This document provides an overview of the history and cultures of ancient Mesoamerican civilizations including the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Nazca, Moche, Maya, Toltecs, and Aztecs. It describes the origins and migrations of early peoples in North and South America, the emergence of advanced agricultural practices and urban settlements in Mesoamerica, and highlights key aspects of culture, religion, and society for each civilization. The document also summarizes the rise and fall of the powerful Aztec Empire and their defeat by the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes in 1521.

1. Meso-Americans, Aztecs, Incas &
Mayans, oh my!

2. The Beginning
• N & S America connected by a land bridge (Beringia)
• Cross at end of Ice age (40,000-10,000 bc), following
animals (probably on foot, some in boats)
• Bridge disappears 12,0000-10000 bc due to melting
glaciers and rising waters
• 7000 BC. Begin farming, raise plants in Central
Mexico
• 5000 BC raise maize, squash, gourds, chilies, beans,
avocados
• Create more advanced farming methods
• Experience pop growth, permanent settlements,
specialized skills in arts & crafts

3. Meso-America

4. Meso-American Geography
• From C
Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El
Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua &
Costa Rica.
• Hot humid w/ swamps & jungles.
• Giant trees form
canopies, little
sunlight on floor,
100 inches of rain
per yr w/ severe
flooding

5. • Salt & tar deposits, clay for
pottery, wood & rubber from
rainforest
• Hills provide stone, rivers for
transport, flooding for
farming

7. Olmecs
• Olmecs emerge around 1200 BC
along Gulf coast of Mexico
• San Lorenzo, built 1150 BC, oldest
site. It has earthen mounds,
courtyards & pyramids, w/ giant
stone heads weighing up to 44 tons!

10. • La Venta-900 BC: 100 ft high
mound of earth, mud & clay.
• Religious center? Worship jaguar
spirits (rain, fertility, & earth)
• Create a large trade network (N to
Mexico City, S
to Honduras).
• SL collapses
900 BC & LV
in 400 BC

13. Zapotecs!

14. Zapotecs
• SW Mexico: Rugged mtns, in area
where 3 valleys meet to form
Oaxaca Valley.
• Fertile soil, lots of rainfall, mild
climate
• villages scattered
thru valley

15. • 1000 BC: San Jose Mogote dev as
power center. Platforms, temples &
huge sculptures individual homes had
hearths & stone mortars, used
pottery, food stored in pits
outside home, w/ burials nearby,
trade w/ Olmecs

16. • 500 BC. Build Monte Alba, 1st
urban center in Americas
(25,000 people)
• Giant plaza paved w/
stones, stone pyramids,
temples & palaces
• Observatory, had a
calendar & writing systems
• Disappear 700 AD?

19. • Olmec contributions: art
styles, jaguar motif, ritual
ball games, & ruling class
• Zapotecs:
hieroglyph
writing system,
calendar based
sun, urban
centers

20. Nazca
• Andes Mtns stretch for 4500
miles, 20,000 feet. Steep & rocky.
Hot, dry days, & cold nights
• Narrow coastal plain runs btw Andes
& Pacific.
• Atacama Desert has little rain, a
few rivers

22. • 3600-2500 BC: villages est
• 200-600 AD settle on coast of
Peru.
• Develop irrigation
systems,
underground canals
• Beautiful pottery

23. Nazca Lines
• 1000 drawings of plants,
animals humans, etched
on plains
• Only seen from air. Why?
*Drawn for sky or mtn gods?
*Map out underground water
sources?
• (survive due to 20 minutes of rain per year!)

27. • Don’t write!
• The Pampa is covered w/ a layer of dark colored stones that have
been baked into a lighter colored and relatively soft sediment. To
make their lines and drawings, the Nazcans simply cleared away
the darker top layer to reveal the lighter sediment leaving the
cleared stones along the edges of the lines which helped to
increase their contrast.
• Wooden stakes have been found marking out the lines and these
suggest that the Nazcans drew their long and very straight lines
using the following simple method: two stakes are placed a long
way apart with a rope stretched taut between them along which
the first part of the line is drawn. A third stake is then placed a
similar distance away from the second so that it is visually in line
with the the first two. The rope is then stretched between these
two stakes and the line is continued along it. This can then be
repeated for as long as the line needs to be.

29. Moche
1.100-700 AD on N coast of Peru
2. Used rivers to build irrigation
systems to plant many crops: corn,
beans, potatoes, squash, peanuts
3. Lots of gold

30. 4.Great ceramic artists,
showing daily life, soldiers,
instruments, weaving
5. What happened to them?

33. Mayas

34. • S. Mexico to N. Cen America
• Lowlands: dry scrub forest on
Yucatan Peninsula, dense jungle
in S.E Mexico &
N. Guatamala.
• Highlands: Cool,
cloud covered
mtns, from S Mexico
to El Salvador

36. MAYANS! Don’t write!
• 250 AD, influenced by Olmecs
• 250 AD-900AD aka Classical period
• Built Tikal, Copan, Palenque, Tulum
& Chichen Itza

38. • All independent city states ruled by
god king. Centers for religion &
trade
• Each city had giant pyramids,
temples, palaces, stone carvings, &
ball courts (playing game kept up
sun/moon & rain
cycles)
• 1000s live around
city center

40. Don’t write! The game was a combo of volleyball, basketball, &
soccer. The ball was not allowed to touch the ground & bounced
off the walls of the court and the players themselves. The ball was
allowed to bounce off the player's elbows, hips, knees, or
head, but using their hands was an illegal move. the goal in which
you scored your points was very small. Points were scored by
directing the ball through a stone circle hoop. It is also believed
you scored points by hitting particular posts & markers situated
along the ball court. Players came dressed in elaborate costumes
& the ball was made of heavy rubber (about 9 lbs)

43. Agriculture & trade
• City-States linked thru trade
• Exchange
salt, flint,feathers,shells, honey, cr
aft goods (cotton textiles, jade
ornaments)
• Cacao used as money

44. • Raised maize, beans, squash
(use slash & burn farming, hills
side terraces & raised beds
above swamps)

45. Mayan Social Hierarchy
King
Nobles : (priests warriors)
Merchants, skilled artisans
peasants

47. Mayan Religion
• Polytheistic: worship corn, death,
rain, & war gods, some evil or
good or both (up to 160!)
• Gods associated w/ 4 directions &
colors :
White- n Blue- w
Yellow-s Red- e
Green center

48. Mayan Gods & Goddesses
• Chac Kukulcan Ix Chel

49. • Pray, offer food, flowers,pierce
skin, cut bodies to offer blood
• Human sacrifice of prisoners
into cenotes (deep water filled
pit)

51. The Mayan Calendar (Don’t write!)
• Each day was a living god. Time was a burden carried on
back of the god. At end of each day, month or year,
another god picked it up
• The day was lucky or unlucky based on nature of god. A
calendar was needed to track days to predict it.
• One calendar had a 260 day yr, 13
20 month days
• Another had 365 day yr, w/ 18 20
month days & they meshed together
like cogs
• Developed based on observation of
sun, planets, & moon

55. http://www.livescience.com/16606-failed-
doomsday-predictions-apocalypse.html

56. Mayan Mathematics!!!
*Concept of 0, base system of 20 (see shell dots)
• 365 day calendar

57. Language
• Most advanced in Americas
• 800 glyphs- symbols, words &
syllables, carved in stone or in
CODEX, (bark paper books) (3 left)
• Popul Voh- story of creation. They
also recorded
history & events.

58. • Don’t write!!!
• 800s: abandon cities, Toltec's take
over, destroy.
• Warfare btw
city-states
• Damage to
environment
from S & B
farming may
have hurt the
empire

60. TOLTECS AND MORE!

61. • Valley of Mexico- mtn basin 7500 feet
above sea level, w/ large shallow lakes
at center. Fertile soil, lots of resources

62. • Teotihuacan- founded 100 AD by? –
Had 150,000 - 200,000 people
• Multi-ethnic city w/ a central
ave, w/ 20 pyramids for gods, 200
ft tall Pyramid of the Sun

63. • Center of trade
network w/
(trade obsidian)
• Art & religion
influence areas
• no conquering.
• Falls 750 AD
due to:
Invasion?
Drought?
Conflict?

64. TOLTECS
• 900 AD: Toltecs founded Tula. Built
pyramids & temples.
• Very warlike, worship
war gods, give blood
sacrifice, conquest

66. • Topiltzin tries to change religion
& get rid of sacrifice.
• Ask people to worship
Quetzalcoatl, (feathered
serpent) but people rebel.
• He & followers forced out to
Yucatan peninsula (influence the
Mayas)
• Decline & gone by 1200

67. • DON’T WRITE!!! Topiltzin & Quetzalcoatl
become legend. After their exile, they traveled
east on raft of snakes, crossing the sea, to one
day return, bringing peace. (Light skinned w/
beard, will cause a problem later) Quetz was tied to
the year Ce Acatl (One Reed), which correlates to the
year 1519, an important date!!!!)

68. AZTECS

69. Aztecs
• 1200 AD: poor nomads from
deserts of N Mexico wander & work
as soldiers for hire from surviving
Toltec cities

70. • Huitzilopochtli, god of war, sacrifice &
sun tells Aztecs to found a city (look for eagle
on a cactus on a lake with a snake in its mouth)
• Find Lake Texacoco & build Tenochtitlan

71. • 1428: Tecoco & Tlacoan form
alliance & gain control of neighbors.
Eventually covers 80,000 sq miles.
Divide into 38 provinces w/ pop of
5-15 mil.
• Power based on
tribute
thru conquest
• Local rulers & religion left in. Pay
gold, maize, cacao, jade to Aztecs
who kill those who don’t pay

72. SOCIETY

74. Tenochtitlan
• Island site. 3 raised roads over water
to travel to mainland
• Small cities ring island
• Streets connect to city center
• Canals cross underneath
• Massive walled complex,
w/ 45 public buildings)
temples, ball courts,
govt buildings)
• Palace of 100 rooms

75. • DON’T WRITE!!!! city divided into 4 zones or
campan, each campan was divided into 20
districts (calpullis,) & each calpulli was crossed by
streets or tlaxilcalli.
• 3 main streets crossed the city, each leading to
one of the three causeways to the mainland;
(wide enough for 10 horses).
• calpullis were divided by channels used for
transportation, w/ wood bridges were removed
at night.
• Main market place (20,000 traders)
• 45 public buildings (schools, temples, govt
buildings, rack of skulls, platforms for sacrifice!)

79. • Grow avocados, beans, chilies, corn,
squash, tomatoes, many grown on
chinampas
• barter items & foodstuffs: gold, silver,
& other precious
stones, cloth &
cotton, animal
skins, wild game
& woodwork

80. Religion
• 1000s of gods, adopted
from others (Quetzacoatl)
• Elaborate public ceremonies w/
offerings. Rituals,dramas, songs,
dances, masked performances
• Huitzilopochtli makes sun rise &
set. Battles evil nightly & needs
human blood for strength or sun
would not rise, all life perish

81. • 1000s sacrificed each year. Heart
carved out, most POWs. Often
purpose of conquest was to get
victims
*The victim was taken to the top of the
temple & laid on a stone slab by 4 priests.
His abdomen was sliced open by a 5th priest
w/ a ceremonial knife made of flint. This
cut went through the diaphragm. Then,
the priest would grab the heart out of the
victim while it was still beating. The heart
was placed in a bowl held by a statue of
the honored god while the body was
thrown on the temple’s stairs & the head
would be placed on display. The rest was fed
to the zoo

83. • God of the night sky. Knows all the deeds &
thoughts of men, challenge warriors.
Protector of slaves. Reward good doers with
wealth & fame, punish bad people with
sickness . Each year in the 5th month, one
prisoner was chosen to live in luxury &
pretend to be Tecat. 4 beautiful girls dressed
as goddesses live with him. On feast day, he
was sacrificed!
He told the Aztecs
where to build their
city. He was the Sun
god who they fed with
human sacrifice.
He was the god of war.
Sacrifice

84. • According to the Aubian Codex, the Aztecs originally came from a
place called Aztlan. They lived under the ruling of a powerful elite
called the "Azteca Chicomoztoca". Huitzilopochtli ordered them to
abandon Aztlan and find a new home. He also ordered them never
to call themselves Aztec; instead they should be called "Mexica."
Huitzilopochtli guided them through the journey. For a time,
Huitzilopochtli left them in the charge of his sister, Malinaloxctili,,
but the Aztecs resented her ruling and called back Huitzilopochtli.
He put his sister to sleep and ordered the Aztecs to leave the
place. When she woke up and realized she was alone, she became
angry and desired revenge. She gave birth to a son called Copil. .
When he grew up, he confronted Huitzilopochtli, who had to kill
him. Huitzilopochtli then took his heart and threw it in the middle
of Lake Texcoco. Many years later, Huitzilopochtli ordered the
Aztecs to search for Copil's heart and build their city over it. The
sign would be an eagle perched on a cactus, eating a precious
serpent. The Aztecs finally found the eagle, who bowed to them,
and they built a temple in the place, which became Tenochtitlan

85. • 1502: Montezuma II weakens
empire. More sacrifice tribute
needed, so areas rebel. He makes
concessions, but doesn’t work
• Aztecs see omens every where.
•

86. • Hernan Cortes lands in Mexico, a Sp
conquistadors search for gold, god &
glory
• Looking for land to claim more
colonies.
• Hears about
Aztec wealth,
marches
into mtns

87. • Makes friends w/ Aztec enemies
along way
• 600 men reach
Tenochtitlan.
Montezuma
thought he was
a god, gave him
share of Aztec
gold, wants more.

88. • 1520: Cortez’ men kill warriors &
chiefs at a religions celebration.
Rebel & drive sp out.
• 1521: comes back, defeats Aztecs.
Why did he win?
1. superior weapons: musket cannon
2. Help from native groups who
hate Aztecs
3. Disease: mumps, small pox,
typhus no immunity

90. Inca
s

91. • High plateaus of Andes. Wander &
settle in Valley of Cuzco. Est 1200
AD

92. Don’t write!!!!
• Belief in ruler descended from Sun
God Inti (who brings in prosperity
and greatness)
• Leader must be 1 of 11 noble
lineages from sun god
*The Incas were known as the
"Children of the Sun".

93. • 1438: Pachacati conquered all of
Peru. Eventually empire stretches
2500 miles along w coast (land of
4 quarters)

94. • 80 provinces, of nearly 16 mil
people
• powerful military used only when
needed. Diplomats offered chance
to surrender, but keep own
customs & rulers in
exchange for loyalty.
Even if fight, still
try to get loyalty

95. Strong Central Government
SAPA INCA
Supreme Council (4 men)
Provincial Governors
Officials
(army officers, priests, judges,& others
from the noble class. Special privileges)
Tax collectors.
(1 tax collector for every ayllu)
Workers:
( family units called ayllus)

96. Don’t Write
• Tax requirements were high. Women
were expected to weave a certain amount of
cloth, while men had to mine or serve in the
army. Taxes were expected to be paid by
commoners. If the commoners didn't have
money, they'd pay with service on state projects
or make items to sell such as thread or hand-
woven cloaks. People could also pay the
government by giving a portion of their
yearly crop to the collectors for
storehouses instead.

97. How they controlled an empire
1.Central bureaucracy ( w/ people
divided into units, all powerful Inca,
strict laws, basic needs satisfied)
2.Single language : QUECHUA
3Communication (roads & runners)
4.Schools teach Incan ways
5.Service Tax (huge free labor
force)
6.Govt regulates trade

98. 7.Technology (terrace
farming, surplus crops, irrigation
systems
8.Clothing has specific
colors, patterns for social classes
9.Built cities in conquered areas
10.All govt buildings have same
architecture thru empire
11.All roads lead to Cuzco
12. Specialized Professions
(engineers, metal workers, stone

99. 12.Local admin left in hands of local
ruler & keep traditional ways.
13. tribute in form of labor (mita)
14.All citizens work for state so
many days a year (on farms, public
works, make crafts for storage)
15. Like socialism; work for
state, provided for by state
• AYLLU: extended family group.
Takes on large tasks, build canals,
cut terraces, store food

100. Records:
• No writing system, memorize
stories & history
• QUIPUS- knotted strings whose
color & position kept accounting
records (red: warriors, yellow: gold)

101. Religion
• Worship nature spirits
( sun god, the god of thunder,
Moon, rainbows, mountain tops,
stars, planets, etc)
• Mamakuna- virgins of the sun-
help lead sun worship ceremonies,
unmarried lifelong service, weave,
teach, make beer
• Yamacuna: male workers, full time

102. • Don’t Write! Worshiped gods of nature - the sun god,
the god of thunder, Moon, rainbows, mountain tops,
stars, planets, etc.
• believed the gods could intervene to help you or hinder
you.
• believed that the gods & ancestors could communicate
through dreams, omens & signs, which priests
interpret.
• Believe in afterlife & mummify dead. Mummies
of dead rulers remained in their palaces & were
treated as if they were still alive. were carried
through the streets.
• Major religious festivals monthly

104. Cuzco
• Cuzco: the “Navel of the world”
built w/ no wheel or iron tools.
Engineers & stone masons used no
mortar. Religious center
• Temple of the Sun in Cuzco most
sacred. Decorated
in gold, (even garden w/
gold animals (sweat of the
sun) Walls thin gold
sheeting)

106. • Don’t Write!!!!
• 1520s: Hayan Copec tours Ecuador,
opens box, moths & butterflies come
out. Bad omen. He dies later
• Empire split btw sons, Atahualpa
(Ecuador) & Huascar (rest). Ata kills
Huascar

107. • Don’t Write!!!!! Quizquiz (Atahualpa's commander)
led 100,000 men vs 60,000 of Huáscar’s. Very
brutal war! Atahualpa's punishment? Rip out the
hearts of the chiefs & force their followers to eat
them, as well as killing babies in the wombs of
pregnant women. It was partly due to the civil
war that Pizarro won. First, the Incan armies were
depleted from the civil war. Secondly, the Incas
were not united as different groups supported
different brothers. Plus, Atahualpa had Huáscar
killed so that he was not in a position to offer
Pizarro a larger ransom of gold than Atahualpa
was offering for his own release.

108. • 1532: Francisco Pizarro, SP
conquistador leads 200 men into
Andes. Met Atahualpa (who has
30,000 unarmed men). Ambush &
crush,& kill Incas.
•

109. • Kidnap Atahualpa who offers room
filled w/ gold, twice over with
silver.
• Pizarro takes it,
strangles Atahualpa
• Sp conquer rest of
empire

110. Achievements of the Incas
• Terrace Farming
• Freeze Dried Foods
• Use of Gold and Silver
• Marvelous Stonework
• Textiles
• Aqueducts
• Hanging Bridges
• Panpipes
• Systems of
Measurement (calendar, quipus)

111. Machu Picchu

115. Don’t Write
• Found in 1911.
• Palace? City? Home for Pachacati?
• Built around 1450 AD.
• Still a mystery
of it’s purpose

116. • http://educatoral.com/aztec_maya_inca_web
q/webquestindex.html
• http://questgarden.com/69/60/9/080829054
640/process.htm
• http://www.cumbavac.org/Aztecs_Incas_May
a.htm

117. • http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:/
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