Pre-Columbian American Civilizations

Question 1

What were Pre-Columbian American Civilizations?

Answer 1

-pre-columbian means before Christopher Columbus or other Europeans came to America.
Maya/Mayan Civilization, Aztecs, and Incas.

Question 2

Where was the Mayan community located on a map?

Answer 2

Mesoamerica, “middle America”, basically below Mexico.

Question 3

Maya/Mayan culture.

- what kind of society and cuture? 
- what was their culture influenced by? 
- what was their capital city? 
- what kind of monuments did they build? 
- what kind of religion did they have? 
- what kind of writing system did they develop?
- what other feats did they accomplish? 
- when did they fall and how do we know?

Answer 3

• Farming and agricultural based society, farmers, hunters and gatherers.
• their culture was influenced by the Olmec, another important civilization, they were most likely the inventors of writing and numbers and the concept of zero
• Teotihuacanm- their capital city
• they erected monuments called stelae (basically statues that recorded important events
• Polythestic with gods that influenced parts of their daily lives. a corn god for crops, a rain god for water, etc.
• developed a logographic (or hieroglyphic) writing system, accomplished impressive egineering feats, huge accomplishments of math
• concept of zero
• astronomy
• used grain to make tortillas. some of the first tortillas made. -key food source.
• known for stone temples -Jaguar god.
• collapsed for unknown reasons. 800’s AD they stopped creating their stelae (statue writings) and started to abandon cities. Could have been disease or crop failure or politics. Collapsed by 900.

Question 4

Aztecs (Pre-columbian, Central America)

Answer 4

Now central Mexico. They were a WARLIKE culture whose vast empire was based in the great city of Tenochtitlan (an island were Mexico City is today)
-Emphasize warfare and conquest- actually consider it a religious duty and a great honor for men.

Question 5

What was the Aztec religion like?

Answer 5

combined aspects of 1. polytheism (multiple gods), 2. shamanism (communicating with the dead) and 3. animism (inanimate objects having spirits within them).
-practiced human sacrifice, based on the mythology of the Five Suns and the self-sacrifice of Nanahuatzin. (pimplefaced god)
-they believed a god would have to sacrifice his life, so that it would cause a new sun to rise. And humans would mess it up so badly, they would have to restart the whole process, a new god would have to sacrifice his life, a cycle.
“The 5th Sun, or 5th god”
-since gods had to sacrifice themselves. Humans had to do the same in order to receive something important from the gods. Often people they captured from conquered regions.
-Believed in an Eagle Warrior god.

Question 6

How were the Aztecs resourceful?

Answer 6

The Aztecs found ways of farming in a variety of terrains, including forests (slash and burn techniques), hillsides, and lakes (created floating gardens). Very resourceful and used a lot of land.

Question 7

Who were the last major civilization that were a vast Empire?

Answer 7

the Incas

Question 8

Who were the Inca’s? Where were they located?

Answer 8

They came after the Aztecs, not mesoamerica but south.

• Andean Highlands (now Chile and Peru)
• largest empire in the Pre-columbian America

Question 9

What type of Religion did the Inca’s have?

Answer 9

• polytheistic (nearly all pre-Columbian were)

- believed in Inti- the sun god, as their primary godhead.

Question 10

Inca’s accomplishments

Answer 10

• engineering (because of their mountainous regions, built impressive things
• quipu- developed an accounting system (record numbers, events)

Question 11

How were the Incas conquered?

Answer 11

• by the Spanish, true of all Aztecs, not sure with Mayans though.
• civil war occurred in 1500 A.D. and the sons fought for power. One son executed his brother. Adhopa (the brother that killed his brother) was abducted and ransomed later. The Inca people gave the Spanish what they wanted for their leader but they still executed him. They tricked them. After that, they had no leader and they were easily taken over by the Spanish.

Question 12

What was going on in North America?

Answer 12

• Native Americans
• typically polytheistic
• hunter, gathers, and fishers
• many were nomadic (went from place to place, following the food they were after)

Question 13

What were “bands”?

Answer 13

small groups called bands typically comprised of larger groups called tribes.
-some tribes united to form large federations (independent groups with a central government) such as the Iroquois nation (made up of five different tribes that banded together).

Question 14

What was the Inquois nation?

Answer 14

a large federation (independent group with a central government) made up of five different tribes that banded together.
-no states and empires like the ones found in Central and south America.
bands (small) –> within tribes (larger)–> within the Iroquois nation (largest)

Question 15

What were “long houses” and “earth lodges”

Answer 15

-Native American groups adapted to the regions in which they lived, building these types of living quarters where multiple families could live.