Mesoamerica

Question 1

The Olmec Civilization

Answer 1

▪The name Olmec is a Nahuatl – the Aztec language - word meaning the rubber people; the Olmec made and traded rubber throughout
Mesoamerica.

MAJOR CITIES
- Tres Zapotes (3rd major capital),
Laguna de los Cerros, La Venta,
San Lorenzo.

⚫ The Olmec lived along the Gulf Coast of modern-day
Mexico in tropical rain forests and lowlands from around 1200 BCE to 400 BCE.

⚫ kings or priests led
the Olmec society.

1. RELIGION:
   ▪The Maize deity
   ▪The Rain Spirit / Were-Jaguar
   ▪The Fish or Shark Monster
   ▪The Bird Monster
   ▪The Olmec Dragon
2. TECHNOLOGY AND ART : They created a
   hydraulic system
3. PRACTICES: First to play with balls made
   from solid rubber and that they may have
   practiced ritual bloodletting.
4. COLOSSAL HEADS:
   they represent specific individuals.
5. WRITING SYSTEM
   Relatively little was known about Olmec
   language and writing before the discovery of the “Cascajal block.”
6. ENGINEERING
   The Olmec were the first great
   engineers of Mesoamerica. There is an aqueduct at San Lorenzo, carved out
   of dozens of massive stones then laid
   side-by side.
7. TRADE AND COMMERCE
   The Olmecs created long-distance trade routes

• traders swapped finely made Olmec celts, masks and other small pieces of art with other cultures such as the
  Mokaya and Tlatilco

Question 2

It is a Greek word which means “Middle/Central
America”

Answer 2

Meso-America

Question 3

DECLINE OF THE OLMEC CIVILIZATION

Answer 3

*Olmec systematically destroyed their ceremonial centers
at both San Lorenzo and La Venta and then deserted the
sites.

*Civil conflicts or doubts about the effectiveness of the ruling classes

Question 4

MAYAN
CIVILIZATION

Answer 4

▪ One of the famous civilizations that last 2000 years.

▪The Maya made important
discoveries in the areas of science and cosmology which enabled them to create a complex calendar
system.

⚫ The Maya lived in modern-day southern Mexico and Central
America.

⚫ They were an agriculture-based society.

⚫ Their central location made it very easy for the Maya to
trade and interact with other cultures from North and
South America.

⚫ The Maya built a large and complex system of roads

Question 5

MAYAN CONTRIBUTIONS

Answer 5

1. ASTRONOMY:
   ▪The Haab was the sun-based calendar with 365 days. It was
   made up of a year and a half with 20 days in each month, and five additional days which were known as Wayeb and were considered to
   represent a dangerous time
2. MATHEMATICS:
   ▪It had only three symbols: 0 (shell shape), 1 (a dot) and 5 (a bar). They used these three symbols to express numbers from 0 to 19; numbers after 19 were composed vertically in
   groups of 20, using place markers.
3. WRITING SYSTEM: The Maya
   invented the most advanced form of writing, known as “glyphs.”
4. MAYAN CALENDAR:
   ▪The Tzolkin joins a cycle of 20
   named days with another cycle of 13 numbers to deliver 260 distinct days.

▪The Long Count was a
non-repeating calendar starting
from the beginning of the Mayan period

5. RUBBER: They realized it was strong and versatile and began to make and use
   water-resistant cloth, glue, and bindings for books, figurines, and rubber balls.
6. LAW & ORDER: In the Maya Empire, laws were standardized. Pok-A-Tok , a Mayan
   ballgame is used as a way to settle conflicts between warring groups and noblemen.
7. MAYAN ART: mica
8. TECHNOLOGY:
   hydraulics system

Question 6

Decline of Mayan Civilization

Answer 6

Remains their greatest mystery. Their civilization was not destroyed by
an overwhelming outside force but disintegrated from within.

Many hypotheses have been proposed: overpopulation, famine, epidemics, and civil disorder.

Question 7

The INCA Civilization

Answer 7

▪Largest empire

▪Known for building large stone
cities, beautiful temples, an
advanced government, a detailed tax
system, and an intricate road system.

⚫ The Incas developed in the Andes Mountains
in what is now Peru.

⚫ Ruled by an emperor who had
absolute power.

⚫ To farm the steep land:
◦ they cut terraces into the mountainside
◦ built aqueducts to irrigate crops

Question 8

CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE INCA CIVILIZATION

Answer 8

1. ROADS & COMMUNICATION:
   They also built bridges where the roads needed to cross rivers.▪ Fast young men called “chasqui” would run from one relay station to the next.
2. QUIPU: A series of strings with knots. (WRITING SYSTEM)
3. STONE BUILDINGS: sturdy stone buildings.
4. TERRACE FARMING: They used irrigation and water storage techniques to grow crops
5. INCA CALENDAR: Calendar with 12 months to mark their religious festivals
6. SUSPENSION BRIDGE: The
   bridges were constructed using “ichu”grass woven into large bundles.
7. INCA TEXTILES: since cloth was one of the specially prized artistic
   achievements.

Question 9

DECLINE OF INCA CIVILIZATION

Answer 9

Factors of decline includes Spanish arrival in Peru,
Internal conflicts and disease.

Question 10

AZTEC/ TOLTEC
CIVILIZATION

Answer 10

▪The Aztecs had a reputation for (1345 to 1521 CE) making “human sacrifices” in
elaborate rituals to appease their many gods.

▪Eventually, they settled in the Valley of Mexico and founded their capital, Tenochtitlan, it
was one of the largest cities in the world

⚫ Aztec people settled in the Valley of Mexico and what is now Mexico City.

⚫ the capital city of Tenochtitlan
◦ approximately 30 million living in the entire empire.

⚫ They were also known as Toltec Empire

⚫ The Aztecs were known for their fierce warriors who used military power to build a huge empire.

⚫ They get rich because of collecting taxes from the people they conquered
was how the Aztec became so wealthy.

Question 11

CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE AZTEC CIVILIZATION

Answer 11

1. MANDATORY EDUCATION:
   Children are mandated to get education regardless of their social class, gender or age.
2. CHOCOLATES: The Aztec in Mexico developed chocolate during their time. They use it as “Currency and offering to Gods”
3. ANTISPASMODIC MEDICATION:
   They used a type of antispasmodic
   medication (poppy flower)
4. CHINAMPAS: It is a form of Aztec technology for agricultural farming in
   which the land was divided into
   rectangular areas and surrounded by
   canals.
5. AZTEC CALENDAR:
   A. Tonalpuhualli (counting of the days)
   ▪ It is a sacred calendar that forms a
   260-day cycle

B. Xiuhpohualli (counting of the
years)
▪ An agricultural calendar that
consists of a 365-day cycle.

6. INVENTION OF CANOES: A light
   narrow boat used for travelling in water
   systems.

Question 12

The Decline of the Aztec Civilization

Answer 12

• The arrival of Spanish conquistadors such as Hernando Cortes
  brought an end to the Aztecs.
• The Spanish wanted gold, which the Aztecs had in abundance.
• War and European diseases devastated the Aztec population