and their priests.
 Olmec religion and writing were later copied by later Mesoamerican civilizations.
Mayas
 One major civilization influenced by the Olmecs was the______________, who
flourished between AD 300 to 900.
 During this period, the Mayas developed a complex _________________society.
 They established large ______________in southern Mexico and Central America.
Farming and Trade
 _______________made up most of the Mayan population.
 Men cultivated the crops, which included;_______, ____________, and _____________.
 ______________were in charge of turning these crops into food.
 Farmers paid____________, in the form of food, to support the cities and their temples.
 The Mayas benefited from profitable ______________.
 Goods traded include; honey, cocoa, and feathers
Religion
 Because of the importance of religion in Mayan civilization, ____________were held in
high regard.
 These religious leaders were held in such high regard because they were responsible for
conducting elaborate_______________.
 These rituals were thought to bring to bring about bountiful harvests and victories
in_______________.
 The importance of religion to the Mayas may be judged from their size of
their______________.
 _________________climbed these tall structures while the common people watched
from ground level.
Social Structure
 Mayan civilization featured a distinct social_____________________.
 Each Mayan city-state had its ruling________________.
 Below the chiefs were the________________, who served as city leaders and military
generals.
 Although those in the ruling class were usually men, ________________could gain
power as well.
 The majority of the Mayan population were___________________.
Contributions
 Architecture
 In their cities, Mayas built giant _______________temples and large palaces.
 Elaborate cave paintings and carvings on walls depicted events from Mayan
history.
 Agriculture
 Despite the tropical environment, the Mayas grew enough _________to support
large populations.
 Farmers made this possible by clearing out the dense rain forests and then
building __________________that were capable of holding and draining_______.
 Learning and Science
 Mayas were known for their advanced_____________.
 Developed a______________________ (picture) system of writing and recorded
much of their history in ____________made of bark.
 Mayan priests developed a very accurate 365- day _________________.
 They also used numbering systems and understood the
_________________before Europeans did.
Aztecs
 In the late 1200’s, a nomadic group migrated from the north into the valley of Mexico.
 They settled in an area known as____________________, which later became their
capital.
 In the 1400’s the ___________________used_______________ conquests and alliances
to grow their empire.
 Their capital became a magnificent city with________________, palaces, gardens and
zoos.
Aztec Expansion
 After the founding of______________________, the Aztecs began to form alliances with
neighboring cities.
 This act caused the Aztec Empire to_____________.
 Through a series of___________________, the Aztecs became the leading power in
Central America.
 Aztecs forced conquered nations to pay______________, or money to the empire.
 This resulted in the Aztec Empire becoming_____________.
Social Hierarchy
 Unlike the Mayas, the Aztecs were ruled by an ______________.
 Below the ruler, were the _____________ and priests.
 ________________came next and were highly respected in Aztec civilization.
 ________________comprised the rest of the middle class.
 Most of the people in the empire were ________________
 ___________ made up the lowest class in Aztec civilization (more rights than usual).
Religion
 _________________was vital to the Aztecs
 Priests in Aztec civilization were known for conducting complex ____________and
_______________to appease the_______________.
 Aztec civilization believed these sacrifices (human) would prevent ______________from
occurring.
 These sacrifices took place at the huge __________________built in the center of
Tenochtitlan to honor their chief god, the __________ god.
 The Aztecs usually sacrificed ____________soldiers who were captured in battle.
Contributions
 Learning and Science
 Aztec priests devised an accurate _______________
 They established _______________and recorded historical events.
 Aztec medical practices were advanced enough that practitioners could set
broken bones and treat dental________________.
 Architectural and Engineering
 Capital at Tenochtitlan was one of the grandest cities in Mesoamerica.
 Started as two ______________in the middle of Lake_________________.
 Engineers built wide stone ________________to connect Tenochtitlan to the
mainland.
 Architects built________________, palaces, and pyramids
 Farming
 The Aztecs are remembered in history on how they adapted to their environment
to ________________.
 The used a variety of fertilizers and converted ________________areas into
productive farmland.
 They built ________________, or “____________________”, made up of earth
piled on reed mats that were anchored to the shallow bed of Lake Texcoco.
 On these floating gardens, Aztecs grew___________, squash, and beans.
 Aztecs were able to grow a ________________of food
Incas
 In the 1400s, the Incas emerged from the _______________Mountains.
 The Andes Mountains is a large mountain chain running along the__________ coast
of______________________.
 The Incas are known for_____________________ to their environment in order to
survive.
Centralized Government
 Like the Aztecs, the Incas were ruled by an_________________.
 The emperor held absolute power and also was the leader of many
________________conquests to attain more land.
 The emperor also was the chief religious leader and clamed divine status as the son of
the____________.
 The emperor headed a strong _____________government from the mountain capital of
_____________.
 Nobles and governors ran the smaller provinces surrounding the capital by collecting
taxes and enforcing laws, and then were responsible for reporting back to
the____________.
An Empire Linked by Roads
 The emperor could have imposed his centralized rule over such an area without a
remarkable system of__________.
 Runners used the roads to carry ______________ and citizens/___________ could
easily travel throughout the empire.
 _____________, _______________, and ____________ also helped encourage trading
and commerce throughout the empire.
Incan Religion
 Incan __________________affected all parts of daily life.
 The people worshiped _______________gods related to the forces of ______________
 The chief deity of the Incas was the _________________god.
 A powerful class of priests conducted rituals and led monthly religious festivals that
featured ________________and__________________.
Contributions
 Engineering and Architecture
 The Incan system of _________stretched 12,000 miles, included hundreds of
bridges, and even used _______________ and steps to pass through mountainous
terrain.
 The capital city of Cuzco was home to the massive temple dedicated to the
_______God- Temple of the Sun
 The temple walls were lined with___________ and could even
withstand___________________.
 Farming
 Like the Aztecs, the Incas were remembered on how they adapted to their
environment in order to_______________.
 The Incas lived in the __________Mountains where they utilized a form of
agriculture called______________.
 Farmers used stone walls to improve upon these terraces which helped hold the
land in______________.
 The hills were extremely_____________, so the terraces would prevented the
rain from washing away the___________.
 Terraces made farming possible in places where ___________land was scarce.
 Communication
 Incan government kept accurate records by means of a system of knotted,
colored strings called_____________.
 Historians believed that quipus may have been used to record dates, events,
crops statistics, and population.
 Science
 Incas had a calendar but not as advanced as the Mayas.
 The Incas excelled in medicine by performing successful _____________and had
great knowledge of medicine and diseases.