MAYA, AZTEC, INCA
CIVILIZATIONS
THE MAYANS
• Civilization begins
around 2000 BCE, but
Classical Period of
civilization is 250 – 900
CE
• Located in the Yucatan
peninsula in Mexico
• Covered highlands in
the mountains, lowlands
that were covered in
thick jungle
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE MAYANS
• Cities – archaeologists
have found over 50
• Government broken up
into independent citystates
• Alliances, trade, and wars
between these
• Government of all citystates centered around
religion – a theocracy
• Built large stone pyramids
in cities
• Cities also had ball courts
for games
ADVANCES BY THE MAYANS
• Math – math system that included zero
• Own number system similar to Egyptian
• Calendars – used to time agricultural season
properly
• One calendar for religion, one based on the sun
• Writing system – most advanced in Western
hemisphere at the time
COLLAPSE OF THE MAYANS
• Mysterious – no one really knows why civilization
collapsed
• Cities emptied out in the late 800s
• Possibilities include war, overfarming, population
growth, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47kRdCLALgo –
Mayan calendar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA8Bjzj-aLs –
human sacrifice
AZTECS
• Begins around 1200 CE
• In Mexico, as well –
northwest of Mayans
• Extremely hot and dry
• Lots of valuable resources
and fertile soil
• Obsidian – volcanic glass
that was valuable in trade
• Extremely religious – a
theocracy
• Worshipped gods like
Quetzacoatl (serpent god)
or sun gods
• Religion dictated everyday
life – everything centered
around it
CONQUERORS
• Aztecs were an empire
– looking to expand
• Forced conquered
people to pay tribute
(taxes)
• Slaughtered villages
when they failed
• Many conquered
people were used in
human sacrifices
CITY BUILDERS
• Aztecs built cities in
what they felt were
important religious sites
• Most famous was
Tenochtitlan
• Population between
200,000 and 400,000
• Built on an island – very
advanced bridges built to
get to island
• City was completely
planned out
FALL OF THE AZTECS
• 1502 – many tribute states
revolted – tired of huge
taxes, human sacrifices
• Leader at the time was
Montezuma II – tried
easing the taxes, but not
enough
• Eventually, Spanish
conquerors arrive in
search of God, glory, and
gold – wipe out Aztecs
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nS6MpVbB_g
- Tenochtitlan
INCAN CIVILIZATION
• Begins around 1200 in
Andes Mountains in
western South America
• Believed their ruler was
a descendant of their
sun god
INCA EMPIRE
• Empire stretches for
2,500 miles over Andes
Mountain range – one
of biggest mountain
ranges in the world
• Government had
complete control over
people
• Complete control over
economy – distributed
goods to people
• Very little trade – positives
and negatives of this?
CITIES
• Cities built high up in
mountains
• Carefully planned,
connected by roads
• Famous cities include
Cuzco, their capital,
and Machu Picchu
• Cities were carefully
planned
MACHU PICCHU
• Famous city that was rediscovered in early
1900s
• Built high up in the
Andes – a resort town for
high class members of
society
• Carefully planned
• Many of the ruins have
been reconstructed
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=P2YBVlgqqco
WHY DO THEY DISAPPEAR?
• Disease – smallpox
wipes out large part of
civilization
• Civil war – weakens
entire empire
• As civil wars are going
on, Spanish arrive, finish
off civilization