The Olmec and Maya Civilization

The Olmec and Maya Civilization

By Noor Hayyah

​The first people to settle in the Americas came from Asia, they were hunter-gatherers.

Hunrter-gatherers: are the people who travel from a place to a place in seach of food.

​The Early People

the people in the southern and the Notherns was known as

" Mesoamericans"

they established permanent settelments

( villages). ​

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Early cultures in Ameica

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the rise of population allow pwoplw to grew:

• maize ( corn)

• squash

• ​green pappers

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farming can feed omre people then hunting and gathering. . This movemnet of farming is called Agricultural Revolution.

​The Olmec and Zapotec were people who lived in Mesoamerica.

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Who were the Olmec and Zapotec ?

​The Olmec lived in the rain forests and found ways to adapt to their environment in order to survive.

​​Where do they live?

They used methods to farm and enrich the soil. p.154 SB

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Plantation

Farmers learned to produce more food, the population grew. the Olmec built cities over time . ​

Civilization development

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​lived in the highlands southwest of the Olmec. they developed a writing system in the Americas around 600 BCE

Zapotec people

Maya Civilization

A nation lived Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico Peninsula. They learned farming from the Olmecs. They built great cities and made advances in science and art.

​Society is divided into 3 levels:

1- Noble: the king, high officials, and priests.

2- Middle class: Lower rank lords and officials.

3- Commoners: Soldiers minor officials, and skilled craft workers.

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The Maya used the same farming methods as the Olmecs, they fertilized fildes so they could use them year after year. Traders linked many cities in a large trade network.

​They made a city-state way of governing. Each city has its own king. The rulers increased hteir power by going to wars and taking control of trade routes and land.

The Maya worshipped many gods, such as lightning. The Maya built their temples on top of pyramids so that they could be closer to he gads in heaven.

​A city-state: is made up of a city with a government that controls the surrounding territories.

​Describe how did the Mayans practice their religion. P: 156 SB

Many great Maya cities fell into ruin. 1- Warfare was one cause.

2- Drought caused by lack of rainfall over a long time; it caused food shortages.

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Smaller Maya cities lasted another 600 years in the orthrn peninsula. The Spanish concored the maya in the early 1500s, but the maya language surviied to this day. ​

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​The Fall of the Maya

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Maya Achievements

The Maya had many important achievements. many of their achievements influenced other civilizations.

The Maya developed an advanced writing system that used hieroglyphics. writing enabled the Maya to preserve information.

​​Writing of Maya

​The Maya calculated the movements of the sun, moon, and planets. They created their calendar; they planned their religious festivals and farming tasks.

The mathematical system used numerals for zero before the Europeans; it made calculations easier.

Astronomy and Mathematics

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All Maya cities contained pyramids, temples, and palaces.

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The Mayan Art

​Hieroglyphics: is a symbol derived from pictures that stand for a word, idea, or sound.

​Describe the art and architecture of the Maya.