Mesoamerica

The Mayas

• created metal tools.

• domesticated horses and oxen.

• invented the wheel.

• developed the concept of zero.

The Mayan-

• Built stepped terraces help the Incas create farmland, and the clever construction of each terrace gave crops the best chance of survival.

• believed their sacrifice was necessary to keep the universe on motion.

• built huge cities in the jungle with large palaces, temples, and pyramids.

• practiced basic agriculture using the "slash-and-burn" technique

A study of the Aztec, Maya, and Inca agricultural systems would show that these civilizations...

• relied on mechanized agricultural techniques

• carried on extensive trade in crops with each other

• relied on a single-crop economy

• adapted to their environments with creative farming techniques

The Aztec Empire

• controlled all of present-day Mexico.

• extended from central Mexico to Guatemala.

• controlled only the Valley of Mexico.

• had a population of one million people.

Many Maya pyramids were topped by

• observatories.

• palaces.

• temples.

• tombs.

Maya cities

• were built on islands in lakes.

• were made mostly from tropical woods.

• had relatively few buildings.

• had pyramids and palaces in their centers.

The Mesoamericans used _____________________ to farm the rainforest.

• Contour plowing

• Silt Fences

• Slash-and-burn agriculture

• Crop Rotation

The Incan civilization developed

• along a narrow desert bordering the Pacific Ocean.

• in the jungles of the Amazon rainforest.

• in the Andes mountains of South America.

• on islands off the coast of South America.

What was the first major civilization in Mesoamerica?

• The Maya

• The Toltec

• The Zapotec

• The Aztec

• The Olmec

What culture made giant stone heads that we can still see today?

• The Olmec

• The Toltec

• The Zapotec

• The Maya

• The Aztec