The Mesoamerican Civilization

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The MesoamericanThe Mesoamerican

CivilizationCivilization

By Jose RosarioBy Jose Rosario


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Empires of the AmericasEmpires of the Americas


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The MayasThe MayasBy Jose RosarioBy Jose Rosario


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The Maya Empire


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1. The Maya civilization is aMesoamerican civilization.

a.They had the onlyknown fullydevelopedwrittenlanguage of thepre-ColumbianAmericas.

b.And spectacularart,monumentalarchitecture, &sophisticated

mathematical &


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2. The Mayas established in Central Americaand the Yucatan Peninsula during the Pre-

classic period (c. 250 to 900 AD).

a.By the arrival ofthe Spanish theMaya

Civilization wasnot longerthere.

b.At its peak, it was

one of the mostdenselypopulated &culturally

dynamic


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3. The first clearly Maya settlements wereestablished in approximately 1800 BC inSoconusco region of the Pacific Coast.

a.Archaeologicalevidencesuggests theconstruction ofceremonialarchitecture inMaya area byapproximately

1000 BC.

b.Evidence suggeststhat thesecultures and theformative Maya


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4. The Classic period (c. 250 - 900) wasthe peak of large-scale construction

and urbanism.

a.They developed a city-centered empireconsisting of numerous independentcity-states.

b.Including well-known cities ofTikal,Tikal,Palenque, Copn and Calakmul,Palenque, Copn and Calakmul,& lesser known cities.

c.They built pyramids as their religiouscenters and palaces of their rulers.

d.Other important archaeological remainsinclude the carved stone slabsusually called stelae.


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5. The Maya centers went into decline duringthe 8th & 9th centuries and were

abandoned shortly thereafter.

a.This decline was coupled with a cessation ofmonumental inscriptions and large-scalearchitectural construction.

b.Although there is no universally acceptedtheory to explain this collapse, currenttheories fall into two categories:

c.Non-ecological theories: foreign invasion,peasant revolt, &/or the collapse ofkey trade routes.

d.Ecological hypotheses: environmentalcatastrophe, epidemic disease, & climatechange.


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6. The Maya peoples never6. The Maya peoples neverdisappeared.disappeared.

a. Today, the Maya &their descendantsform sizeablepopulations

throughout theMaya area &maintain adistinctive set oftraditions & beliefs

that are the resultof the merger ofpre-Columbianpre-Columbian &post-Conquestpost-Conquestideologies (&

structured by thealmost total


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The AztecsThe AztecsBy Jose RosarioBy Jose Rosario


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The Aztec EmpireThe Aztec Empire


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1. The true origin of the Aztecs isuncertain.

a.According to theirlegends, theAztec's place oforigin was Aztln.

b.It is generallythought thatAztln wassomewhere to

the north of theValley of Mexico;some expertshave placed it asfar north as the

Southwestern


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2. It appears that the Mexicansarrived at Chapultepec in or around

the year 1248 AD.a.At the time of their arrival, the Valley of Mexico

contained many city-states, like CulhuacanCulhuacan& Azcapotzalco& Azcapotzalco.

b.According to Aztec legend, the Aztecs were

shown a vision of an eagle perched on aprickly pear cactus, clutching a snake in itstalons.

c. This vision indicated that this was the locationwhere they were to build their home.

d.The Aztecs arrived on a small swampy island inLake TexcocoTexcoco where they founded the townofTenochtitlanTenochtitlan in 1325.

e. In 1376, the MexicasMexicas elected their first HueyTlatoani, AcamapichtliTlatoani, Acamapichtli, who was living in

TexcocoTexcoco at the time.

3 Th A t i ll ti t d f ll


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3. The Aztecs is a collective term used for allof the Pre-Columbian MesoamericanPre-Columbian Mesoamerican

peoples under the control of the MexicaMexica,

founders ofTenochtitlanTenochtitlan, & their twoprincipal allies, who built an extensiveempire in the late Post-classic period in

the 14th, 15th & 16th centuries in CentralCentral

MexicoMexico.


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4. The nucleus of theAztec EmpireAztec Empire was theValley of Mexico, where their capital

Tenochtitlan was built upon raised islets

in Lake TexcocoLake Texcoco.a.After the 1521 conquest ofTenochtitlanTenochtitlan by Spanish forces andtheir allies which brought about the

effective end of Aztec dominion,b.The Spanish founded the newsettlement of Mexico City on the siteof the now-ruined Aztec capital.

c.The capital of the modern-day nation ofMexico, the greater metropolitanarea of Mexico City now covers muchof the Valley of MexicoValley of Mexico and the

now-drained Lake of Texcoco.


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5. Aztec culture had rich &complex mythological &

religious traditions.a.For Europeans, the most striking

element of the Aztec culture was thepractice ofhuman sacrificehuman sacrifice which

was conducted throughoutMesoamerica prior to the Spanishconquest.

b.While human sacrifice was practiced

throughout Mesoamerica, under theAztecs this practice to anunprecedented level. Ex., for thereconsecration ofGreat PyramidGreat Pyramid

of Tenochtitlanof Tenochtitlan in 1487, the Aztecs


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Human SacrificedHuman Sacrificed


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The IncasBy Jose RosarioBy Jose Rosario


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The Inca EmpireThe Inca Empire


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The Incas


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1. The Incas had various origin myths. Thesemyths have been transmitted via oral

tradition, since the Incas did not develop

writing.


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2. The Inca people began as a tribe inthe Cuzco area around the 12th

century.

a.Under the leadership ofManco CapacManco Capac,they formed the small city-state ofCuzco.

b.In 1438 they began a far-reachingexpansion under the command ofSapa Inca PachacutiSapa Inca Pachacuti.

c.Pachacuti reorganized the kingdom into

an empire, a federalist system whichconsisted of a central governmentwith the Inca at its head

d.d.PachacutiPachacutisent spies to regions hewanted in his empire; they brought


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3. The most powerful figure in theempire was the Sapa Inca ('the

unique Inca').

a.Only descendants of the original Incatribe ever ascended to the level ofInca.

b.Most young members of the Inca'sfamily attended Yachay Wasis(houses of knowledge) to obtaintheir education.

c.There were separate chains ofcommand for both the military andreligious institutions, which

created a system of partial checks

4 A hit t b f th t


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4. Architecture was by far the mostimportant of the Inca arts, with pottery

and textiles reflecting motifs that were at

their height in architecture.a.The breathtaking site of Machu Picchu wasconstructed by Inca engineers.

b.Amaranth was one of the staple foods of theIncas, and it is known as kiwicha in theAndes today.

c.Native Americans were responsible for someof the worlds most prolific crops,including tomatoes, peppers, lima beans,

ancient ancestors to modern squash and,most importantly, the potato.

d.Maize (Corn) was also deeply integratedinto Inca agriculture and daily life.

The Mesoamerican Civilization

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