Mesoamerica
• Mexico and Central America
• civilized before the Spanish arrived
Olmec (Rise)
• 1200 B.C.
• on the coast south of Veracruz, Mexico
• farmers
• built large cities that were centers of religious
rituals
Olmec (Fall)
• Collapsed around 400 B.C.
• Reason unknown
Maya (Rise)
• A.D. 300 - 900
• Yucatán Peninsula
• City-states form
Mayans (Fall)
• Most Mayan cities were mysteriously
abandoned around AD 800s
• Possible reasons:
– Warfare among city-states
– Disruption of trade and economic hardships
– Over farming and population growth that
resulted in ecological damage which
resulted in food shortages, famine and
disease
Aztec (Rise)
• 1200-1521
• Mexico
• capital = Tenochtitlán
• Aztec power increased by conquering others
Hernan Cortes
• in 1519 a Spanish force under the command of
Hernán Cortés landed at Veracruz
• marched to Tenochtitlán
• Cortés had only 550 soldiers and 16 horses
Aztec (Fall)
• Montezuma gave the Spanish gifts of gold
• Tension between Spanish and the Aztec
• by 1520, the Spanish forces had destroyed the
city of Tenochtitlán
Inca (Rise)
• South America
• 15th century
• Andes Mountains
Francisco Pizzaro
• The first Spanish expeditions arrived in the
central Andes in 1530
• under the command of Francisco Pizarro
• only had a small band of about 180 men
• Armed with steel weapons, gunpowder, and
horses
Inca (Fall)
• experienced a smallpox epidemic that
destroyed villages and killed the emperor
• Armed with stones, arrows, and light spears,
the Inca could not defeat the Spanish
• Pizarro captured the capital Cuzco with the help
of Incan allies
• by 1535 Pizarro had established new capital at
Lima
Mayan Government
City-states led by a king/priest from a hereditary
ruling class
They Mayans had a monarchy (king) and a
theocracy, because the rulers claimed to be
descended from the gods
Aztec Government
Monarchy: Ruled by warrior-king
Independent city-states
Regional rulers paid tribute to the king
Incan Government
Theocracy: they had a Sun/God King
Bureaucracy: the state cared for all people (similar
to a welfare system)
Mayan Economy
Culture relied on agriculture
Staple crop was corn, but they also grew other
crops
Trade networks connected cities together
Aztec Economy
Agriculture and trade
War and plunder (tributes)
Incan Economy
Trade of gold and silver
Agriculture
Empire linked together by massive road network
Mayan Religion
Central to Mayan life.
Worshiped multiple gods
Some human sacrifice-mainly worshiped through
prayer and assorted offerings.
Aztec Religion
Central to Aztec life.
Worshiped multiple gods.
Large scale human sacrifice to the Sun God.
Incan Religion
Ancestor worship with human sacrifice on special
occasions
Mayan Art
Developed a religious calendar based on astronomy
and an advanced writing system. Carved jade, built
pyramids.
Aztec Art
Developed a calendar similar to the Mayans. Built
pyramids. Paintings and pottery were usually
religious or war based in theme.
Incan Art
Worked metal, pottery and cloth