World and Geographical Studies

1. North, South, Meso
AMERICA
300 - 1550
In what ways were civilizations in early Mesoamerica and South America complex?
How were civilizations in early Mesoamerica and South America influenced by previous
cultures?

2. The First People of North
America
• The last Ice Age resulted in a land
bridge, connecting the Asian and North
American continents. Early hunters
crossed this bridge while following bison
and caribou, becoming the first people to
live in North America. Different groups of
people began forming. One people group
that formed was known as the Iroquois.
They lived in villages with longhouses
surrounded by wooden fences. The men
were hunters and warriors, while the
women were gatherers, cooks, and
caretakers of the children. Another group
was known as the Plains Indians. The
Plains Indians farmed, and in the
summer, men left their village to chase
buffalo off cliffs. The Plains Indians used
the buffalo meat as food, the skin as
clothing, and the bones as tools. They
also stretched buffalo skin over circular
tents called tepees.
Ice Age Bridge

3. The Maya
• The Maya (A.D.300-A.D.900) built
temples and pyramids and developed a
calendar that was as accurate as any in
existence in the world at the time. They
were one of the most sophisticated
civilizations in the Americas, but for
some reason, Maya cities were
abandoned and not recovered until the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We
do understand that most of the Maya
peasants were farmers, they practiced
human sacrifice, they used
hieroglyphics, men did the fighting and
hunting, and women did the housework
and raised children. Politically, the
civilization was composed of city-states,
governed by a hereditary ruling class.
The Maya were polytheistic. They
believed in a divine power called
Itzamna.
Maya Pyramid

4. The Toltec
• The Toltec were warriors.
They also were builders and
they constructed palaces and
temples. The Toltec brought
metalworking to
Mesoamerica and were the
first people in the region to
work in gold, silver, and
copper. The Toltec empire
began to decline in 1125 due
to fighting, but they left their
legacy on the Aztec. Toltec Warrior Columns

5. The Aztec
• The Toltec civilization influenced the
Aztec Empire’s building styles and
artwork. The Aztec kingdom was a
collection of semi-independent
territories that local lords governed.
The nobility, or elite, held government
positions. Their children were sent to
temple schools, which stressed
military training. When adults, they
would choose a career in the military
service, the government bureaucracy,
or the priesthood. Nobles received
large estates, while everyone else were
either indentured servants, slaves, or
commoners. Boys were encouraged to
grow up as warriors, while girls were
encouraged to stay in the house. The
Aztec had a polytheistic religion. Their
supreme god was known as Ometeotl.
The Aztec Calendar

6. The Nazca
• Nazca culture was similar to
that of Chavin culture,
particularly its pottery. The
Nazca, however, did not build
great temples. The Nazca
may have practiced their
religion outdoors. Not much
is known about the Nazca.
The Nazca Lines (we don’t understand these)

7. The Moche
• Moche farmers grew crops
such as maize, peanuts,
potatoes, and cotton. The
Moche people had no written
language, but their pottery
gives us insight into their
lives. The pottery reveals to
us that the Moche were
warriors. Not much else is
known about the Moche.
Moche Ceramics

8. The Inca
• Pachacutu is responsible for the Inca’s
conquering of the entire region of the
mountains in southern Peru. The empire
grew to have about 12 million people.
The Inca, like the Maya and Aztec, were
warriors. All men were required to serve
in the army. The army was the strongest
in the region. When new areas of land
were conquered, a noble was sent to
govern the region. Pachacutu divided the
empire into four regions, each ruled by a
governor. Within these four regions there
were also governors of each province. All
Inca were responsible for labor. The
Inca’s agriculture in the mountains is
proof of their advanced empire. They
farmed in the mountains by using
irrigation systems and terraced farms.
The Inca had no writing system but used
to quipu, a system of knotted strings, to
keep records.
Machu Picchu

10. Deeper Thinking Questions
• What were some of the important contributions of the Inca?
• Describe how the first settlers of North America may have
gotten to North America.
• Compare the Iroquois’ method of obtaining food to the
Plains Indians.
• Discuss at least three similarities between the Nazca,
Moche, and Inca.
• How does the Inca’s agriculture reflect an advanced empire?

11. Image Sources
• https://ows.edb.utexas.edu/site/hight-kreitman/land-bridge-theory
• http://io9.com/5886796/did-mild-weather-really-destroy-the-mayan-empire
• http://www.ancient.eu/Toltec_Civilization/
• http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/oxford-university-is-older-than-the-
aztecs-1529607/
• http://thepointhostels.com/news/the-nazca-lines/
• http://www.tampere.fi/ekstrat/taidemuseo/arkisto/peru/800/moche_en.htm
• http://www.ancient.eu/Inca_Civilization/
• http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/inca-empire/interactive-map
• VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3kWJfkqT0g