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This is a museum in chicago Illinois, it is all about the ancient Americas.

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Ancient Americas at Field Museum 360 Panorama | 360Cities

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360° panorama photo from Chicago by total360. The Field Museum of Natural History, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA, is one of the largest…

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These are indians Hunting for buffalo try to get them off a cliff. Many Indians hunt like this will they ride camels.

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These 10 Ancient American Civilizations. It talks about what some places are known for and why they are important.

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Gonzalo Azumendi/Getty Images

The continents of North and South America were "discovered" by the European civilizations in the late 15th century A.D., but people from Asia arrived in the Americas at least 15,000 years ago. By the 15th century, many American civilizations had come and gone long before but many were still vast and thriving. Sample a taste of the complexity of the civilizations of ancient America.

Caral Supe Civilization, 3000-2500 BC

Imágenes del Perú/Getty Images

The Caral-Supe civilization is the oldest known advanced civilization in the American continents discovered to date. Discovered only as recently as the 21st century, the villages of the Caral Supe were located along the coast of central Peru. Nearly 20 separate villages have been identified, with a central place at the urban community at Caral. The city of Caral included enormous earthen platform mounds, monuments so large that they were hidden in plain sight (thought to be low hills).

Olmec Civilization, 1200-400 BC

Mesoamerican/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 4.0

The Olmec civilization flourished on the gulf coast of Mexico and constructed the first stone pyramids in the North American continent, as well as the famous stone "baby-faced" head monuments. The Olmec had kings, built enormous pyramids, invented the Mesoamerican ballgame, domesticated beans, and developed the earliest writing in the Americas. The Olmec also domesticated the cacao tree and gave the world chocolate!

Maya Civilization, 500 BC-800 AD

The circular object in front of the Maya ruins at Kabah is a chultun, part of the Mayan water control system.
Witold Skrypczak/Getty Images

The ancient Maya Civilization occupied much of the central North American continent based on the gulf coast of what is now Mexico between 2500 B.C. and 1500 A.D. The Maya were a group of independent city-states, which shared cultural qualities. This includes their amazing complex artwork (particularly murals), their advanced water control system, and their graceful pyramids.

Zapotec Civilization, 500 BC-750 AD

Craig Lovell/Getty Images

The capital city of the Zapotec Civilization is Monte Alban in the valley of Oaxaca in central Mexico. Monte Alban is one of the most intensively studied archaeological sites in the Americas, and one of the very few "disembedded capitals" in the world. The capital is also known for its astronomical observatory Building J and Los Danzantes, a stunning carved record of captive and slain warriors and kings.

Nasca Civilization, 1-700 AD

Chris Beall/Getty Images

The people of the Nasca civilization on the south coast of Peru are best known for drawing huge geoglyphs. These are geometric drawings of birds and other animals made by moving around the varnished rock of the vast arid desert. They were also master makers of textiles and ceramic pottery.

Tiwanaku Empire, 550-950 AD

Marc Davis/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

The capital of the Tiwanaku Empire was situated on the shores of Lake Titicaca on both sides of the border between what today is Peru and Bolivia. Their distinctive architecture shows evidence of construction by workgroups. During its heyday, Tiwanaku (also spelled Tiahuanaco) controlled much of the southern Andes and coastline of South America.

Wari Civilization, 750-1000 AD

Duncan Andison/Getty Images

In direct competition with Tiwanaku was the Wari (also spelled Huari) state. The Wari state was located in the central Andes mountains of Peru, and their impact on the succeeding civilizations is remarkable, seen at sites like Pachacamac.

Inca Civilization, 1250-1532 AD

The ancient Incan site of Machu Picchu.
Claude LeTien/Getty Images

The Inca civilization was the largest civilization in the Americas when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the early 16th century. Known for their unique writing system (called the quipu), a magnificent road system, and the lovely ceremonial center called Machu Picchu, the Inca also had some pretty interesting burial customs and an amazing ability to build earthquake-proof buildings.

Mississippian Civilization, 1000-1500 AD

Michael S. Lewis/Getty Images

The Mississippian culture is a term used by archaeologists to refer to cultures inhabiting the length of the Mississippi River, but the highest level of sophistication was reached in the central Mississippi River valley of southern Illinois, near present-day St. Louis, Missouri, and the capital city of Cahokia. We know quite a bit about the Mississippians in the American southeast because they were first visited by the Spanish in the 17th century.

Aztec Civilization, 1430-1521 AD

Rita Rivera/Getty Images

The best-known civilization in the Americas, I'll wager, is the Aztec civilization, largely because they were at the height of their power and influence when the Spanish arrived. Warlike, intractable, and aggressive, the Aztecs conquered much of Central America. But the Aztecs are so much more than simply warlike.

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These 10 Ancient American Civilizations Were Vast, Incredible Empires

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Both North and South America were populated with vast and sophisticated civilizations when the Europeans arrived in the late 15th century.

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The aztecs formed on a velly in mexico. wedged between mountains and a lot of lakes.

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The Aztecs religion is primarily polytheist. The gods were able or female they believed in the sun god was Tonatiuh.

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They used this to hunt and fight in war and expecter people.

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The Aztecs used aqueduct for moving water like a canal.

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This site talks about Aztec's lifestyle and what kind of foods they would eat.

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In the 1400s and early 1500s the Aztec people controlled a large empire in the area that is now central and southern Mexico. At its most powerful, the Aztec Empire spread…

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they wear in battle

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soldiers

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The economy of the Aztecs was very complex and dynamic. They usually would trade with other people.

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to fight and hurt and kill people

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At the top of the Aztec Social Structure there are Ruler and his family. Then government officials priests, and high ranking warriors. Then commoners (not of noble ranking) Next are peasants and last are enslaved people.

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fire rock at the wall and the war on the Indian War

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NativeNet

https://www.native-net.org › native-american-weapons

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This website talks about what the word Aztec comes from and things that the did and believed in.

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The capital city of the Aztec was Tenochtitlán. It was built on islands in Lake Texcoco. The lake was later drained, and today the land is part of Mexico City. Tenochtitlán reflected the power and wealth of the empire. It had gleaming white palaces and temples on top of pyramids. City officials lived in houses made from stone and adobe, or sun-dried clay. Farmers lived in huts made of woven rods and twigs covered with clay.

Most Aztec were farmers. They grew corn, beans, peppers, squash, tomatoes, tobacco, and cotton. Other Aztec were traders and craftsmen.

The Aztec spoke a language called Nahua. Many Aztec words were later incorporated into the Spanish language. Some of these words, such as chocolate, tomato, ocelot, coyote, and avocado, have also become part of the English language. The Aztec had no alphabet of their own, but they used picture writing to record their history.

Religion was very important to the Aztec. They worshipped several gods who represented the forces of nature. Among the most important Aztec gods were Huitzilopochtli, a sun god and the god of war; Tonatiuh, another god of the sun; and Tlaloc, the god of rain. Quetzalcóatl was the god of learning and a symbol of death and rebirth.

The Aztec performed elaborate rituals and ceremonies to obtain help from the gods. Human sacrifice, or the killing of people for religious reasons, played an important part in the rites. The Aztec believed that because life was humankind's most precious possession, it was the most acceptable gift for the gods. They sacrificed thousands of prisoners captured in war.

The Aztec had learned from the Maya how to determine the solar year accurately. With this knowledge their priests kept an exact solar calendar. An almanac gave dates for festivals and listed the various deities who held sway over each day and hour.

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In the 1400s and early 1500s the Aztec people controlled a large empire in the area that is now central and southern Mexico. At its most powerful, the Aztec Empire spread...

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THis talks about some kinds of food that the

Aztec would eat. It also talk about how the would live and how life was like.

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The Aztec civilization, which flourished in central Mexico between c. 1345 and 1521 CE, was able to provide an astonishingly wide range of agricultural produce thanks to a combination of climatic advantages, diverse artificial irrigation methods, and extensive farming know-how. Their skills at agriculture gave the Aztecs one of the most varied cuisines in the ancient world.

Organization & Methods

In Aztec society, land could be owned by communities ( calpolli) and parceled out to individual families for cultivation, or farmers could be resident tenants ( mayeque) on large, privately owned estates. Rent was paid in kind to the landowners who were either Aztec nobles ( pipiltin), warriors given the land as a reward for services rendered, or the king himself ( tlatoani), who all managed their estates through intermediary administrators. On a smaller scale, it was also typical for commoners ( macehualtin) to have their own garden plot ( calmil), which could supply the family with food. At the bottom of the social strata were slaves ( tlacohtin) who, besides working in other industries, were also widely engaged in agriculture.

Two groups of agricultural workers may be distinguished - the general farm labourers who tended the fields, planted, and irrigated crops, and the more specialised horticulturalists who had knowledge of seeding, transplanting, crop rotation, and the best times to plant and harvest. The latter information could be determined from the tonalamatl almanacs, and they not only considered climatic conditions but also auspicious periods and events after which planting and harvesting should take place.

To maximise crop yields, various measures were taken. For example, terracing to increase the area of farmland was widely used, especially from the reign of Netzahualcoyotl. Irrigation was also employed across the Aztec Empire, sometimes in ambitious large-scale projects, such as the diversion of the Cuauhtitlan River to water surrounding fields, but more commonly via artificially flooded fields known as chinampas (see below). Crops were also fertilized using a combination of sludge dredged from the canals constructed wherever Aztecs took up residence and with human excrement, purposely collected from the urban centres.

Still, despite these measures, crop yields could be significantly reduced by unfavourable natural events such as excessive rain and even snow or plagues of such pests as locusts and rodents. Accordingly, reserves of grain were accumulated to be redistributed to the destitute in such hard times.

The most famous & largest market was at Tlatelolco, which each day attracted 25,000 shoppers.

All manner of foodstuffs were cultivated, and non-food crops included cotton and tobacco, which was smoked either in a pipe or rolled into cigars. Once harvested, goods were sold in markets held in the central plaza of all towns. The most famous and largest was the market at Tlatelolco, which each day attracted 25,000 shoppers and as many as 50,000 at the special market held on every fifth day.

Chinampas

Chinampas were artificially raised and flooded fields used for cultivation, and they covered large areas of the Chalco-Xochimilco basin and greatly increased the agricultural capacity of the land. In fact, as many as six crops a year could be grown on the chinampas; no wonder then, that they continue to be used in the present day. Their use in Mesoamerica went back centuries, but it was not until the 13th and 14th centuries CE that they began to spread beyond the lake basin of Chalco-Xochimilco where they eventually covered up to 9,500 hectares (23,000 acres). The chinampas could feed an ever-growing population, which at the capital Tenochtitlan alone was at least 200,000 and perhaps 11,000,000 throughout the empire. Motecuhzoma I, in particular, embarked on an expansion project in the 15th century CE, probably as a direct response to the needs of a rapidly growing population.

Each chinampa field was remarkably similar in size and orientation. Measuring around 30 x 2.5 m, they were pegged out in marshy areas using long stakes. Each plot was bordered with a fence made of intertwined branches which, over time, became more solid as they collected mud and vegetation. The wall was further strengthened by the planting of willow trees at regular intervals. The planting area within the chinampa was filled with sediment and between each plot was a canal which gave access for canoes. The water was provided, and carefully controlled, by a combination of natural springs and artificial constructions such as aqueducts, dikes, dams, canals, reservoirs, and gates. One of the most impressive of these was the 16 km dyke built by Nezahualcoyotl on the edge of Tenochtitlan to block the salty water of Lake Texcoco and create a lagoon supplied by a fresh water spring.

Gardens

The Aztecs also appreciated the cultivation of flower gardens and these were dotted around Tenochtitlan. The most famous example is Motecuhzoma I's exotic botanical garden at Huaxtepec, for which he imported such flowers as the vanilla orchid and cacao trees from the coast, along with specialist gardeners to ensure that they thrived in their new environment. The gardens were irrigated via springs, streams, and artificial canals and featured fountains and artificial lakes. The gardens at Huaxtepec and others such as the ones created by Netzahualcoyotl at Tetzcotzingo were also used to grow foodstuffs and were noted for having plants and trees of medicinal value. In fact, most Aztec upper-class residences had their own pleasure gardens with water features, orchards and herb gardens.

Food & Drink

The Aztec diet was dominated by fruit and vegetables, as domesticated animals were limited to dogs, turkeys ( totolin), ducks, and honey bees. Game (especially rabbits, deer and wild pigs), fish, birds, salamanders, algae (used to make cakes), frogs, tadpoles and insects were also a valuable food source. The most common crops were maize ( centli, famously used to make tortillas but also tamales and gruel), amaranth (a grain), sage, beans ( etl), squash, and chile peppers. Red and green tomatoes were cultivated (but were much smaller than the modern variety), as were white sweet potatoes, jícama (a type of turnip), chayote (vegetable pear), the nopal cactus, and peanuts. The Aztecs also grew many types of fruit including guavas, papayas, custard apples, mamey, zapotes, and chirimoyas. Snacks included popcorn and the sweet baked leaves of the maguey agave.

Not using oils or fats, most dishes were either boiled or grilled, and extra taste was added using condiments, for the Aztecs loved their sauces and seasoning. Examples of these include epazote, toasted avocado leaves, achiote seeds, and, of course, chile peppers either fresh, dried, or smoked. The other two popular flavours for the Aztecs were vanilla and chocolate. The latter came from the beans of cacao pods from the tree which was widely cultivated in extensive orchards near the coast. Beans were fermented, cured, and roasted. Then the beans were ground into powder and mixed with hot water as chocolate was usually consumed as a warm frothy drink. Bitter to taste, it could be flavoured by adding, for example, maize, vanilla, flowers, herbs and honey. So esteemed was chocolate that beans were used as money (even counterfeited) and demanded as tribute from subject tribes. Other popular drinks were octli ( to the Spanish), a light alcoholic beer made from the fermented sap of the maguey and pozolli made from fermented maize dough. These alcoholic drinks were, however, consumed in moderation, as being caught drunk could result in all manner of punishments, even the death penalty.

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The Aztec civilization, which flourished in central Mexico between c. 1345 and 1521 CE, was able to provide an astonishingly wide range of agricultural produce thanks to a combination of climatic advantages...

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The Aztec would believe to sacrifice for their god.