Mesoamerican Civilizations
The Mayans, Incans, and Aztecs
The Mayans
Where are they from?
The Mayans are from present-day Central America and Mexico.
Fact #1
The Mayans had four social classes. They were the Rulers, Nobility, Peasants, and Servants.
Fact #2
The Mayans made pottery, sculptures, and steles, which were carved stone slabs for art.
Farming
They had a system of farming called slash and burn. They often harvested corn (maize) and other staple crops.
Inventions #1
They developed a math system based on the number 20 and were the first civilization to use the number 0.
Inventions #2
They created a VERY accurate calendar that accurately predicted eclipses and days of the week many years in the futures.
Buildings
This is an example of their pyramids that were built to honor their Gods.
Pottery
This is an example of their pottery that they made.
Math
This is an example of what their math may have looked like.
The Incans
Where are they from?
The Incans are from Peru and The Andes Mountains.
Fact #1
They had a ruler named Pachacuti. Their social classes were Nobles and Commoners. Their Government was very tight and organized
Fact #2
They made statues of llamas and worshiped them. They built roads, bridges and even built Machu Picchu. This is an amazing city on a mountain.
Farming
Since they did not have large pieces of flat ground in the mountains, they used steppe farming, in which they carved stair-looking things into the mountains. They had to use a very intricate irrigation system.
Inventions #1
They created a record keeping system, used for keeping track of events.
Inventions #2
They did brain surgery and blood transfusions.
Machu Picchu
This is Machu Picchu, the amazing city they built.
Llamas
The Incans worshiped llamas.
Quipu
They had no system of writing, but they used quipu to keep track of events.
The Aztecs
Where are they from?
The Aztecs are from the Northwest Desert of Mexico and were created on a lake.
Fact #1
They had three social classes, The Nobles, The Intermediate classes, and The Commoners. They also had an Emporer for their government.
Fact #2
They made pottery, gold beads, and feather head-dresses. Their buildings were very unique and were huge.
Farming
Farming was unique and was the basis of their economy and culture. They put mud on mats and then floated them in the water of the lake. They were called Chinampas.
Inventions #1
They used deer skin to make books.
Inventions #2
They had two calendars. One for farming and agriculture, the other for religion.
Aztec Buildings
This is an example of what their building would have looked like.
Their City
This is close to what their city would have looked like on the lake. Can you see the Chinampas?
Golden Beads
The Aztecs made golden beads.