Great Civilizations in the Americas The Olmec, Aztec, Maya, and Inca.

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Great Civilizations in the Americas he Olmec, Aztec, Maya, and Inca

Transcript of Great Civilizations in the Americas The Olmec, Aztec, Maya, and Inca.

Page 1: Great Civilizations in the Americas The Olmec, Aztec, Maya, and Inca.

Great Civilizations in the Americas

The Olmec, Aztec, Maya, and Inca

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Map of the Empires

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THE OLMEC

The Olmec Empire was located in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

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Olmec Sculptures

The Olmec are famous for their huge stone carvings.

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Olmec Cities

The Olmecs had large cities built of stone.

Agriculture was important. They had to grow enough food for all the people living in cities.

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The Maya

Location:The Yucatan Peninsula

(Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize)

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Mayan Pyramids

Mayan pyramids were made of stone and built to last.

They are proof of how important religion was to the Mayan civilization.

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Other Mayan Feats

AgricultureAstronomy (365 day

calendar)RoadsHieroglyphics

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The Aztec

The Aztec was an empire located in what is now Mexico.

The capital of the Aztec empire was Tenochtitlan, built on an island in a lake for good defense.

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Aztec Pyramids

The Aztec built huge pyramids for their religious ceremonies.

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War !!!

The Aztec was a warlike society.

They conquered their neighbors and captured prisoners of war.

They held human sacrifices to appease the gods.

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Aztec Art

Many examples of Aztec art have been found, including clay masks and figures as well as stone carvings.

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The Inca

The Inca had the biggest empire of the pre-Columbian civilizations.

It stretched for three thousand miles in the Andes Mountains of South America.

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Incan Engineering

The Inca built cities and roads high in the Andes Mountains.

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Incan Agriculture

How can you grow food in the mountains?

The Inca solved the problem by carving terraces into the mountains.

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Characteristics of Civilizations

SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF CIVILIZATIONS

RELIGION

MONUMENTS

& BUILDINGS

AGRICULTURETRANSPORTATION

GOVERNMENT & LAWS

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Map of the Empires