Pre-conquest Latin American Civilizations

MayaAztec OlmecIncan

The Olmecs

• Can be considered the first major civilization in Mexico

• Like the Nile, the Coatzacoalcos River basin provided nutrient-rich soil and water ways

• Flourished from 1500 B.C.E to 400 B.C. E.

• Probably the first Mesoamerican culture to use the concept of “zero”

The Coatzacoalcos River Basin

The Olmecs, continued

• First to play the Mesoamerican ballgame

• Known for their “giant” head artwork• First in the Western hemisphere to

develop a writing system• Their religion was polytheistic and

the Olmecs were the first to practice bloodletting in Mesoamerica

Big Heads

Mesoamerican ballgame goal

The Maya Civilization

• Mesoamerican Civilization located in Mexico and Central America

• The Maya Civilization can be traced as far back as 2600 B.C.E., and many people still speak Mayan to this day

• Known for having the only fully developed written language in the Americas prior to European Conquest

• Had the most sophisticated calendar of Pre-Columbian civilizations: December 21th, 2012 starts a new cycle

Mayan syllabic language“writing”

Dec 21st 2012: What will happen?

Maya civilization: continued• Was comprised of many kingdoms.

One hereditary “ajaw” ruled over a capital city and several lesser towns

• Maya cities differed greatly because they were built according to topography; limestone was the most common stone used

• Maya religion was polytheistic and based on cycles interpreted by a priest, the Maya also practiced human sacrifice

Chichen Itza

The Inca Empire• Located on the West Coast of South

America, centered around the Andes Mountains

• Was the largest empire in Pre-Columbian America

• Between 1438 – 1532, the Incas acquired large portions of land through conquest and assimilation

• The empire was divided into 4 sections, each with its own leader that took orders from the King, or Sapa Inca

Sections of the Inca Empire

The Inca Empire, continued

• The Incas did not have a written language; they used quipu, or knotted string to record data

• Incas had many deities and believed in reincarnation

• In 1532, the Spanish arrived ready for conquest during a civil war

• Within a few years, smallpox wiped out a large portion of the Incas; up to 95%

Quipu

The Aztecs

• Around 1100 C. E., the Aztecs migrated from the north to the shores of Lake Texcoco, located in Central Mexico

• By 1434, the Aztecs were demanding tribute and military support throughout the region

• Often the empire did not govern over conquered lands; they demanded tribute

Lake Texcoco

Aztec Sacrifice and Agriculture

• Many lands were purposely not conquered in order to provide a supply of sacrifice victims

• The sacrifices honored their god of sun and war, Huitzilopoctli

• The Aztecs also developed an ingenious system to farm on swamplands called chinampas

• Chinampas were man made islands anchored to the lake bottom by trees

Chinampas