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Early American Civilizations. Regions of Latin America. The Caribbean. Central America. South America. Mountains and Peaks. Sierra Madres Mts. Amazon Rainforest. Andes Mts. Major Pre-Columbian Civilizations. The Maya.
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RegionsofLatinAmerica The Caribbean Central America South America
MountainsandPeaks Sierra Madres Mts. Amazon Rainforest Andes Mts.
The Maya • The Mayan civilization flourished in present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize. • 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(ruled by religious leaders).
Lands of the Mayans The Yucatan Peninsula
The Maya • Atop the pyramids were religious and governmental centers. • The Maya became skilled astronomers and developed a writing system called hieroglyphics.
Mayan Cultivation of Maize Chac, God of Rain -->
Overview of Tikal (Guatemala) Temple of the Masks
The Maya • 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.
Do Now • Please answer the following question: • List three facts about the Mayan empire
The Aztec • Founded in 1325, Tenochtitlan was the home of the Aztec and their capital city. • This city was on an island. • They filled in Lake Texcoco, to build the capital.
The Aztec • They were a warrior people and conquered nearly all their rivals. • They were a military empire. • Location- Mexico
Aztec Religion • They believed in pleasing the gods. • They sacrificed thousands of prisoners in religious ceremonies.
Do Now • List three facts about the Aztecs
The Inca • Started in the western highlands of South America around 1200 A.D. • Colombia to Argentina/Chile. • Cuzco was the capital city.
The Inca • Was the largest of the early American civilizations. • Empire was more than 3,000 miles long • Population was more than 9 million people.
Inca Achievements • Built 10,000 miles of paved roads. • Rope bridges over rivers and canyons. • Record-keeping system to track time between distances. • ****Terracing the land-built platforms so that they could plant crops on slopes of mountains/hills
Cuzco: Ancient Capital of the Inca(11,000 ft. above sea level)
Over 100 Different Types of Potatoes Cultivated by the Incans
Religion • Worshiped the sun as a god.