Mayan and Aztec Empire Lesson

​Mayan

and Aztec Empires

​Terms &

Important Figures

●Tikal Maya city in present-day Guatemala

●glyph Picture symbol used as part of a writing system

●codex Book with bark-paper pages; only three of these ancient Maya books have survived

●Popul Vuh Book containing a Maya story of creation

Open Ended

How were the European invaders able to topple these powerful Central & South American civilizations so easily? 

​The Rise of the Mayan Empire

A great civilization arose in what is today southern Mexico and northern Central America. This was the Maya civilization. It appeared around A.D. 250. Between then and 900, the Maya built large cities such as Tikal and Copán. Each city was a religious center as well as a trade center for the area around it. Trade linked these cities. Among the trade goods were salt, flint, feathers, shells, cotton cloth, and ornaments made of jade. Cacao beans, which are used to make chocolate, were sometimes used as money. Maize, beans, and squash were the main foods.

​Mayan Religion

The Maya religion was at the center of their society. There were many gods, including one for each day. The actions of the day’s god could be predicted, they thought, by following a calendar. The Maya sometimes cut themselves to offer their blood to the gods in sacrifice. Sometimes they killed enemies and sacrificed them.                                  

Multiple Choice

Name a Mayan City?

• Tikal

• Nairobi

• Montevideo

• San Francisco

Multiple Choice

What was one of the Main Principles of Mayan Religion?

• Sacrifice

• Worship of Nature

• Polytheism

• Animism

Mayan Innovation​

The Maya religion led to the development of mathematics, calendars, and astronomy. They had two calendars. One calendar was religious, and it had thirteen 20-day months. The other calendar was based on the sun. It had 18 months consisting of 20 days each.

The Maya also developed the most advanced writing system in the ancient Americas. Maya writing was made up of about 800 symbols, or glyphs. They carved in stone or recorded events in a bark-paper book known as a codex. A famous Maya book called the Popul Vuh records a Maya story of the creation of the world.

Decline of the Mayan Empire​

In the late 800s, the Maya civilization began to decline. Historians do not know why. One explanation may be that warfare between the different city-states disrupted Maya society. The wars interrupted trade and drove many people out of the cities into the jungle. Another may be that the soil became less productive due to intensive farming over a long time. Whatever the cause, the Maya became a less powerful people. They continued to live in the area, but their cities were no longer the busy trade and religious centers they had been.  

Multiple Choice

What was did the Mayans use for their written language?

• Glyphs

• Latin

• Arabic

• Morse Code

Multiple Choice

What is the book that contains the Mayan Creation Story?

• Popul Vuh

• The Bible

• The Odyssey

• The Iliad

​Aztecs

​Terms & Names

●Obsidian Hard, volcanic glass used by early peoples to make sharp weapons

●Quetzalcoatl Toltec god

●Triple Alliance Association of city-states that led to the formation of the Aztec Empire

●Montezuma II Ruler under whom the Aztec Empire weakened

​What civilizations arose in the Valley of Mexico?

An early city-state called Teotihuacán (“City of the Gods”) arose in the Valley of Mexico in the first century A.D. The city was the center of a major trade network. The most important trade item was obsidian. This green or black volcanic glass was used to make sharp weapons. The huge Pyramid of the Sun, which measured some 200 feet high and 3,000 feet around its base, dominated the city. By 750, Teotihuacán was abandoned. The reasons why are not clear.

Aztec's Religion​

The next people to dominate the area were the Toltecs. The Toltecs were warlike and worshiped a warlike god. One Toltec king, Topiltzin, tried to replace the warlike god with a peaceful one. The peaceful god was called Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent. Followers of the warlike god rebelled and chased Topiltzin away. The Toltecs became warlike again. Over time, Topiltzin and Quetzalcoatl became one in Toltec legends. In these legends, someday Quetzalcoatl would return and bring a new reign of peace. This legend lived on in central Mexico for centuries.

Multiple Choice

Name the Featured Serpent worshipped by the Aztec's?

• Quetzalcoatl

• Tezcatlipoca

• Cipactli

• Tlaloc

​How did the Aztecs build an empire?

Around 1200, the Toltecs were losing control of the region. But another people—the Aztecs—began to gain power. The Aztecs founded a city and, in 1428, they joined with two other city-states to form the Triple Alliance. The Triple Alliance became the leading power of the Valley of Mexico.

By the early 1500s, the Aztecs controlled a large empire that included somewhere between 5 and 15 million people. This empire was based on military conquest and collecting tribute from conquered peoples.

The capital city—Tenochtitlán—was built on an island in a lake. The Aztecs made long causeways to connect the city to the mainland. The city contained between 200,000 and 400,000 people. It was well-planned and had a huge religious complex built by architectural engineers at its center.

​What was the role of religion in Aztec life?

Religion played a major role in Aztec society. Temples were built in cities for the many different gods. Priests led religious rituals. The most important rituals were for the sun god. Priests made the sacrifice of human blood to make sure that the sun god was happy, and the sun would rise every day. People taken captive in war were sacrificed. The need for a steady supply of victims pushed the Aztecs to fight their neighbors.

​How did the Aztec Empire fall?

Montezuma II became emperor in 1502. The Aztec Empire began to have problems during his reign. The Aztecs ordered the other peoples they had conquered to hand over even more people to sacrifice. These other peoples finally rebelled against the Aztecs. In the midst of this conflict, the Spanish arrived and made contact with the Aztecs for the first time. Some saw their arrival as the legendary return of Quetzalcoatl. The Aztec empire eventully falls to Cortes and the Spanish because of disease, weapons, and having to many enemies.