Early Civilizations of Middle America Chapter 2, Section 1
The Mayas and the Aztecs Map pg. 39 What color represents the Mayas? The Aztecs? What are the current day locations? Were the two civilizations around at the same time? What are the main cities?
The Mayas Located in present day Southern Mexico and Central America Thrived between A.D. 250 to A.D. 900 Mayas built great cities: Copán present day Honduras Tikal present day Guatemala Cities were religious centers
Religious Centers Large pyramid-shaped temples that stood at the center of the cities Worshipped their gods within the temples Performed rituals: Human sacrifice the offering of a human life to their gods. Mayan priests performed these rituals, and also did many more jobs
Advancements Mayan priests studied stars and planets Designed an accurate calendar Used for deciding when to hold religious ceremonies More accurate than any used in Europe, until the 1700s Developed a system of writing Hieroglyphics: a system of writing using signs and symbols Books were made of paper created from the bark of fig trees
Mayan Farming: Farms were in fields surrounding the great cities Maize (corn) was their most important crop and main food Also grew other crops: Beans Avocadoes Squash Papayas peppers
The Great Mystery of the Mayas Around A.D. 900, the Mayan people left their cities for unknown reasons. Possible reasons: Crop failures Disease War Drought or famine Rebellion against priests and nobles Some Mayas did stay within the region and millions still live in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala.
The Aztecs Located in present day central Mexico Thrived between A.D. 1325 to A.D. 1521 Aztecs built a vast empire, as well as a magnificent city: Tenochtitlan: the Aztec capital, stood on the present day site of Mexico City Settled on top of a swampy lake Lake Texcoco
Building an Empire In the 1400s Aztec warriors began conquering other people in the region Conquered people were forced to pay tribute (or taxes) Tribute could be paid in food, cotton, gold, or slaves. Aztecs grew rich from tribute
Aztec Society Aztec emperors ruled all Aztec lands Nobles assisted in governing Soldiers fought wars to expand the empire Protected trade routes Priests were religious leaders and important members of society Upper class wore feathered garments and carried feathered fans to signify their status
Farming Like the Mayas, the Aztecs used irrigation to water their crops They also created new farmland by constructing artificial floating gardens called chinampas (pg. 43) Aztec farmers grew: Corn Squash Beans
Culture Tenochtitlan was a magnificent capital city: Huge temples Busy markets Wide streets and canals Floating gardens Zoo Markets were filled with food, gold and silver, jewelry, feathers, and fine crafts The emperor and nobles lived in palaces and had slaves.
Religion In temples, priests performed ceremonies, including human sacrifice Priest used astronomy to create an accurate calendar Also predicted eclipses and movements of the planets They kept records using hieroglyphics, similar to the Mayas
Aztec Medicine Doctors were able to make more than 1,000 medicines from plants Medicines used to: lower fever cure stomachaches heal wounds They also set broken bones and practiced dentistry
Trade Due to power of the army, traders could travel long distances in safety. Crops from distant parts of the empire were brought to the capital city. Crafts, weapons, tools traded within and beyond the empire. Luxury goods: jaguar skins, jewelry, cacao Goods were carried by porters Trade done by barter, or the exchange of goods without the use of money.
End of the Aztec Empire Did not abandon their fine cities, like the Mayas Conquered by newcomers from a faraway land Europeans Will look at further in the chapter