United States History Student Edition

Civilizations of Mexico and Central America The civilizations that developed in modern-day Mexico and Central America rivaled those that grew in other parts of the world.

110°W

105°W

100°W

95°W

90°W

85°W

80°W

MEXICO

Gulf of Mexico

Chichén Itzá

N

20°N

Lake Texcoco

YUCATÁN PENINSULA

W

E

Tenochtitlán

S

Palenque

Tikal

PACI F IC OCEAN

Aztec, c. C.E. 1500 Maya, c. C.E. 750 Olmec, c. 900 B.C.E.

15°N

0

250 miles

250 km

0

Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection

GEOGRAPHY CONNECTION 1. Spatial Thinking Which of the empires shown covered the largest area? 2. Human-Environment Interaction How do you think bodies of water affected the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations?

As the Aztec prospered economically, their society also grew by creating a military empire. In the 1400s, the Aztec army conquered many neighboring communities. Conquered people had to pay tribute in food and other goods. Some were also forced to work as enslaved persons. Like Maya culture, Aztec culture revolved around its religious beliefs. The Aztec believed they must perform human sacrifices to please the Gods and ensure abundant harvests. They sacrificed prisoners of war by the thousands for this purpose. At the same time that the Aztec Empire flourished, another great civilization in the Americas was at its peak. In the 1500s, the Inca Empire in the Andes Mountains of South America stretched from present-day Colombia to northern Argentina and Chile. To help unify this large and diverse empire, the Inca built thousands of miles of roads and established a single, official language. Like the Aztec, the Inca built their empire through military conquest. People in neighboring areas who did not agree to Inca rule were conquered and treated harshly.

In order to farm their mountainous lands, the Inca cut terraces , or broad, level platforms, into the steep slopes. Stone walls were used to hold the soil and plants in place. In the Inca religion, the emperor was considered a descendant of the sun God. The Inca crafted magnificent jewelry and ornaments as gifts to the sun God. They built great cities that were devoted to religious ceremonies, including the fortress Machu Picchu (MAH•choo PEE•choo). The Aztec and the Inca were living cultures when European explorers and conquerors began arriving in the Americas in 1492. Both civilizations experienced dramatic changes following the arrival of the Europeans. 7 CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING 1. Analyzing Why is the Maya civilization considered advanced? What were some of their accomplishments? 2. Comparing In what ways were the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations similar?

terrace a broad platform of flat land cut into a slope

13

The First Americans