Mayan Civilization

— Location: Mexico and

Central American rain
forest
— Government: city-states
ruled by a king
— Economy: Agriculture and
trade
— Religion: Polytheistic and
built pyramids
— Declined for unknown
reasons
Cities/Government

— Each city was ruled

by a chief (king).
Cities traded with
each other, but they
also went to war
with one another.
 Mayan People
— Most people were — They spend the rest
farmers, but the soil of the year with
was so good, they community projects
really only had to (building things to
farm 50 days out of honor the chief)
the year. The main
crop was maize
corn)
Scientific Advancements

— The Mayans had a

form of written
language
(hieroglyphs) that
allowed them the
keep records and
write stories.
 Mayan’s and Math

— The Mayans
developed a number
system and math
skills early. It looks
similar to tally
marks.
 Mayan Astronomy

— The Mayans also

studied astronomy.
They watched the
sun and the planets.
This allowed them
to develop an
accurate calendar.
 Religion

— The Mayans were

polytheistic. Gods
were based on
nature (sun, rain,
maize, etc.)
 Mayan Gods

— Their were over 150

different gods, and
religion played a huge
role in Mayan life.
— Many Mayan
customs, especially
religious ones,
required human
sacrifice.
 Recreation

— Mayans
loved to
sing, dance,
and play
sports.
— The most popular
game they played
was called Pok-a-
Tok. Teams of
players would try
to get a rubbery
ball through a hoop,
but you could not
use your hands or
feet (only body,
legs, or arms).
 Beauty
— The Mayan people
preferred long, flat
heads. So, when
babies were born,
and their skulls were
still soft, they would
make them wooden
vices to shape their
heads.
 Beauty
— Having a large,
prominent
nose was also
a sign of
nobility.
— Most hairstyles
entailed a
ponytail
 Mayan Civilization

Represented by Chichen Itza

Aztec Civilization

— Location: In arid (dry)

valley in Central Mexico
— Government: Ruled by an
emperor
— Economy: Agriculture
— Religion: Polytheistic and
built pyramids where the
Gods were thirsty for
human sacrifice
 Aztec Civilization

— Sacrificed 20,000 to 50,000 people each year

— Aztecs were engaged in much warfare
— Sacrificed those they conquered
Aztec Civilization
Represented by Tenochtitlan
 Farming
— Farming was the major industry for the
Aztecs. Corn was a staple crop. They
also hunted and fished.
 Family
— Aztec men supported their families and
his government (by paying taxes). Aztec
women ran the house and raised the
children.
 Homes
— Aztecs has simple homes with simple
furniture. Houses had beds, a low table, a
kitchen, and a small shrine for the gods.
Bathrooms were in separate buildings.
 Aztec Society
— The easiest and
most common way
to climb through up
the social ladder
was to show
courage in battle.
One of the main
reasons to go to
war was to capture
enemies for
sacrifice.
Aztec Civilization

— Invented Tlachtli:
◦ A ballgame that
uses a rubber ball
or heads of
sacrificed victims
◦ No use of hands
◦ Shoot the ball
into a hoop on
the side of a wall
 Religion

— Aztecs also
believed in many
gods. The sun was
very important to
the religion and
they worshipped
it.
Religion

— They believed that

one day the sun
would erupt and the
world would end
violently. To stop
this, they fed the sun
human blood
(sacrifice).
 Aztec Written Language

— The Aztecs had

a written
language, but it
was
pictographs.
— They also had a
number system
for counting.
 Incan Civilization

— Location: Andes
Mountains of South
America
— Government: Ruled
by Emperor
— Economy: Agriculture
in high altitudes
— Religion: Polytheistic
 Incan Civilization
Represented by Machu Picchu
 Incan Civilization

Prevented water
— Agriculture in
from running off
high altitude in too quickly.
the mountains
— Used
Terracing
 Farming
• Terracing allowed
the Incans to use
more land for
cultivation. It also
helped to resist
erosion of the
land by wind and
rain. Staple crops
were potatoes,
corn, and quinoa.
 Cities
— Commoners paid
the taxes to support
the civilization (not
— People either lived the nobility or the
on the coast or in sick and elderly)
the highlands.
— They lived in simple
houses made of
either stone bricks
or of mud.
Family

— Men were responsible

for working (usually on
farms) and supporting
the family.
— Women were
responsible for taking
care of the home and
children.
— Commoners had to
educate their children.
 Religion
• The Incans worshipped many gods, shrines
and objects, especially the sun.
• They believed in an afterworld. So, they
were buried with things they thought
might be useful
 Human Sacrifice
— Human sacrifice was — The Incans believed that
common in religious the gods had sacrificed
ceremonies. It was themselves in the
usually done by priests creation of the sun and
and was an act of moon, so people had to
communion with the do the same thing.
gods.
 Medicine

— Incans believed — Surgeons could bore

disease was holes in the head or
supernatural. They amputate limbs
treated sickness when necessary.
with herbs, but
also with urine,
and bleeding the
sick.
 Record Keeping
— The Incans did
keep records, but
it was with
knotting strings.
Based on length
of strings, color,
types of knots,
and position of
strings. They did
not WRITE!
Incan Civilization

— Used QUIPU –
system of knots
on a cord to
record
important
information
— Road System