Chapter 7 - The Americas
Section 2: Mesoamerica
Aztec and Mayan Empires
Section 2: Mesoamerica
Main Idea
Civilizations in Mesoamerica were some of the
earliest and most advanced in the Americas.
Objectives
• What were the first civilizations in Mesoamerica
like?
• What were some characteristics of Maya
civilization?
• What made the Aztec empire one of the
strongest in the ancient Americas?
I. The First Civilizations
Mesoamerica - first farming settlements in the
Americas
A. The Olmec
1200 BC - AD 300; built first large towns pyramids, courtyards, giant stone heads
The Olmec carved giant heads from basalt that came
from 50 miles away
A. The Olmec
Olmec rulers, priests, and their families lived in
towns. Lower classes lived outside town and
supported them
La Venta was the largest Olmec town from 900s BC & 400s BC
A. The Olmec
Rulers led ceremonies showing their
relationship to the gods; controlled trade from
Gulf of Mexico to Pacific coast
Artist’s conception of the Olmec city of La Venta
A. The Olmec
Knowledge, beliefs, art styles spread through
trade and influenced later civilizations –
calendar, writing, ball game
Ceramic sculpture from a
tomb showing the popular
Mesoamerican ballgame
One of the ballcourts at Xochicalco. Note the characteristic -shape, as
well as the ring set above the apron at center court. The setting sun of
the equinox shines through the ring.
B. The Zapotec
1500 BC to AD 750 - began as farmers in
southern Mexico; 500 BC - built capital city of
Monte Albán
B. The Zapotec
City of Monte Albán showed Olmec influence main plaza with pyramids, temples, ball court
B. The Zapotec
Cities abandoned when leaders lost support of
their people
C. The Toltec
AD 900 to 1200 - highlands of central Mexico;
militaristic society - warriors dominated region
C. The Toltec
Built pyramid-shaped temples and spread the
worship of their god, Quetzalcoatl
Tula, capital city of the Toltec
Pot used by the ancient Maya for drinking cacao
II. The Maya
1000 BC - Advanced people; occupied
Yucatán peninsula – 10 million people in 40
cities
A. Early Maya Civilization
AD 250 to 900 - Mayan Classic Age, city-states
with own ruler and government
The Great Plaza (center) and North Acropolis (top) at Tikal
A. Early Maya Civilization
Worshipped many gods; performed rituals –
blood offerings and occasional human sacrifice
The shaman is about to perform a
cha-chac ceremony: a petition to the
god, Chac, to send rain
B. Achievements
Many advancements in:
• architecture
• math - concept of zero
• astronomy – calendars: 365-day farming,
260-day religious
Maya Calendar, called the Sunstone
B. Achievements
Writing system – glyphs represent objects and
sounds; wrote in stone and bark-paper book
called a codex
C. Decline
Several factors:
• environmental
• warfare
• abuse of power
End of the Mayans
III. The Aztecs
Early Aztecs - separate farming tribes from
northwestern Mexico
Chinampas - "square made of canes" in Lake Texcoco
A. Rise of the Empire
AD 1100s – migrated to Valley of Mexico, settled
when they saw an eagle on a cactus eating a
snake
A. Rise of the Empire
Saw eagle and snake on a swampy island in
Lake Texcoco; founded city of Tenochtitlán
A. Rise of the Empire
Formed alliance with nearby cities; gained
control over huge region beyond Lake Texcoco
A. Rise of the Empire
Aztecs were fierce warriors; conquered 400 to
500 city states; required people to pay tribute
TYPICAL AZTEC WARRIOR AND WEAPONS
A. Rise of the Empire
Tenochtitlan was the capital city; had temples,
markets, palaces and 200,000 people
B. Society and Religion
Society organized with king at the top, then
priests, warriors, merchants, farmers, and slaves
Aztec Tribute List
B. Society and Religion
Believed gods needed blood; sacrificed
prisoners and slaves to “feed” their sun god
B. Society and Religion
Late 1400s - Declined due to unrest among
conquered peoples; defeated by Spanish in
1521
Hernan Cortes and Malinche meet Aztec emperor Moctezuma II