1. Aztecs, Mayas,
and Incas
Unit 2: Background Information

2. Agenda
Review three major civilizations that existed
in Central and South America from 2000 B.C
until the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th
centuray
Discuss cultures, achievements

3. Aztec
s
The empire was 80,000
square miles and
stretched through
present day Mexico
and Central America

4. Aztec
s
The heart of the
Aztec Empire was
Tenochtitlan. It was
built on Lake Texcoco
and had roads and
bridges leading into
the heart of the
city.

5. Aztec
s
Most households were
made of adobe and
contained an open
area in the middle, a
kitchen, a shrine to
the gods, and bath
next door.

6. Aztec
s
The Aztecs were a
warring culture.
Warriors gained
prominence and status
by performing well in
battle. Young men
were trained at an
early age to be
warriors.

7. Aztec
s
They had hundreds of
gods and goddesses.
They revolved around
nature. Agriculture
was important to
Aztec life so many of
the gods were related
to agriculture. They
often made human
sacrifices to please
the gods.

8. Aztec
s
According to an Aztec
myth, the white-faced
Quetzacuatl - their most
important god.
He is the god of
intelligence and the god
of creation.

9. Mayas
The empire stretched
from the Gulf of
Mexico to present day
Honduras

10. The pyramid was used as a calendar:
four stairways, each with 91 steps and a
Mayas
platform at the top, making a total of 365,
equivalent to the number of days in a
calendar year.
Chichen Itza was an
important city in the
empire and became a
major market place

11. Mayas
Most houses were made
of adobe

12. Mayas
They had hundreds of
gods and goddesses.
They revolved around
nature. Agriculture
was important to the
Maya life so many of
the gods were related
to agriculture.

13. Mayas
They had a system of
writing (using
hieroglyphs) and
books made from the
bark of a fig tree
called codices.

14. Mayas
They had amazing
knowledge of
astronomy, creating
an accurate calendar,
plotting the
movements of the moon
and sun, and
calculating the
revolution of Venus
around the sun.

15. Incas
The empire stretched
2,500 miles down the
west coast of South
America. The Inca
built roads
stretching throughout
the empire.

16. Incas
The Incas built their
cities on many types
of geography. Some
high in the Andes and
others along the
coast

17. Tiwanaku
Inca
The Incas built their
cities on many types
of geography. Some
high in the Andes and
others along the
coast

18. Cuzco

19. Incas
Most households were
made of stone

20. Incas
Religion was very
important. They
worshiped Viracocha.
They worshiped
natural forces they
called huacas. These
were usually related
to their crops or
agriculture.

21. Incas
They made exquisite
textiles for their
families and sold
them at the market

22. AMAZING FACTS
These civilizations introduced chocolate (cocoa), tomato, potato,
peppers, peanuts and several other foods to Europeans
They had a system of government with religious leaders and the rich
at the top. In Aztec culture you could gain status by being a great
warrior
The regular people paid taxes to the rich
Temples to honor the gods and to make sacrifices to keep agriculture
strong
They had elaborate ball games