Latin America PreColumbian

Pre-Columbian Latin America!

The Original Americans

Today, it may be hard to find the heritage of the millions of original Americans who populated North and South America. Mostly, this is because huge numbers of those Native Americans were conquered and killed, either by new diseases or European guns.

Cultural ignorance and a self-centered worldview allowed the white settlers to dismiss the Native Americans as "savages."

Multiple Select

According to the previous slide, what two things either killed or conquered Native Americans?

<<Select TWO answers! >>

• lack of knowledge

• guns

• diseases

• tricks

• natural disasters, such as volcanos and earthquakes

Multiple Choice

Today, it may be hard to find the heritage of the millions of original Americans who populated North and South America. Mostly, this is because huge numbers of those Native Americans were conquered and killed, either by new diseases or European guns.

This text explains why...

• we don't see Native American culture all around us.

• Europeans wanted to conquer Native American civilizations.

Multiple Choice

Cultural ignorance and a self-centered worldview allowed the white settlers to dismiss the Native Americans as "savages."

This sentence says that:

• Native Americans WERE savages.

• White people THOUGHT Native Americans were savages.

The Original Americans - Three Empires

We now know a lot more about three major empires: the Maya, Aztec and Inca civilizations.

These people built large cities to live in and giant temples to worship their gods. They didn't live in paradise; owning slaves was common in Mesoamerica.

But they also demonstrated lots of practical knowledge, from astronomy to farming techniques to medicines. These were the original Americans.

Multiple Choice

Which of these is true of Mesoamerica?

• There was no farming.

• Slavery was never legal

• Three major empires ruled.

• A single empire ruled for thousands of years.

Multiple Choice

The Aztec, the Inca, and the Maya were:

• Pre-Columbian Civilizations of North and South America

• Greek gods and goddesses

• Mountain ranges in Mexico

• Countries in Europe

Multiple Select

Name three civilizations that were "the original Americans":

<< Select THREE answers!>>

• Aztec

• Romans

• Inca

• Maya

• Greeks

Where were they?

• Olmec - Gulf of Mexico

• Maya - Yucatán Peninsula

• Aztec - Central Mexico

• Inca - South America

Multiple Choice

Which pre-Columbian civilization lived on the Yucatán Peninsula?

• Olmec

• Aztec

• Maya

• Inca

Multiple Choice

Which pre-Columbian civilization lived in central Mexico?

• Olmec

• Aztec

• Maya

• Inca

Multiple Choice

Where did the Olmec live?

• In South America, from the Pacific Coast and the Andes Mountains

• On the Yucatán Peninsula

• On the Gulf of Mexico, between where the Aztecs and the Maya later would live.

Multiple Choice

Where did the Inca live?

• In South America, from the Pacific Coast and the Andes Mountains

• On the Yucatán Peninsula

• On the Gulf of Mexico, between where the Aztecs and the Maya later would live.

Who lived in these areas?

• Green

• Red

• Blue

• Who lived between the blue and the red, on the Gulf of Mexico?

Multiple Choice

Study the timeline.

Which civilization is the oldest?

• Olmec, 1200 BCE

• Maya. 1000 BCE

• Aztec 1200 CE

Olmec

The first culture to build cities in the Americas was probably the Olmec. They lived along the Gulf of Mexico beginning around 1200 BCE and built pyramids in the jungle.

Though they were forgotten until 1862 when a man stumbled upon some of their remnants, the Olmec culture is sometimes called the Mother Culture of Mesoamerica because they strongly influenced the societies that would follow.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is most likely true?

• The Olmec did not have a form of government.

• As soon as the Olmec were gone, they were forgotten.

• Later societies carried on some Olmec traditions.

Multiple Choice

What happened in 1862?

• The Olmecs were destroyed.

• The Olmecs were rediscovered.

• The Olmecs began.

Olmec

There are a couple of reasons the Olmecs are so important. 

First, they used and perhaps developed many things culturally and religiously that were later used by the Mayans and Aztecs and many other cultures. 

Second, they had a wide influence in their day, which gives us reason to believe that they may be responsible for spreading some of these ideas.

Multiple Choice

The Olmecs

• were conquered by the Aztecs and Maya

• influenced the culture of the Aztecs and Maya

• eventually colonized all of Mesoamerica.

Olmec

The Olmecs carved in jade and stone. They traded goods with other civilizations.

The Olmecs influenced the Aztec and Maya empires. How?  We're uncertain, but it's believed that they may have been early adopters of the complex religious system that the Mayans and the Aztecs would use. 

Temple mounds, jaguars, many gods, and perhaps even human sacrifice were used by the Olmec society. The jaguar is a common figure in Olmec religion - especially combined with a snake or human child.

Multiple Choice

The previous slide describes how the Olmecs maybe influenced the _______ of the Aztec and Maya.

• schools

• food

• religion

• agriculture

Olmec

• It is possible that the Olmec were the first civilization in the Western Hemisphere to develop a system of writing.

• Some of the Olmec were sculptors and artisans.

• They also traded with other peoples and may even have come up with a calendar.

• They were a ritualistic people, governed by both kings and priests.

• Olmec items have been found in various parts of Central America, but the Olmec are most famous for the large stone heads they carved.

Multiple Choice

All of the following are true about the Olmec EXCEPT...

• The Olmec were a pre-Columbian civilization of Mexico.

• The Olmec had written language.

• The Olmec were very old, long before the Aztecs

• They are known for the small gold rings.

• They built pyramids in the jungles of Mexico.

Olmec

The Olmecs carved stone, jade, and the volcanic rock basalt (used for the great stone heads). The stone was quarried and imported.

We can see similar types of sculpture as far away as central Mexico (the land of the Aztecs).

Multiple Choice

Which of these pictures is most closely related to the Olmecs?

Maya

The next great civilization in the Americas was probably the Maya. In fact, archaeologists considered them the first for a long time.

They were a farming people who lived on the Yucatan Peninsula between 300 and 900 CE. The Maya bore a lot of similarities to the Olmec.

Most Mayans lived in villages and were advanced agriculturalists. We know this because they practiced intercropping, where certain crops are planted together, using one to stimulate the growth of the other.

Multiple Choice

Most Mayans lived in villages and were advanced agriculturalists. We know this because they practiced intercropping, where certain crops are planted together, using one to stimulate the growth of the other.

What is an agriculturalist?

• a boat builder

• a soldier

• a farmer

Multiple Choice

According to the passage, we know the Maya were good agriculturalists because there is evidence that

• they build huge cities.

• they practiced intercropping.

• they built over 3,000 buildings.

• they studied planets and stars.

Maya

The Maya also built huge cities. Some archaeologists estimate that one such city, Tikal, now found in Guatemala, was home to as many as 100,000 residents at one time. There were more than 3,000 buildings there, some towering high over the jungle.

The Mayans were very advanced in mathematics, astronomy and engineering. In Tikal this manifested in their construction of reservoirs to hold water for the city. The water moved between man-made lakes using gravity in such a manner that they must have had a deep knowledge of mathematics.

Multiple Choice

The Maya also built huge cities. Some archaeologists estimate that one such city, Tikal, now found in Guatemala, was home to as many as 100,000 residents at one time. There were more than 3,000 buildings there, some towering high over the jungle.

What was Tikal?

• a type of stone that was used for building pyramids

• a large Mayan city in Guatemala

• an archaeologist working in Mesoamerica

Tikal - Tikal National Park in Guatemala

​Temple I is located in the middle of Tikal National Park. It is also known as Temple of the great Jaguar. Ah Cacao (Lord Chocolate) also known as Jasaw Chan K'awiil I, one of Tikal’s greatest rulers is buried here and he is mostly associated with this temple.

​

It was during his time (AD 682–734) that it was built. The temple has a height of 47 meters and was excavated between 1955 and 1964.

Multiple Choice

This picture shows

• an Aztec pyramid at Tenochtitlan

• a Mayan temple at Tikal

• an Olmec giant stone head

Multiple Choice

The Mayans were very advanced in mathematics, astronomy and engineering. In Tikal this manifested in their construction of reservoirs to hold water for the city. The water moved between these man-made lakes using gravity in such a manner that they must have had a deep knowledge of mathematics.

What is a reservoir?

• man-made lake that stores water

• gravity that makes water flow downhill

• a branch of mathematics

Multiple Choice

The Mayans were very advanced in mathematics, astronomy and engineering. In Tikal this manifested in their construction of reservoirs to hold water for the city. The water moved between these man-made lakes using gravity in such a manner that they must have had a deep knowledge of mathematics.

Why did the author include details about reservoirs in this paragraph?

• to show that the Maya had water

• to give an example of engineering and math knowledge of the Maya

• to explain a concept of astronomy, which is needed to understand the calendar

Maya

Like the Olmec, the Maya were an advanced civilization. They constructed great structures, including pyramids, temples, palaces and small stadiums in their city-states across Central America.

The Maya were also advanced when it came to sciences and writing. They created a writing system and an accurate calendar. The Temple of Kukulkan has 365 steps to represent each day of the year. The Maya calendar, similar to the one used today, reflects their skill in astronomy.

Maya - Writing

Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs, was the writing system of the Maya civilization of Mesoamerica.

It has been figured out by modern scholars better than other writing systems of of ancient Mesoamerica. The earliest inscriptions found which are identifiably Maya date to the 3rd century BCE .

Maya writing was in continuous use throughout Mesoamerica until the Spanish conquest of the Maya in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Multiple Choice

This picture shows

• an Egyptian tombstone

• Mayan writing

• Greek art

• Olmec jade

Maya

For all of their artistic and scientific sophistication, though, they were a harsh people. They had slaves, and human sacrifice was common. They played a rubber ball game that usually ended in the losers being ritually killed. And they were fierce warriors.

While their ancient culture largely disappeared in 869 CE, Maya people still live in their ancestral homelands in southern Mexico and northern Central America.

Multiple Choice

Are there any descendents of the Maya still living?

• No, they were all killed by European guns and disease. No Maya survived the Spanish conquest of Latin America.

• Yes, although many were killed by European guns and disease, the Yucatan area of Mexico, and nearby Guatemala, still have Maya people.

Maya

The Maya had glyph writing.

They had Tikal.

They also had a place called Chichen Itza. Watch the next short video.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best shows that the Maya were advanced in many ways?

• the Mayan writing system and calendar, and the things they built

• the early Mayan view of human sacrifice, which spread to other civilizations

• the rules of the Mayan rubber ball game

Aztec

The Aztecs were a very sophisticated people. They had a calendar and a writing system just like the Maya. Sometime between 1200 and 1325, the Aztec people transformed from nomadic hunters to farmers.

They built a large city, where modern-day Mexico City is located, called Tenochtitlan right on an island in the middle of the lake.

They built bridges, or causeways, that connected the island to the mainland. Historians estimate the population in Tenochtitlan to have been about 200,000 at its height.

Multiple Choice

What was the capital city of the Aztec empire?

• Tikal

• Olmec

• Tenochtitlan

• Teotihuacan

• Guatemala

Aztec

Tenochtitlan is where Moctezuma, the famous leader of the Aztecs when the Spanish invaded, had his palace.

The city was destroyed in 1521 by the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes.

Multiple Choice

Who destroyed the great Aztec city of Tenochtitlan?

• Montezuma, on behalf of the Olmecs

• Cortez, on behalf of Spain

• Tikal, on behalf of the Maya

• Hercules, on behalf of Olympus

Aztec

Like the Maya, the Aztecs sacrificed humans in order, they believed, to honor and serve the gods. They didn’t want to sacrifice the people who lived in their own cities and villages, so they relied on taking slaves and captives from other villages and tribes.

Multiple Choice

Why was human sacrifice practiced, and where who was sacrificed?

• In order to please the gods, their best farmers were sacrificed.

• In order to please the gods, they sacrificed people captured from other places.

Multiple Choice

Using what you know of the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan, which of these images is the most closely related?

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes the similarities between the Aztecs and the Maya?

• Both the Aztecs and the Maya were led by Montezuma.

• Both the Aztecs and the Maya were conquered in 1521 by Olmec conquistadors.

• Both the Aztecs and the Maya were advanced in science, engineering, and language.

Inca

While the Aztecs ruled what is now Mexico, the Inca were busy in the Andes mountains, where they built the biggest kingdom in all the Americas.

Multiple Choice

What major mountain range is in South America, shown on this map in brown along the west side of the continent?

• Sierra Madre Occidental

• Rocky Mountains

• Ural Mountains

• Andes Mountains

What modern countries are in what used to be the Inca empire?

• Ecuador

• Peru

• Chile

• Bolivia

• itsty-bitsy parts of Argentina

Multiple Choice

Where would I go if I wanted to see places where the Inca used to live?

• Ecuador, Peru, and other countries in the Andes Mountains

• The Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico

• Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other islands of the Caribbean

Inca

Based in Cuzco, Peru, the Incan empire, at its height in the 12th century, spanned modern Ecuador to northern Chile. More than a million people lived in its bounds. And there were supposedly close to 20,000 miles of roads connecting the various tribes who lived under the rule of the Incan king.

The Inca built Terraces

Why would farmers make these steps in a mountain?

Inca

Incan engineers were as sophisticated as any at the time, building acres of farmland on terraces in the Andes. How else could you grow food on a steep mountainside?

The Inca constructed forts that still stand today, even though they used no mortar between the blocks.

They put up aqueducts and had some of the best medical techniques of the ancient world.

Multiple Choice

Which of these represents farmland in the Andes?

Multiple Choice

The Inca built all of the following EXCEPT

• lots of roads

• aqueducts

• terraces

• canals

• forts

Multiple Choice

The Inca most likely

• could travel across the empire on roads.

• had high rates of sickness because of their lack of medical techniques

• had a difficult time moving water.

Machu Picchou

How would you describe the location you see here?

Inca

Machu Picchu is an extraordinary place for many reasons. It's an ancient city on a 9,000-foot mountain top with stunning views, but beyond its obvious beauty, it's fascinating because it cannot be seen from below.

Historians now think this city from the early 1400s was a secret place. It was home to more than 150 houses and palaces, temples and baths—all up in the clouds. The buildings were carved out of the granite from the mountain. No one knows for sure what the Inca did there, but it was almost certainly used as an astronomic observatory.

The Spanish never found Machu Picchu!

Multiple Choice

No one knows for sure what the Inca did at Machu Picchu, but it was almost certainly used as an astronomic observatory.

Study that phrase "astronomic observatory." What do you think that means?

• a place to wash cattle

• a structure that digs for oil

• a place to observe the stars

• a tool for cooking corn

The Secret Machu Picchu

Even though Machu Picchu was located only about 50 miles from the Inca capital in Cusco, the Spanish never found it and so did not plunder or destroy it, as they did many other sites. Unlike other locations, sacred rocks were untouched at Machu Picchu.

Multiple Choice

Machu Picchu is fascinating!

All of these are true EXCEPT...

• Machu Picchu is in the Andes Mountains, at an elevation of over 9,000 feet!

• Machu Picchu was a secret. When the Spanish conquered the Inca, they never found Machu Picchu.

• Machu Picchu probably had a place to study the stars.

• Machu Picchu was a small village built in a cave by the sea.

Multiple Choice

An advantage of Machu Picchu's location, a place so high in the mountains that it can't be seen from below is...

• it is easily found by people looking for it.

• it can remain hidden from invaders.

• it can serve as a welcome center to visitors.

• it can have a lot of buildings.

Machu Picchu

Over the centuries, the surrounding jungle overgrew the site, and few outside the immediate area knew of its existence. The site may have been discovered and plundered in 1867 by a German businessman.

Machu Picchu

In 1911 American historian and explorer Hiram Bingham traveled the region looking for the old Inca capital and was led to Machu Picchu by a villager.

Though Bingham was not the first to visit the ruins, he was considered the scientific discoverer who brought Machu Picchu to international attention.

Multiple Choice

Which of these is Machu Picchu of the Inca?

Multiple Select

Let's review!

The Olmecs were a pre-Columbian civilization in America that influenced three big cultures that came later, which were....

<<Select THREE>>

• Aztec

• Celtic

• Inca

• Zulu

• Maya

The Original Americans

Today, it may be hard to find the heritage of the millions of original Americans who populated North and South America.

Mostly, this is because huge numbers of those Native Americans were conquered and killed, either by new diseases or European guns.

Cultural ignorance and a self-centered worldview allowed the white settlers to dismiss the Native Americans as "savages."

The Original Americans - Three Empires

We now know a lot more about three major empires: the Maya, Aztec and Inca civilizations.

These people built large cities to live in and giant temples to worship their gods. They didn't live in paradise; owning slaves was common in Mesoamerica.

But they also demonstrated lots of practical knowledge, from astronomy to farming techniques to medicines. These were the original Americans.

Multiple Choice

Where did the Aztec live?

• central Mexico

• Yucatan Peninsula

• South America, in the Andes Mountains

Multiple Choice

Where did the Inca live?

• central Mexico

• Yucatan Peninsula

• South America, in the Andes Mountains

Multiple Choice

Who built Tenochtitlan?

• Olmecs

• Inca

• Maya

• Aztecs

Multiple Choice

Who built giant stone heads along the Gulf of Mexico?

• Olmecs

• Inca

• Maya

• Aztecs

Multiple Choice

Who built Tikal?

• Olmecs

• Inca

• Maya

• Aztecs

Multiple Choice

Who built Machu Picchu in the Andes?

• Olmecs

• Inca

• Maya

• Aztecs

Multiple Choice

Who started a writing system with glyphs?

• Olmecs

• Inca

• Maya

• Aztecs

Open Ended

How were the Aztecs, Maya, and Inca similar?

Open Ended

Think back about all the cool places that these cultures built. Which would you like to see in person? Why?