CULTURES OF THE AMERICASEssential Questions:1.What were the Americas like before the arrival of Europeans?2.How would one characterize the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations?3.What was the Iroquois Confederacy?

The Maya: Classical Period (250 CE – 900 CE)

Saw the peak of large-scale construction and the recording of monumental inscriptions

They developed an agriculturally intensive, city-centered empire

The cities of Tikal and Copán were built during this period

Architecture includes the stepped pyramids

The Maya participated in long distance trade with many of the other Mesoamerican cultures The Tainos in the Caribbean, are

one such culture

The Maya Collapse Cities were abandoned during the 9th

century

There is no one theory to explain this “collapse”

Current theories fall into two categories: Non-ecological Theories

Overpopulation Invasion Revolt Collapse of key trade routes

Ecological Theories: Environmental disaster Disease Climate change

The best theory is that the Maya population exceeded its agricultural potential

The Aztecs Origins and Mythology

Aztecs' legendary home was Aztlan Some believe Aztlan was

somewhere to the north Others suggest it’s a mythical

place The Lost City (Atlantis)

Rise of the Aztecs Over the 14th, 15th and 16th

centuries the Aztec civilization grew in power and territory

The capital of the empire was Tenochtitlan The city was interlaced with canals

which were useful for transportation

Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan rose above the city

Mexico City is built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan

The Aztecs Human Sacrifice

Human sacrifice was practiced throughout Mesoamerica

Aztecs brought this practice to an unprecedented level

Aztecs reported that they sacrificed 84,400 prisoners over the course of four days 879 people a day, 37 people an

hour

Fall of the Aztec Aztecs were conquered by Spain

in 1521 Much of the population died from

hunger and smallpox Aztecs were not liked by the other

states Freedom from Aztec domination

was probably considered a positive occurrence

Aztec Calendar Used by the Aztecs as well as

other Pre-Columbian peoples in Central Mexico

Consisted of a 365 day calendar cycle

Is a circular stone with pictures representing how the Aztecs measured days, months, and cosmic cycles

Is evidence of the Aztec's knowledge of astronomy and mathematics

Was originally placed atop the main temple in Tenochtitlan

The Incas A Brief History

Incas began as a tribe in the 12th century

They absorbed cities as they grew The Empire later suffered a civil

war When the Spanish conquerors

arrived they took advantage of the situation They conquered the Inca in

1533

Architecture Architecture was by far the most

important of the Inca contributions

The Inca used a mortarless construction

Machu Picchu was constructed by the Inca

Similar rockwork exists on Easter island

Iroquois Confederacy

Confederacy was made up of 5 nations: The Mohawk The Oneida The Onondaga The Cayuga The Seneca

Based in what is now upstate New York

Beliefs Iroquois believed in a formless

Great Spirit or Creator Spirits animated all of nature After the arrival of the Europeans,

many Iroquois became Christians – by choice or force