STANDARD 7.7.1 Geography and the Mayan, Aztec, and Incan Empires SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE: Study the locations, landforms, and climates of Mexico, Central America, and South America and their effects on Mayan, Aztec, and Incan economies, trade, and development of urban societies. Read the chart to answer questions on the next page. Geography Mayan Civilization (250 900) Impact Location: The Mayan empire stretched from southern Mexico to northern Central America. Landforms: Lowlands are located in the north; the highlands are in the south. Climate and Vegetation: The lowlands include dry scrub forest and fertile rain forest. The mountainous region is cool and dry. Farmers grew many crops. Terraces and irrigation canals increased land available for farming. This led to population growth and specialized labor. A class system developed. Cities grew from villages and became centers of religious ceremonies and trade. Aztec Civilization (1200 1521) Location: The Aztecs built an empire in the Valley of Mexico in central Mexico. Their first site was on an island in the middle of a large lake. Landforms: The Valley of Mexico is a mountain basin 7,500 feet above sea level. It has several large, shallow lakes. Climate and Vegetation: The valley is fertile. A rainy season begins in May and ends in September. Location: The center of the Incan empire was in a valley in the Andes Mountains. The empire extended along the west coast of South America. Landforms: The central Andes have mountains, valleys, and highland plateaus. Climate and Vegetation: Rain forest covers areas in the northern Andes. Fertile valleys between mountains are in the center. Elevation affects temperatures and land use. Incan Civilization (1400 1532) Aztecs developed farming techniques that allowed them to raise crops on human-made islands. Tenochtitlán was the center of the empire. Bridges and causeways connected it to the mainland. The city had as many as 400,000 people by the early 1500s. They used trade to obtain goods they could not get locally. The Inca terraced land and built irrigation systems to add farmland. They raised animals in higher elevations that were too cool and dry for crops. They built mountain roads, connecting parts of the empire. Runners called chasquis carried messages along the roads. Trade was limited to local and seasonal exchange. Lack of farmland and suitable sites prevented development of large urban centers. CSS Specific Objective 7.7.1: Review 101
STANDARD 7.7.2 Mesoamerican and Andean Societies SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE: Study the roles of people in each society, including class structures, family life, warfare, religious beliefs and practices, and slavery. The Maya The four classes of society were the ruling class, the nobility, peasants, and slaves. The god-kings of each city-state and their families made up the ruling class. The nobles were scholars, architects, and merchants. The peasants included farmers and laborers. Slaves were prisoners of war or criminals. The Maya worshiped more than 160 gods, but they did not believe in a happy afterlife. Mayan rulers performed religious rituals in temples on top of pyramids. Kings sometimes declared war on neighboring city-states to gain control of trade routes or to get tribute. The Aztecs Aztec society had three main classes. Within the highest noble class, the emperor was at the top, followed by government officials, large landowners, military commanders, and priests. Merchants and artisans formed the middle class. The lowest class included farmers, fishers, and soldiers. Aztecs lived in family groups. Men farmed and women cared for the home and children. Boys learned about religion and were taught fighting skills. Most Aztec families had small altars in their homes. They believed in about 1,000 gods, mostly agricultural. Waging war was important. When taking a village, Aztecs would often kill everyone except warriors, who would become Aztec slaves. The Inca There were two main classes. Nobles ran the government and the army. Commoners included farmers and artisans. There were no slaves. The Inca were led by a divine emperor, believed to be the son of Inti, the sun god. They built temples and held daily prayers and rituals. The Inca had a military force of almost 200,000 soldiers. Most soldiers were commoners who served a required period of time. CSS Specific Objective 7.7.2: Review 103
STANDARD 7.7.3 The Rise and Fall of the Mesoamerican and Andean Empires SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE: Explain how and where each empire arose and how the Aztec and Incan empires were defeated by the Spanish. Maya History 1500 B.C.: The Maya began to establish villages in Mesoamerica. A.D. 250: The Maya would build more than 40 cities and make important contributions in mathematics, science, architecture, and art. 700s: Warfare broke out among Maya. Food shortages resulted. 800s: The Maya abandoned many cities, leaving only a few weak city-states. Aztec History 1200s: Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico. 1325: Aztecs founded the city of Tenochtitlán. 1300s 1400s: Aztecs developed a thriving agricultural system. They made alliances with and conquered neighboring states. 1500s: The Aztec empire stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific. 1502: Montezuma II came to power. His demands for tribute and victims for sacrifice led to rebellion within the empire. 1519: The Spanish arrived, led by Cortés. Fighting broke out and Montezuma was killed. Diseases such as smallpox weakened the Aztecs. 1521: The Spanish conquered Tenochtitlán. Incan History 1100s: The Inca moved from the highlands to the valley of Cuzco. 1438: Pachacuti came to the throne. Under his rule, the empire expanded to include Peru and neighboring lands. This was accomplished by diplomacy and, when necessary, force. 1527: Civil war broke out in the empire, weakening it. 1532: The Spanish arrived under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro. 1530s 1570s: The steel weapons and horses enabled the Spanish to take control of the Incas. 1572: The last Incan emperor was defeated. CSS Specific Objective 7.7.3: Review 105
STANDARD 7.7.4 Art and Architecture in Mesoamerican and Andean Civilizations SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE: Describe the artistic and oral traditions and architecture in the three civilizations. Mayan Civilization The Maya built pyramids, temples, and palaces. The pyramids were built to allow priests to communicate with the gods. They had steps along the sides and temples on top. The Maya decorated the walls of temples and other buildings with murals. Skilled carvers created sculptures, made objects out of jade, and set up steles. Steles are pillars inscribed with symbols that record information. The Maya s writing system had more than 800 hieroglyphic symbols. The Maya recorded much of their history and customs. The Popol Vuh is the Mayan story of creation. The Aztec Civilization The Aztecs built large structures. Tenochtitlán had many palaces, temples, and government buildings. The Great Temple in the center was a giant pyramid with two temples on top. The Aztec also made feather headdresses and jewelry with precious stones. The Aztecs used pictures and symbols to represent words and ideas. Their glyphs were also collected in codices, folded sheets of bark or deerskin with colorful pictures. The Incan Civilization The Inca were great builders. They constructed more than 14,000 miles of road through the mountains. They built forts, palaces, and temples from huge blocks of stone without using any mortar. Some of their temples were heavily decorated with gold. Incan artisans also used gold to make jewelry. Their weavers used wool from alpacas to create cloth with complicated designs. The Inca preserved facts and ideas through oral tradition and a quipu, a knotted string device that had symbols for numbers. CSS Specific Objective 7.7.4: Review 107
STANDARD 7.7.5 Mesoamerican and Andean Achievements SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE: Describe the Mesoamerican achievements in astronomy and mathematics, including the development of the calendar and the Mesoamerican knowledge of seasonal changes to the civilizations agricultural systems. Mayan Achievements The Maya believed that time was carried on the backs of various gods. These gods took turns. To identify the god for each day, the Maya developed a religious calendar. Depending on the god, some days were lucky and some were not. They also created a solar calendar based on their studies of the planets, sun, and moon. They calculated the year to be 365.2420 days. They were within 0.0002 of a day by today s estimation. The religious calendar had 260 days broken into 13 months. The solar calendar had 18 months, each with 20 days, and a separate period of 5 days at the end. The two calendars were used together to help the Maya determine the best time to plant crops, attack enemies, and crown rulers. The Maya invented zero, which enabled them to make precise calculations. They also had a number system with a base of 20 that helped them in their calendar and astronomical work. Aztec Achievements The Aztec calendar system was based on the Mayan system. The Aztecs had two calendars. The sacred calendar had 13 months; the solar calendar had 18 months, each with 20 days. The separate 5-day period at the end was thought to be unlucky. Every 52 years, the two calendars would start on the same day. A ceremony marked the occasion. Incan Achievements The Inca used a string device known as the quipu to record data. The knots and their positions on the strings represented numbers. The colors of the strings represented other information. The Inca are also believed to have had a calendar system with two calendars, one for day and one for night. These calendars were used for religious purposes. The Inca believed that gods ruled the day and time. CSS Specific Objective 7.7.5: Review 109