Maya, Aztec and Inca Civilizations

1
Maya, Aztec and Inca Civilizations
2
Essential Question

• What are the cultural achievements of the
• Ancient Maya?

3
(No Transcript)
4
Timeline
Incas 1200-1500 CE
1600 CE
0
Aztecs 1100-1521 CE
Maya 300-900 CE
5
The Mayas

• What geographical features did the Mayan lands
  include?
• Southern Mexico (Yucatan Peninsula), Belize,
  Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras

• Gulf of Mexico to Caribbean Sea
• Rugged highlands/swamps

6
The Mayas

• What did the Mayans look like?
• Short with straight, black hair, painted bodies,
  tattoos, crossed eyes, flattened foreheads

7
The Mayas

• Why did Mayas tie objects from their infants
  foreheads?
• To encourage their eyes to cross
• Why did some Mayas tie boards to their childrens
  heads?
• To flatten their foreheads this was a sign of
  beauty in their culture

8
The Mayas

• What did early Mayas eat?
• They fished and they grew maize (corn), beans,
  squash, peppers, avocados, and papayas

9
The Mayan Eras

• Pre-Classic 2,500BC to AD 250 fishing
  villages/learned to plant crops
• Classic Era AD 250 AD 900 built cities,
  pyramid temples, developed advanced math and
  astronomy and writing
• Post-Classic Era AD 900 1500 Mayas left
  their great cities and scattered through out
  countryside not sure why we will discuss
  possible reasons

10
The Maya - Tikal

• Largest city - Tikal (in present day Guatemala)
  100,000 people

11
The Maya Copan

• 2nd Largest city Copán (in present day
  Honduras)
• The Great Staircase 30ft wide, 63 steps, picture
  writing covers each step

12

• Chichen Itza Large observatory tower used by
  ancient astronomers and Well of Sacrifice

13
Mayan Writing

• Borrowed a writing from Olmecs
• Developed a system of writing using pictures
  (glyphs) and symbols

14
Mayan Books

• Made paper by pounding fibers from bark of ficus
  tree into pulp and glued it together with tree
  sap
• When the paper dried they coated it with white
  lime
• A Mayan book is called a codex
• Fiber paper/deer hide for covers
• Why did the Spanish destroy Mayan books?
• Why do you think they thought they were evil?

15
Mayan Math


7
3


10
-

-
7

18
11


-

-


0
5

3
12
10
-


0
7
2
9
-


16
Mayan Calendar

• The Mayan priest used their knowledge of
  astronomy and math to develop two accurate
  calendars
• One was sacred (religious), the other was for
  planning
• The Mayan Calendar
• solar year of 365 days.
• divided into 18 months of 20 days each, followed
  by a five-day period that was highly unlucky.
• Did the Mayans predicted that the world would
  end on December 21, 2012?

17
The Great Mystery of the Maya

• Around AD 850/900 the Mayas suddenly left their
  cities and were scattered throughout the
  countryside Why??
• Some theories for why they did this include
• Natural Disasters earthquake, hurricane,
  drought
• Disease
• Crop failures/famine (no plow, did not develop
  new agriculture methods)
• Peasant rebellion against the priests and nobles
  who ruled the cities
• Invaders - Toltecs