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Early American Civilizations

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Early American Civilizations. Mesoamerica. Introduction. Several great civilizations arose in present-day Mexico and in Central and South America. The most advanced were the Olmec, the Maya, the Aztec and the Inca. Each thrived for centuries. Olmec Civilization. Olmec Civilization. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Early American Civilizations Mesoamerica
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Page 1: Early American Civilizations

Early American Civilizations

Mesoamerica

Page 2: Early American Civilizations

Introduction

• Several great civilizations arose in present-day Mexico and in Central and South America.

• The most advanced were the Olmec, the Maya, the Aztec and the Inca.

• Each thrived for centuries.

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Olmec Civilization

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Olmec Civilization

• The Olmec built stone pavement and drainage systems and sculpted large stone monuments.

• Their civilization influenced their neighbors.

• Click on the icon to learn more about the Olmec civilization.

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• The Mayan civilization flourished in present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Belize.

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• The people built large cities, each having at least one stone pyramid.

• Tikal was the largest Mayan city and had five pyramids.

• The Mayan civilization was a theocracy, or a society ruled by religious leaders.

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• The Maya believed that the gods controlled all that happened on Earth.

• Atop the pyramids were religious and government centers.

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• The Maya become skilled astronomers and developed a system for writing called hieroglyphics.

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• Mayan traders transported their goods such as maize, vegetables, jade, turquoise jewelry and cacao beans on their backs and along the water.

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• No one knows what caused the decline of the Maya around A.D. 900, but descendants of the Maya still live in parts of Mexico and Central America.

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To learn more about the Mayan civilization click on the icon.

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• Discussion Question:• Why do you think the Maya believed

that the gods controlled what happened on Earth?

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Founded in 1325, Tenochtitlan was the home of the Aztec and their capital city.

Workers toiled day and night to make causeways linking the island to the Mainland.

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Tenochtitlan was also a center of trade.

The Aztec people were warriors and conquerednearly all rival communities.

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From the conquered people, the Aztec took weapons, maize, cotton cloth, and copper.

The Aztec forced their captives to work as slaves.

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The Aztec people also believed in pleasing the gods.

Their society was organized around religion, and they sacrificed thousands of prisoners in religious ceremonies.

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To learn more about the Aztecs civilization click on the icon.

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Discussion Question

How did the Aztec build a military empire ?

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The Incan Empire developed in the western highlands of South America.

Cuzco, the capital city, was founded around A.D. 1200.

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The Incan ruler Pachacuti and his son, Topa Inca, conquered neighboring lands to build their empire.

It was the largest of the early American civilizations.

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The empire stretched more than 3,000 miles from present-day Colombia to northern Argentina and Chile.

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The population of the Inca Empire at its height was more than nine million people.

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The Incans were very advanced. They built 10,000 miles of paved roads.

Rope bridges crossed canyons and rivers.

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The Incas developed a record-keeping system using quipus so that runners could take messages from one part of the empire to another.

The language, Quechua, became the official language of the empire.

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The Incas developed a system of terracing the land by building platforms so that they could plant crops on slopes.

The Incas were a religious people, worshipping the sun god.

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Discussion Question

Why is the Inca considered a great civilization?

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To learn more about the Incas civilization click on the icon.


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