Key words
forests of Mesoamerica 2,000 years
Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize.
The Maya settled in the forests of Mesoamerica.
Their culture flourished for almost 2,000 years.
They were the ancestors of the millions of Maya who live
in present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador,
and Belize.
Key words
challenges Thick Stinging soaked
prospered Swamps and cenotes irrigation systems and cisterns
cleared cities 50
The Maya faced many challenges. Thick forests nearly blocked out sunlight. Stinging insects filled the air. Rain
soaked into the earth where it fell, leaving no rivers.
Swamps and cenotes gave the Maya a year-round source of water.
The Maya also used irrigation systems and cisterns—underground tanks to hold water—to manage water
resources in times of drought.
The Maya worked together to clear forested areas. They planted fields of corn and other crops and built cities.
The Maya developed a society that included more than 50 independent city-states.
Spot the mistakes.
Each Maya city-state was ruled by a king, believed to be descended from the moon
god. As god-kings, Maya rulers expected people to serve them. The greatest Maya
king was Haval the Great. He ruled the city-state of Pique for 76 years in the 600s
C.E.
sun
Pakal
Palenque
67
The Mayan class system.
1 Kings
2 Nobles and priests assisted kings in governing.
3 farmers, artisans, and hunters paid taxes and worked on large building projects, such as
temples and palaces.
Speak about:
Gods Captives Queens
controlled everything When drought came In the city-state of Calakmul
bloodletting by the royal tried to please Chac Yohl Ik’nal, ruled for 21 years
families Muwaan Mat, ruled for three years.
offering the lives of their
human sacrifice. captives.
Royal Maya women often married into
royal families in other Maya city-states.
Lead in Why did the Mayans study astronomy?
The priests thought the gods revealed their plans through
movements of the sun, moon, and stars.
Find 3.
Two major calendars 260-day calendar for religious events and a 365-day
calendar for agriculture.
Developed a system of
mathematics.
Had a written language hieroglyphs carved on stone
Mesoamerica hunters and warriors.
How did the Aztec build their empire?
the Aztec had searched for a home they believed had
been promised to them by their sun god—the feathered
serpent Quetzalcoatl
the Aztec took refuge on a swampy island in Lake Texcoco
Priests declared that the gods demanded they build a
great city upon this spot
The wondrous city they built was Tenochtitlán
largest city in Mesoamerica. The most powerful Aztec ruler?
Montezuma I
Expanded the empire to the Gulf of Mexico.
He also built temples, aqueducts, and roads.
Social Classes Family Priests
Priests sacrificed war
Boys were taught to be captives. They believed
warriors. that those who were
sacrificed would be
rewarded in the afterlife.
Kings Girls were trained to
Aztec priests also
Nobles work at home, weave
preserved the religion
cloth, and prepare for
Commoners motherhood.
and history. They
recorded these in
unskilled workers codices.
enslaved people Although not equal to Codices were painted on
men, Aztec women could deerskin, cloth, or paper
own and inherit made from the bark of
property. fig trees.
How did the people of the
Inca establish their empire?
fought capital
the Inca fought over scarce fertile land in the valleys of the Andes Mountains.
From their capital of Cuzco (KUHS•koh), the Inca raided nearby groups and
seized territory.
Three founded Pachacuti conquest Hold together
Government offices Tax bureau Quechua forced labor
Three emperors founded the Inca Empire. Pachacuti was the first. He launched a campaign of conquest. To hold the
empire together, they set up tax bureaus, courts, military posts, and other government offices. Inca emperors
required all people to learn Quechua, the language spoken by the Inca. People also had to work for the government
for several weeks each year in a system of forced labor.
2
a system of roads terrace farming
covered about 25,000 miles steps
Importance? potatoes quinoa
stored
believed in rarely sacrificed large stone structures writing system
skilled quipu
The Inca believed in many gods.
Unlike the Aztec, the Inca rarely sacrificed humans.
They built large stone structures to please these gods.
They had no system of writing.
They used a quipu, a rope with knotted cords of different
lengths and colors.
They used this tool for record keeping.
What are other native peoples thrived on the
islands of the Caribbean Sea?
the Taino and the Carib
Where did they come from?
South America
Where did the Carib settle?
Settled on Trinidad and the smaller islands called the
Lesser Antilles. The Taino then left these islands but
continued to live on the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica,
Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico.