Ancient Cultures of Central and
South America:
The Maya, Aztec, and Inca
Mayan Map
The Mayans
• The culture's beginnings have been traced
back to 1500 BC.
• The Height of Mayan civilization was
between 600 and 900 AD.
Mayan Government
• Priests were also rulers in the Mayan
Government.
• Why would it be significant that Priests
were also rulers….
1)Positives
2) Negatives
Mayan Society
• Complex class structure
• Upper class included kings, priests,
warriors, and merchants
• Lower class included most of the Maya
• Farmers had to give crops to ruler and
serve in the army
• Slaves held the lowest position in society
• Slaves included orphans, slaves’ children,
and people who owed money
Mayan Writing
• devised of a complex
style of hieroglyphic
writing that has yet to
be fully deciphered.
• Maya words are
formed from various
combinations of
nearly 800 signs.
Maya Technology
• The Maya, for example,
were so advanced in
mathematics and
astronomy that their
calendar was the world's
most accurate until this
century. They could also
predict solar and lunar
eclipses.
• The Maya calendar was
adopted by the other
Mesoamerican nations,
such as the Aztecs and
the Toltec.
The pyramid was used as a calendar:
four stairways, each with 91 steps and a
platform at the top, making a total of 365,
equivalent to the number of days in a
calendar year.
Agriculture
• The basis of the culture was farming,
which included not only the cultivation of
maize, beans, squash, and chili peppers,
but also "cash crops" of cotton and cacao.
Mayan Economy
• The Maya participated in long distance trade with many
of the Mesoamerican cultures, including Teotihuacan,
the Zapotec, and other groups in central and gulf-coast
México, the Caribbean islands and down up to
Colombia, as well as inter-site commerce.
• Maya farmers transported their cocoa beans to market
by canoe or in large baskets strapped to their backs,
Wealthy merchants traveled further, employing porters,
as there were no horses, pack animals or wheeled carts
in Central America at that time (They are introduced with
the Columbian Exchange).
• Merchants and those surrounding trade become a
middle class.
Religion
• The most revered deities (Gods) were
Itzamna and Ix Chel, father and mother of
all other gods, and the rain god Chac.
Kukulcan was the Mayan name for the
feathered serpent, god of the ruling caste.
Downfall
• Insufficient food supply, earthquakes,
pestilence, invasion by outsiders, internal
rebellion or a combination of these factors
have all been suggested as possible
causes for the fall of the Mayan eminence.
What appears certain is that by 900 AD
the Maya's numerous ceremonial centers
had been abandoned.
Mayan Warfare
• Mayan cities usually battled each other to
gain power
• Warfare very bloody
• Fought hand-to-hand using spears, flint
knives, and wooden clubs
• Often killed enemy prisoners
• Burned enemy towns and villages
• Warfare may have led to the destruction of
the Mayan civilization
Aztec map
Aztec
• Prior to the 15th century, the Aztecs were
a marginal tribe living on the edge of Lake
Texcoco, the site of present day Mexico
City
• Leading a highly codified government was
an all-powerful emperor who exacted
taxes from the conquered and distributed
land to his people, especially the warriors.
Aztec Society
•
•
•
•
•
People divided into social classes
Kings and nobles the most important
Priests and warriors below kings
Merchants and artisans next
Farmers and slaves the lowest
Aztec Government
• Although the Aztecs had established laws
and a emperor, they were not a
conventional empire, because they
allowed conquered people to maintain a
level of independence. They just needed
to pay their taxes (Tribute) to the Aztecs.
Tenochtitlan
• By 1473, after subjugating neighboring
tribes, they ruled the largest empire
Mexico had ever seen. Their capital of
Tenochtitlan, set in the lake, was a
picturesque city of pyramids, mile-long
floating roads, aqueducts, animated
marketplaces, and one hundred thousand
residents.
Tenochtitlan
Economy
Use Of Money In Aztec Economy
The Aztecs were definitely an advanced people since they knew
about the value of money. Several kinds of money were used by the
Aztecs and the cacao bean was one of the regular money used by
the Aztecs. For example, a small rabbit would cost a person around
thirty cacao beans
There are many other markets in Tenochtitlan but the one called
Tlatelco (which is the main marketplace for the Aztec people) was
where almost everyone went because of the large selection. Many
farmers, merchants, potters and so on came to this market to sell
their produce or their products.
Aztec Calendar
-The Aztecs used a Calendar similar to
The Mayans. It had a 365 day a year
Calendar.
-In the mythology of the Aztecs, the
first age of mankind ended with the
animals devouring humans. The
second age was finished by wind, the
third by fire, and the fourth by water.
The present fifth epoch is called
Nahui-Olin (Sun of Earthquake), which
began in 3113 BC and will end on
December 24, 2011. It will be the last
destruction of human existence on Earth.
Aztec Writing
• The Aztec Language
was based on
symbols representing
writing.
• They would combine
symbols to create
sentences.
Aztec Achievements
• Built floating
gardens called
chinampas
• Studied astronomy
and created a
calendar
• Built bridges and
canals
• Had a complex
writing system
Mythology
• According to an Aztec
myth, the white-faced
Quetzacuatl was their
most important god.
• He is the god of
intelligence and the
god of creation.
Cortez
• Spanish explorer Hernan
Cortez arrived in Mexico in
1519
• Aztec emperor Moctezuma II
thought Cortez was a god
• Cortez took the emperor
prisoner
• The Aztecs became angry and
drove the Spanish out
• Cortez came back in 1521 and
conquered the Aztecs
Inca Map
Inca
• Between 1200 and 1535 AD, the Inca
population lived in the part of South
America extending from the Equator to the
Pacific coast of Chile.
Incan Government
• The Inca society was arranged by a strict hierarchical
structure.
• The Highest Level the Sapa, high priest or ruler, and the
army commander at the top.
• The temple priests, architects and regional army
commanders were next.
• The two lowest classes consisted of artisans, army
captains, farmers, and herders.
• Farmers provided most of the food for the rest of the
population. They had to pay tax in the form of gold,
which were distributed to the higher classes.
Inca Economy
• The main resources available to the Inca Empire were agricultural
land and labor, mines (producing precious and prestigious metals
such as gold, silver or copper), and fresh water, abundant
everywhere except along the desert coast. With careful manipulation
of these resources, the Incas managed to keep things moving the
way they wanted. Tribute in the form of service (mita) played a
crucial role in maintaining the empire and pressurizing its subjects
into ambitious building and irrigation projects.
Inca Agriculture
• The Inca developed drainage systems and
canals to expand their crop resources. Potatoes,
tomatoes, cotton, peanuts and coca were among
the many crops grown by the Inca.
• Llama were used for meat and transportation.
There was more than enough resources
available for everyone. Increased subsistence
levels led to a growth in the Inca population.
Inca Technology
• The Incas had an incredible system of roads.
One road ran almost the entire length of the
South American Pacific coast.
• Since the Incas lived in the Andes Mountains,
the roads took great engineering and
architectural skill to build.
• On the coast, the roads were not surfaced.
• The Incas paved their highland roads with flat
stones and built stone walls to prevent travelers
from falling off cliffs.