Ancient American Civilizations

ANCIENT AMERICAN
CIVILIZATIONS
A MESOAMERICAN CIVILIZATION
Mesoamerica lies in the southern part

of North America.
Teotihuacn
a large
city in 600
AD
influenced
later
civilization
s such as
Maya &
Aztecs
Teotihuacn
The city included
planned streets
with plazas and
temples.
The largest city in
pre-Columbian
North America
may have had a
population of over
Teotihuacn
The
Pyramid of
the Sun
dominates
the city.
It is just up
the
Avenue of
the Dead
Teotihuacn
By about 700 AD
the city was
mysteriously
abandoned.
It was revered by
the Aztecs.
The Temple of the
Feathered
Quetzelcoatal
Serpent shows a
There is archaeological
evidence of human
sacrifice at the Temple of
Quetzalcoatl.
Teotihuacn
They left behind an
unusual type of
pottery called
orange ware.
Chalchiuhtlicue, goddess
of horizontal waters, like
lakes and rivers.
Teotihuacn
They also left
behind great
monuments,
sculpture,
Tlaloc
He
who makes things
grow.
A
murals,
and
other
god of rain, water, and
agriculture
and probably among
artifacts.
the oldest gods. Benevolent, he
would release floods and
lightning when angered.
Teotihuacan Jade Mask

A.D. 200-650
Teotihuacan sculpture
3rd-7th century
Greenstone; H. 16 1/8 in.
Who were the Maya?

They lived
in what is
today
Guatemal
a and
southern
Mexico
Who were the Maya?

Tikal was a
major city
of about
40,000
inhabitants
.
It
contained
pyramids,
palaces,
Tikal
Who were the Maya?

Chichen
Itza was
another
major
city
Priests
and
leaders
became
powerful
Chichen Itza
The Pyramid of Kukulkn or El Castillo is

79 feet high. Each of the four sides points
to a cardinal point of the compass and has
91 steps, which if you include the platform
at the top, makes 365 - one step for every
day of the year. It has 52 panels on
each side representing the 52 year
cycle of the Maya calendar.
At sunrise during the spring
and autumn equinox a
shadow cast by the
steps of the
pyramid gives the illusion of a snake

undulating down the structure. Chichn
Itz was abandoned suddenly
around 1400 A.D. perhaps
because of internal fighting or
for lack of food. There are
many theories but
nobody knows
for certain.
Who were the Maya?

18 Rabbit
ruled from 695 AD to 738 AD
Copan
a king, a priest, and astronomer
constructed the grandest ball court
was
of his time, and played ball
another
major
city
Meet its
best
known
king
Copan
with an
Chac-mools may have symbolized fallen
warriors who deliver offerings to the gods.
In his hands he holds a large bowl with a flat
surface, on which sacrificial hearts were
placed. With the chac-mool, the heart was
believed sent directly to the gods.
Who were the Maya?

They
developed
a system
for reading
and
writing,
mathemati
cs, and a
Chac-Mool and Serpent Columns at
thecalendar.
Temple of 1000 Warriors at
Chichn Itz
Around
Maya
Fashion Tips
Their
fashion
sense told
them that
flattened
foreheads,
filed teeth,
crossed
eyes,
piercings of
RULER WEARING GIANT MACAW

HEADDRESS.
Polychrome frescoed vase.
Guatemalan Lowlands,
Late Classic Maya, AD 600-900
Maya Religion
They were
polytheistic, which
means
they worshipped
many gods
Religious
ceremonies were
carried out atop
great temples.
Kinich Ahau, which means
the sun eyed lord, was the
god of the sun.
He was associated with the

jaguar, the most powerful
denizen of the Mayan forests.
He was shown as a young

man, full of life and vigor like
the rising sun itself.
Wife of the Sun

God, the Moon Goddess
was the female deity
associated with the
moon. She holds in her
arms a rabbit, a symbol
of fertility, whose profile
can
be seen on the
face of the
moon. She was
worshipped by most
Mesoamericans.
Who were the Aztecs?

Around
1170
another
culture
developed
in the
Valley of
Mexico.
They were
warriors
who

Religion
was very
important.
Teotihuacn
became a
religious
Tenochtitln
center.
They built
their capital
city of
Tenochtitln

The
emperor
and his
family lived
there.
Stone
bridges
known as
causeways
were
constructed
Codex showing the

Aztec emperor
personally awarding
warriors with ritual
dress, and gifts
taken in tribute from
foreign states.

Tenochtitln
had great
gardens,
palaces, and
markets.
Did you know that Aztecs ate

many of the foods you might
eat today in a Mexican
restaurant?
Their crops included corn, which was their principal
crop, other food crops such as beans, squash,
tomatoes, peppers, avocados, chilies, potatoes,
sweet potatoes, peanuts, pineapples, papaya and
grains such as spelt and quinoa.

a few things that you might
not have had before?
Their diet included corn dough which was flattened
into thin pancakes, or tortillas, that they called
tlaxcallis. The tlaxcalli was wrapped around other
foods to seal in the pieces and juices.
Meats eaten by the Aztecs included that from
rabbits, deer, turkey, geese, and wild duck.

a few things that you might
not have had before?
Aztec foods you wont find on the menu in todays
Mexican restaurants included cactus worms, the
eggs of water flies, salamanders, cooked dog
meat, and tadpoles.
Have you ever had this one

cocoa plant
before?
vanilla plant
The Aztecs also drank chocolate, although not as

we drink it today. They liked it unsweetened. They
harvested, fermented, roasted, and ground the
seeds of the cacao plant into a paste.
When mixed with water, chile peppers, cornmeal,
and other ingredients, this paste made a frothy, spicy
chocolate drink.
Xochiquetzal
chocolate
goddess
Have you ever had this one

before?
Scene from the Nuttall Codex where a cup
of foaming chocolate is exchanged at the
marriage in AD 1051 of two Mixtec nobles,
8 Deer and 13 Serpent
It is said that the Aztec emperor Montezuma drank

50 cups of chocolate each day. Montezuma was
served chocolatl in a golden goblet.
Montezuma called it, "The divine drink, which
builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of
this precious drink permits a man to walk for a
whole day without food."
Xochiquetzal
chocolate
goddess
Aztec Warfare
They built
a huge
empire by
conquerin
g other
civilization
s and
forcing
them to
pay
tribute.
SOLDIERS WERE
RANKED BY HOW
MANY CAPTVES
THEY HAD
CAUGHT
GENERAL
JAGUAR AND EAGLE WARRIORS
Aztec Warfare
They
believed
that bravery
in battle
would
please the
gods.
Aztec
Calendar
The calendar
is evidence of
the Aztec's
knowledge of
astronomy and
mathematics.
This 12 ft.
The diameter
Aztecs had a 260 daystone
sacred calendar which determined the many rituals and
ceremonies linked to another agricultural calendar based on the 365 day cycle of the
sun.disk
The calendar
was made up of 18 months, each lasting 20 days. The
is agricultural
covered
months were divided into four five-day weeks. The year was rounded out to 365 days
with
by the
addition glyphs
of five extra (unlucky) days.
(18x20) + 5 = ?
The end of the Aztecs

After Europeans discovered the
Americas, Spanish adventurers
known as conquistadors
(conquerors) began exploring this
New World.
In 1519, Hernn Corts and a band
of soldiers attacked the Aztec
capital city of Tenochtitlan. He and
his soldiers defeated the Aztec ruler
Montezuma.
The end of the Aztecs

The conquistadors successfully
defeated the larger Aztec armies
because they had horses, guns,
and armor, which were unknown to
the Aztecs.
Corts also won the support of the
neighboring tribes that had been
conquered by the Aztecs. By 1521
the Spanish destroyed the city of
Tenochtitlan.
The victory of Corts over the
A SOUTH AMERICAN CIVILIZATION
http://gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=1758
Who were the Incas?

While cultures
were
developing in
Mesoamerica,
the Chavn
and the later
Moche would
give rise to
the single
largest empire
in the
Who were the

Incas?
Inca roads, like this one
This
to Machu Picchu,
for a total of
excellent extended
25,000 miles at the
height of the empire.
road
system
allowed
the
standing
army to
quickly
respond to
any
Who were the Incas?

Society was
highly
structured
with all
authority
under one
ruler
Human
sacrifice
ensured good
crops

Ancient American Civilizations

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ANCIENT AMERICAN

Mesoamerica lies in the southern part

Teotihuacan Jade Mask

Who were the Maya?

Who were the Maya?

Who were the Maya?

The Pyramid of Kukulkn or El Castillo is

pyramid gives the illusion of a snake

Who were the Maya?

Who were the Maya?

RULER WEARING GIANT MACAW

He was associated with the

He was shown as a young

Wife of the Sun

Who were the Aztecs?

Who were the Aztecs?

Who were the Aztecs?

Codex showing the

Who were the Aztecs?

Did you know that Aztecs ate

Did you know that Aztecs ate

Did you know that Aztecs ate

Have you ever had this one

The Aztecs also drank chocolate, although not as

Have you ever had this one

It is said that the Aztec emperor Montezuma drank

JAGUAR AND EAGLE WARRIORS

The end of the Aztecs

The end of the Aztecs

A SOUTH AMERICAN CIVILIZATION

A SOUTH AMERICAN CIVILIZATION

Who were the Incas?

A SOUTH AMERICAN CIVILIZATION

Who were the

A SOUTH AMERICAN CIVILIZATION

Who were the Incas?

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