Latin America – Early Civilizations of Middle America

1. Latin America – Early Civilizations of Middle America Maya – Aztec – Inca

2. The Mayan Civilization lasted from A.D. 250 – 900.

3. Copan is a Mayan city now located in present day Honduras. Tikal is also a former Mayan city, which is now located in present day Guatemala.

4. The Mayan form of writing was known as hieroglyphics. This is a form of graphic writing, using signs and symbols instead of letters, as we do.

5. Although the Mayan farmer grew a variety of crops, corn, known as maize was its most important crop.

6. The Aztec Empire

7. The Aztec Civilization began in the Valley of Mexico. They settled on an island in Lake Texcoco, in 1325. It took time to develop, but lasted through the early 1500s.

8. The Aztec people were able to change a swampy lake into a great city, which was called Tenochtitlan which was its capital city.

9. By 1521, the Aztecs were defeated by Cortes

10. Although the Spanish had fewer men than the Aztec, they had horses and superior weapons. They brought disease to America, which the Native Americans had never experienced. Within the first 50 years of Spanish colonization, the Native American population went from approximately 25,000,000 to 3,000,000.

11. At the Treaty of Tordesillas, a Line of Demarcation was settled upon at 50 ̊ Longitude, as a way of preventing war.

12. At the Treaty of Tordesillas, a Line of Demarcation was settled upon at 50 ̊ Longitude. Because of this treaty, Brazil became a colony of Portugal.

13. New Spain and Peru were Spain’s 2 most important provinces in American empire.

14. The Incas - People of the Sun!

15. Descendants of the Incans can be found today along the west coast of South America in: Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and Columbia. South America Columbia Ecuador Peru Bolivia C H I L E

16. A Census is an official count of all people living in an area. Quipu was a knotted string used by the Incas as a method of keeping records _____ 3,643

17. The Incan government was able to take census and collect taxes because of the large scale road system that they built.

18. Another great achievement of the Incas was a series of canals and pipes known as aqueducts. They would bring water to dry land.

19. Canada Europe America Caribbean Africa Islands South America The world got a little closer and shared its wealth as a result of the age of exploration. It was known as the Columbian Exchange. Up to that time, Europe was without tomato, corn (maize) and cacao bean (the source of chocolate). The new world got grapes, bananas and horses to name just a few.