Chapter 14.1The Peoples of North America

and Mesoamerica

The Maya

Mesoamerica: Pre-contact areas of Mexico and Central America that flourished with various civilizations

• The Maya (300-900 CE) lived on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mesoamerica• More than 100,000 inhabitants• Composed of city-states that often fought each other

Mayan Religion and Culture

•All life was at the mercy of divine powers

•Humans were sacrificed to the gods• Ceremonies• Appeasement

• Sophisticated writing using hieroglyphs• Wrote books using bark• Created an accurate calendar

• 18 months with 20 days each and an extra 5 days at the end

The Toltec• ~1000 CE: Toltec rose to prominence in central Mexico

• Reached peak 950-1150 CE

• Center of empire was Tula (near modern-day Mexico City)• Practiced agriculture using water from Tula River

• Supported 40,000-60,000 people

• Warrior culture• Expanded influence throughout Mexico

• ~1125 CE: Toltec empire began to decline due to multiple wars• Tula sacked and burned; history texts burned

The Aztec

•Origins uncertain; migrated into Mexico ~1100 CE• Established capital at Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), an

island in Lake Texcoco• Built stone roads over the lake to connect island to

mainland

•Aztec at Tenochtitlan formed a Triple Alliance with cities of Tetzcoco and Tlacopan• Alliance ruled until Montezuma’s contact with Spaniards

in 1500s

Discussion

Officials of Mexico City decided to drain Lake Texcoco in order to prevent further flooding of the city.

In your table groups, discuss: What might have been some consequences of draining Lake Texcoco?

Huitzilopochtli

1998: 6,000 wild axolotls per square km2003: 1,000/km2

2008: 100/km2

2013: 0/km2

Aztec Religion

•Polytheistic•Ometeotl = supreme god •Huitzilopochtli = god of sun and war•Quetzelcoatl = god of wind and learning

•Life was a struggle between good and evil; world destroyed several times in this struggle•Human sacrifices believed to postpone another

destruction

Aztec Society and Culture

•4 million total Aztec by 1500 CE• Most were slaves, servants, or commoners

• Spoke Nahuatl; king called tlatoani• Tlatoani were believed to be descended from gods

•Noble male children chose job upon adulthood: warrior, politician, or priest

•Aztec markets were massive; traded feathers, gold, cacao beans