MESOAMERICA AND SOUTH AMERICA ANCIENT MESOAMERICA Location Area

MESOAMERICA AND SOUTH AMERICA

ANCIENT MESOAMERICA Location: Area of Mexico and Central America Olmec: first known civilization in Mesoamerica § “Mother Culture” of Mesoamerica – later Mesoamerican people take from their advances: calendar, hieroglyphics, trade

MAYA Located on Yucatan Peninsula § Built temples & pyramids § Created calendar § Used hieroglyphics § Practiced human sacrifice to honor gods Made up of city-states

AZTEC Civilization at Tenochtitlan, today’s Mexico City § Collection of territories governed by lords Aztec lords received tribute, goods or money from people they conquered, and paid it to the Aztec ruler. Believed in many gods § Human sacrifice offered to gods

INCA Civilization in today’s Peru § Great road builders § Forced labor Quipo – knotted strings used to keep records Pachacuti – Led Incas in conquering others

SPANISH CONQUISTADORS Columbus was welcomed by Taino people who shared their corn, yams, and cotton with Spanish. § Columbus took Tainos as prisoners to Spain Conquistador – Spanish settlers of Americas

SPANISH CONQUISTADORS Hernan Cortes – conquered Mexico. § Moctezuma – Aztec leader who sent welcoming gifts to Cortes § Cortes demolished Mexican capitol city, and built Mexico City on top of the ruins; killed Aztecs with weapons or smallpox Francisco Pizarro – wanted to take over Incan Empire in Peru § Smallpox, civil war, and advanced weapons helped the Spanish beat the Inca

SPANISH INFLUENCE Conquistadors tried to convert Natives to Christianity § Some resisted and were killed § Some converted in hopes that it would end conflicts Queen Isabella granted Spanish settlers in the Americas encomienda – the right to enslave Native Americans. Forced labor, starvation, and disease took a toll on the Native populations Columbian Exchange – the exchange of plants and animals between Europe and the Americas