This document provides an agenda and overview of information about three ancient cultures: the Maya, Aztec, and Inca. It discusses who they were, where they lived, their time periods, social structures, accomplishments, and what ultimately happened to each civilization. Key points covered include the Maya's advanced cities and calendar systems in southern Mexico and Central America from 1000 BC to 1000 AD; the Aztec's large empire and hierarchical society centered in central Mexico from 1300 to 1500 AD; and the Inca's mountainous empire across Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile from 1200 to 1533 AD.

1. January 21, 2015
Agenda
– Ancient Cultures
Warm-up
Tell me what you know
about the Aztec, Incan and
Mayan cultures.
B.C.E. (B.C.= Before Christ) stands for
"Before the Common Era" when we are
discussing historic timelines.
C.E. (A.D.= After Death of Christ) stands
for "Common Era" when we are
discussing historic timelines.
The western calendar is measured starting
with his birth, meaning he was born in the
year 0. However, most scholars and
historians now agree that he was likely
born several years before.

2. Early Human
Migrations

5. Maya

6. Who were the Maya? Where?
 Southern Mexico, Belize,
Guatemala
When?
 1000BC to about 1000AD
What kind of people?
 Small city states, farmers and traders.
 Mathematicians- Invented the 0 in
36BC, before most people.
 Astronomers- Maya calendar is still
accurate, very complex.
 Advanced cities - Chichen Itza, Tulum,
Palenque, Tikal
What happened to Maya?
 Overpopulated cities collapsed
 Survivors dispersed throughout Central
America
 Culture diffused because of trade and
military alliances
 Unlike the relatively centralized Aztec
and Inca empires, the Maya civilization
was a loose aggregation of city-states.

7. Lands of the Mayans
The Yucatan
Peninsula

8. Chichen-Itza -
Pyramid

9. Chichen-Itza - Observatory

10. Chichen-Itza - Ball
Court

11. Overview of Tikal
(Guatemala)
Temple of the Masks

12. Tikal Jungle View at
Sunset

13. Tikal - Main Court

14. Tikal:
Temple of
the Masks –
Guatemala
For more
info. click
here

15. Mayan Glyphs
Mayan
Mathematics
sky king house child city

16. Mayan Glyphs

18. Who were the Aztec? Where
 Central Mexico
 Capital city was Tenochtitlan, on Lake Texcoco.
When?
 1300AD to 1500AD
What kind of people?
Hierarchical society
– 1. Emperor
– 2. Nobles
– 3. Warriors
– 4. Farmers
– 5. Slaves
– Empire centered on war and religious sacrifice
What happened to Aztecs?
 Defeated by Hernan de Cortez (Spanish) in 1519, with
native allies
 Most Aztecs later died from European diseases, such as
Smallpox
 Mestizo- Interbreeding made a new Mexican “race”, ½
Indian ½ Spanish.

19. Aztecs

20. Lands of the Aztecs

21. Aztec View of
Tenochtitlan

22. Ruins of the City
Center, Tenochtitlan

23. Tenochtitlan: The “Venice” of the
Americas

24. Aztec Chinampa or
Floating Garden:
15ft. to 30ft. wide

25. Tenochtitlan – Chinampas

26. Aztec Math
Aztec Writing

27. Aztec Sun Stone - Calendar

28. Aztec Sun Motifs

29. Aztecs Sacrifice
Neighboring Tribes to
the Sun God

30. Heart Sacrifice on an
Aztec Temple Pyramid

31. Wall of Skulls,
Tenochtitlan

32. Sacrificial Statue,
Tenochtitlan

33. Aztec Gold

35. Who were the Inca?
Where
 Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador ,Chile(Andes Mountains)
 Capital was Cuzco, Peru
 Machu Picchu was last stronghold of Inca
When?
1200AD to 1533AD
What kind of people?
 Similar to Aztec, not as warlike
 Empire was large, structured, and advanced
 Famous for gold art and statues
 Terrace farming on mountainsides,
 Extensive road network. (20,000 miles)
 Polytheistic religion
 Quechua Language – still spoken
What happened to the Inca?
 Defeated by Francisco Pizarro in 1533
 Incans enslaved to mine gold and silver for Spain.

36. Lands of the
Incas

37. Cuzco: Ancient Capital of the
Inca
(11,000 ft. above sea level)

38. Machu Picchu

39. Machu Picchu

40. Incan Suspension Bridges

41. Incan Terrace Farming

42. Maize in Incan Pottery
& Gold Work

43. Over 100 Different Types of
Potatoes Cultivated
by the Incans

44. Incan Ceramic Jars
Peanut Potato Squash
Cacao God Cacao Pod

45. The Quipu: An Incan Database

46. Inca Gold & Silver

48. The Nazca Lines
The Nazca are shrouded in mystery. Estimated dates
of the civilization's existence are 300 B.C. to 800 A.D.
Even more intriguing are the Nazca Lines, about 300
geolyphs carved into the Pampa coastal plains of Peru,
an area south of Lima and the contours of the Andes.
In total, the lines cover almost 400 square miles of
desert. But the methods behind the creation and the
purpose of the lines are still unknown.
Nazca Lines video - 3 min.

49. Guns, Germs, and Steel
As you watch the video answer the questions
that you have written down.