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Mesoamerica
Maya Aztec and Inca
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Mayans: When and Where? | 300-900 AD Located in Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and Central American countries of Guatemala, San Salvador, Honduras and Belize |
| Maya Class System | 1. Rulers of each city state 2. Nobles & Priests 3. Townspeople: Merchants, Officials and Artisans 4. Farmers and Peasants |
| Rulers of city states | Claimed to be descendants from gods |
| Religion | Polytheistic: many gods; used human sacrifice to appease the gods |
| Maize | Corn: main crop farmed |
| Hieroglyphs | Mayan writing system |
| Math Accomplishment | Invented the Zero |
| Astronomy | Used the sun's appearance on the pyramids to determine time of day, and seasons. Developed calendar from this data |
| Chichen Itza | Famous pyramid in Yucatan jungle |
| How was it built? | Theorized that it took 5,000 people working full time for 6 years |
| Altar at top of the pyramid | Only rulers and priests allowed |
| Mayan Sports | Teams that used a ball similar to basketball that just fit through the opening in the overhang. Captains of losing teams were often sacrificed if the gods were angry: too much rain, drought, wind storms, etc. |
| 800-1100 AD | Mayans abandoned their land because?? 1. Fighting among city states 2. Invasion 3. Natural Disaster: volcano eruption, tornado, etc. 4. Overuse of land or drought - little food |
| Mayan descendants still exist in what country? | Guatemala |
| Aztecs When and Where | 1100 AD in southern/central Mexico |
| Tenochtitlan | Capital city of Aztecs |
| Legend of Tenochtitlan | Dream/prophecy that Aztecs would find where to build their city when they saw an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its mouth. |
| Tenochtitlan a swamp | Aztec engineers drained the swamp, rebuilt the land and built a city that still stands |
| Flag of Mexico | Same as the prophecy: An eagle perched on cactus with a snake in its mouth |
| Aztec Government Structure | Authoritarian Monarch; Council of Lords (nobility) and government officials made laws |
| Aztec Class System | 1. Monarch 2. Council of Lords and Government 3. Commoners (farmers) 4. Indentured Workers 5. Slaves |
| Difference between Indentured Workers and Slaves | An indentured worker had a debt or crime to work off with a contract and was eventually free A slave was never free |
| Aztec Religion | Polytheistic: One main god with many supporting gods: also human sacrifice to appease |
| Aztec Accomplishments | Engineers/Architects/Builders--built roads, temples, public buildings and houses. Similar calendar and number system of the Mayans. |
| Montezuma | Famous leader of the Aztecs when Spanish arrived |
| Cortes | Leader of the Spanish conquistadors who tricked Montezuma with a fake peace message |
| 1521 | Montezuma attacked Tenochtitlan with the conquistadors and conquered the Aztecs |
| Reasons for Spanish exploration in North America | 1. Their vaults were getting low because they had no industry so no exports 2. They needed silver to make their currency--the peso that was accepted as money throughout Europe as the Euro is today. 3. They had been involved in wars that had cost $ |
| Incas Where and When | Late 1300s in southern Peru in South America |
| Sapa Inca | Name for the ruler of the Incas |
| Government Structure | Empire divided into four quarters, each ruled by a Governor |
| Military Service | All Inca subjects had to serve military some weeks of the year |
| Marriage | Marriage between tribes was not allowed. Must marry within a person's tribe in case of warfare so families were not split |
| Religion | Polytheistic: believed in reincarnation |
| Cranial Deformation | Noble families wrapped heads of infants into a cone shape to identify themselves as nobles |
| Inca Advancements | Irrigation systems, best engineers of the Native Americans; medical advances: performed cranial surgeries; theater performances (FPAC! : ) |
| Lack of one Accomplishment | No writing system! How did they trade and keep track of records? Used knots on strings called Quipu for record keeping |
| Inca Decline | Caught smallpox from the Spaniards Civil war broke out among the quartered sections of Peruvian land Spanish conquistadors led by Pizarro conquered the Incas from 1532-1533. |
Created by:
lmckay