NOTES
(Chapter 1 Section 2)
MAYA, AZTEC, & INCA
MAYA
– Located in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, & Belize
– Farmers – maize, beans, sweet potatoes
– Built pyramids
– Tikal – largest & capital city (present day Guatemala)
– Religion was very important, believed in many Gods
– Theocracy – Government ruled by religious leaders
– Astronomers – developed 365 day calendar
– Used hieroglyphics – picture writing
– 300-1100 A.D.
AZTEC
– Located in Mexico
– 1300-1600 A.D.
– Tenochtitlan – Capital & largest city (present day Mexico City) originally built on island in Lake Texcoco
– Warlike
– Religion very important
– Offered human sacrifices to the Sun God
– Conquered by Cortes & Spanish
– Created floating gardens
OLMEC
-1500 B.C. – 300 B.C
-Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras
-Farmers
–
INCA
– Located in west coast of South America (Andes)
– Largest empire in South & Central America
– Cuzco – Capital & largest city
– 3,000 miles long
– Warlike
– 9 million people at height
– built network of roads connecting cities (10,000 miles)
– built terraces (broad platforms in mountain) for farming
– Emperor – descendant of Sun God
– Machu Picchu – religious city high in Andes (Peru)
– Very good at medicine – performed brain surgery, treated malaria & other diseases
– Farmers – maize, beans, squash, sweet potatoes, cotton, peanuts
– Conquered by Pizzaro & Europeans
– Quipus – record keeping system using string