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Mesoamerican Civilizations Olmec and Maya. Mesoamerica. Meso means middle in Greek The area was located between North and South America . Mesoamerica was home to 3 major civilizations in Pre-Columbian times . Pre-Columbian means before the time of exploration ( before Columbus )
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Mesoamerica • Mesomeans middle in Greek • The area was located between North and South America. • Mesoamerica was home to 3 major civilizations in Pre-Columbian times. • Pre-Columbian means before the time of exploration (before Columbus) • The 3 highly developed civilizations werethe Mayans, the Aztecs, and the Inca.
OLMEC (1200 B.C.) • The first civilization of Mesoamerica • They were located in the hot and swampy lowlands along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico south of Veracruz. • They had large cities that were centers for religious rituals. • They carved colossal stone heads • They may have been to represent their ancestors or gods.
Teotihuacán • Was the first major city in Mesoamerica • Arose around 250 B.C. and collapsed about 800 A.D. • May have had as many as 200,000 inhabitants at its height. • Had a main thoroughfare, known as the Avenue of the Dead • Had two main temples (Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Moon)
Mayans • The Mayans were a powerful civilization from 1500BCE-1548CE • Their economy was based on farming, trade, and artisans. • Their religion was polytheistic (they believed in more than one god) • The priests did human sacrifices to please these gods.
Mayans • Their capital citywas Tikal. • The Mayans had many important achievements: • Hieroglyphics, a writing system “glyphs” • An accurate calendar of 365 days to planagriculture • A number system that included the idea of zero • Chichen Itza was an observatory.
Yucatan Peninsula • Maya were found in the Yucatan Peninsula and Part of Guatemala. • The Maya flourished between 300 and 900 A.D. • Historians do not know for certain why the civilization fell into decline. • The Maya seem to have abandoned their cities.
Social Structure • Mayan Kings • Ruled the Mayan Kingdom • They claimed they were divine. • Were assisted by nobles and a class of scribes • Made special blood sacrifices to maintain the kingdom. • People • Included townspeople, skilled artisans, and, officials, and merchants. • Many people were peasant farmers who worked on terraced hillsides farming. • Men did the fighting and hunting, women made cornmeal and were responsible for homemaking and raising children.
Religion • The Maya were polytheistic. • They believed that all of life was in the hands of a divine power. • They were responsible for pleasing the gods. • Their gods were ranked in order of importance, the Jaguar was the god of night and was seen as evil. • The Maya practiced human sacrifice to appease their gods. • Human sacrifice was also used to mark special occasions. • When a king ascended to the throne war captives were tortured and beheaded to mark the occasion.
Accomplishments • The Maya developed an independent hieroglyphic language. • The Spanish destroyed most of the Mayan writings. They were not seen as having any value. Their language was not translated until the 20th century. B2,4,5
Calendar • The Maya developed a calendar that had two different parts. • It had a solar calendar with 365 days, divided into 18 months with 20 days each with 5 extra days at the end. • A lunar calendar and a calendar based on the movement of the planet Venus. This was a sacred calendar with 260 days and 13 weeks of 20 days each. • The Mayan calendar says our present world was created in 3114 B.C. and the current calendar restarted on December 23 2012 A.D.
