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Pre-Colombian Civilizations In the Americas. Chapter 6. Early Human Migrations. Major Pre-Colombian Civilizations. Early Civ in the Americas.
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Pre-Colombian Civilizations In the Americas Chapter 6
Early Civ in the Americas • 2 centers of early civ in the Americas (Olmec and Inca) developed in total isolation from developments elsewhere in the world, so they lacked certain advantages that come from the ability to copy and react to other societies. • Lacked tech. like the wheel and iron working, but they were considerably ahead of Europe during the same time. • Demonstrate common tendency of humans to move from agriculture to est. civ.
The earliest American civilization (600-400 B.C.E.) developed along the Mexican Gulf Coast simultaneously w/ classical world, though in isolation. Provided Central America w/ equivalent of river valley civ in Asia & Mid East. Cultivation of maize. Olmecs did not build cities, but ceremonial centers made up of pyramid-shaped temples and other buildings (inspired Mayans). Influence spread through trade. The Olmec
Olmecs did not develop writing, so archaeologists know very little else about the Olmecs. However, they know from the tombs and temple ruins that priests and aristocrats stood at the top of Olmec society. The most famous remains of Olmec civilization are the giant carved stone heads at La Venta. No one knows how they moved these 40-ton stones from distant quarries without wheeled vehicles. Olmecs disappeared w/o a trace around 400 B.C.E., but Maya successors soon evolved. Mysteries of the Olmecs
Lands of the Mayans The Yucatan Peninsula
300-900 A.D. Mayans lived in what is now southern Mexico and Guatemala. Yucatan Peninsula. Influenced by their predecessors, the Olmecs. Descendents of the Mayans still live today in Guatemala. About the Mayans…
The Mayan Empire was made up of city-states. Each had its own chief, or king. He was assisted by nobles who served as military chiefs, and officials who managed public works, collected taxes, and enforced laws. Rulers were usually men, but some women governed on behalf of their sons. Priests were very powerful b/c only they could conduct religious ceremonies needed to ensure good harvest and success in war. Used pyramid temples like this one: Mayan Society
Priests climbed to the top of the temple to make sacrifices as people watched from below. Also served as burial places for nobles and priests Mayan pyramids at Tikal were tallest structures in the Americas until 1903 when Flatiron Building was built in NYC. The importance of pyramid temples
Religious Syncretism Today: • Mashimone: The divine intermediary whom the indigenous people of Antigua go through to ensure their prayers to God are answered. In exchange for answering your prayers you must give him money, cigarettes and shots of rum. The candles at his feet mean different things. Black magic.
Mayan priests needed to measure time accurately in order to hold ceremonies at the right time. Therefore, many priests became mathematicians and astronomers. Developed and accurate 365-day solar calendar. Invented numbering system and understood concept of zero. Advances in Learning
Mayans developed a hieroglyphic writing system. Mayan scribes kept sacred knowledge in books made of bark. Spanish conquerors later burned many of these books, but a few were taken to European museums. Advances in Learning
Mayan Glyphs sky king house child city Mayan Mathematics
Spectators watched as 2 teams competed to drive a rubber ball through a stone ring that hung from a wall. Opposing players moved the ball using their bodies, but not their hands and feet. Similar to soccer, which is modern Mexico’s most popular spectator sport. Mayan Ball Games
Mayan Cultivation of Maize Chac, God of Rain
Most Mayans were farmers. Mayan farmers cleared the rain forests and built fields that held and drained rainwater. With their advanced system of farming, Mayans cultivated maize (corn), beans, and squash to support the heavily populated cities. Farmers paid taxes in food: helped build temples. Importance of Farming (Maize)
Overview of Tikal (Guatemala) Temple of the Masks
Tikal: Temple of the Masks My sister <Laura
Mayans Today • A Mayan woman and child in Antigua, Guatemala. Photo complements of my sis.
Toltecs • Maya civcollpased around the 8th c C.E. • Nomads in n. Yucatan took advantage of political vacuum to move into richer lands. Among them was the Toltecs. Toltec accomplishments often confused with Mayan and Aztecs. • Toltec Empire lasted until 1150 when Aztecs rose to power.
In the late 1200s, nomads migrated into the Valley of Mexico from the north. Would become known as the theMexica or Tenocha people. Better known as Aztecs. According to Aztec legend, the gods told them to search for an eagle perched on top of a cactus holding a snake in its beak. They found it on a swampy island in Lake Texcoco. It was here that they built the capital city of Tenochititlan (modern Mexico City), founded about 1325. Arrival of Aztecs in Valley of Mexico
In the 1400s, the Aztecs expanded their empire throughout most of Mexico. Their methods of conquest included fierce warfare, and shrewd alliance. By 1500, there were 30 million people in the Aztec empire. Their skillful warfare resulted in wealth and power. Tribute, or taxes forced on conquered peoples, helped the Aztecs turn Tenochtitlan into a magnificent city which rivaled its European counterparts. Spread of the Aztec Empire
Aztec Government and Society • Unlike Mayan city-states, each of which has its own king, the Aztecs had only one central ruler. The emperor was chosen by a council of nobles and priests. Emperor was seen as a representative of the gods on Earth. • Nobles served as officials, judges, and governors of conquered territories. • Next came the warriors who could rise to noble status by capturing or killing enemy soldiers. • The rest of society (the majority) was composed of commoners who farmed the land. • Slaves were at the bottom of society. They could own land and buy freedom.
As the population of Tenochtitlan grew, the Aztecs discovered an ingenious way to create more farmland. Built chinampas, or artificial floating islands made of dirt piled on top of reed mats that were anchored to the shallow lake bed. They mimicked nature, as much of the land of Tenochtitlan itself was a chinampa in origin. Raised maize (corn), squash, and beans on these. Also built canals in the lake for transportation. Chinampas
