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Began settling in the lowlands （modern world Guatemala).

Almost all of the lowlands are covered with thick tropical forests.

The thick tropical forests provide valuable resources.

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They believed that the gods need blood to prevent disasters.

People offered blood to the gods.

They offered their blood by piercing their tongue or skin.

They believed each god they worship controls a different aspect of daily life.

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They all worshiped more than one god.

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Chavin

Moche

Nazca

Chimu

Inca

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From North to Central Mexico.

Settled on a swampy island (middle of lake Texcoco)

Solved difficulties of getting to and from the city.

The Tenochtitlan had limited place for farming

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Settle in the lowlands of what is today Southern Mexico states of Veracruz and Tabasco.

Abundant rainfall and rich, fertile soil made this an ideal place to grow crops.

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900-200 B.C.

First major civilization

Lived in what is now northern and central Peru

Known for its woven textiles, carved stone monuments, and pottery shaped like animals and humans

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A.D. 1-800

Lived in northern coastal Peru

Used irrigation for growing corn

Fertile soil and water helped to improve their agriculture

Engineered pyramids out of adobe or mud brick

Involved human sacrifice and drinking the blood of the sacrificed

Artwork included pottery and metalwork

Not sure about the reason they decline, some think drought was a factor

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The Olmec built sculptures that represent different gods to worship them.

Made sculptures like jaguars to represent Olmec Gods.

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Olmec were a complex civilization

Most Olmec lived in small villages, but some live in larder towns

The towns were religious and government centers with temples and plazas.

The government made decisions that helped the civilization develop, which improved people's quality of life.

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Maya had an impressive advances in science.

Maya developed two calendars.

Maya had on calendar with 365 days for farming and one with 260 days for religious ceremonies.

They are zero number creators.

Maya's large observatories let them to study the sky.

Maya was able to measure time accurately.

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200-600 B.C.

Developed in the further south along the coast

Used irrigation system to farm dry areas

Created large collection basins to hold water

Large figures best seen from the air, depict animals, plants, and geometric shapes

The purpose of the large figures is not known

Weakened by drought before being conquered

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Maya territory grew to include more than 40 large cities.

There are some Maya cities who hold a lot of power.

Maya had an classic age period.

Different Maya cities fought with each other for control of land and resources.

In Maya, there was never a leader who united all of the cities onto an empire.

The city-Palenque was a major power on the border between the Maya highlands and lowlands.

The king of palenque is Pacal, and he had a temple to record achievements.

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Made sculptures

Built the first pyramid in America

Created ball games with rubber and a ball.

Invented calendar

created the world's first writing system in America

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Maya traded different things around different cities.

Maya had trade routes that led people to different cities.

Maya traded jade, cotton, and obsidian.

Some trading comes from different countries.

The Maya lived in small villages that traded with each other for goods like cloth and materials like obsidian.

Jade was mined in the mountains and traded to lowland cities.

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Two main forces heavily influenced people's daily life.

The first main force is the social structure and the second one is religion.

Maya had a social hierarchy.

The upper class are Maya kings, priests, rich merchants, nobles, and warriors, the lower class are formed by farmers and slaves.

Maya kings are highly respected.

Maya kings had their own religious and political authority.

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Live in same area as Moche, northern coastal Peru

Faced challenges same as the Moche, like scarcity of water

Great engineers who built with adobe

Made irrigation systems, roads, and a large capital

Capital city is Chan Chan, covered over 14 square miles (36.3 sq km)

Complex metalwork and textiles

Conquered by the Inca around 1460

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People got valuable things through trade.

As they interact with other people, it spread Olmec culture.

They also got goods such as stones for building and sculpture through trade.

They had a large trading network that made them trade with each other and with people farther away easier.

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The ruling class ordered the large building projects that the Olmec completed.

Impressive buildings and sculptures show that Olmec was a complex civilization with a class structure.

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Adopted many Chimu customs and technology

Conquered the Chimu by around 1460

Capital city is Cuzco

Begin as a small tribe in Andes in the 12th century

Pachacuti ruled Inca in 1400s

Huge in 1500 based on the way Pachacuti ruled

12 million of people

Language was Quechua

Spend time working for government as well as themselves

Created labor tax system called the Mita

Soldiers worked in mines, or built roads and bridges

No merchants and markets

Government distributed goods through Mita

Upper classes: emperor, government officials, and priests

Lower classes: farmers, artisans, and servants

Grew crops such as maize and peanuts in warmer valley

Carved terraces into the hillsides, and grew potatoes in cooler mountains

Thought rulers are related to gods and never "really" die, so priest brought mummies for kings to ceremonies

Believed certain things had magic, like mountaintops, rocks, or springs

Known for their stonework

Made pottery, gold, and silver jewelry

Last Inca emperor was Atahualpa

Conquered by Pizarro in 1537

Guns, disease, and hourses made it easier for Pizarro to defeat the Inca

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great temple stood at the heart of the city(On the top of the temple were two shrines)

The Aztecs priests regularly made human sacrifices

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All civilizations had large trading networks between villages or cites.

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Farmers grew crops on chinampas.

Artisans used gold, gems, and bright feathers to make jewelry, and masks.

Women also made colorful designs on their clothes.

The causeways and canals made traveling easier

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Below the emperor and nobles are warriors and priests.

The Aztec emperor is the most important person in the empire.

Lower class are formed by farmers and laborers.

Slaves are after the lower class.

Priests led religious ceremonies.

The slaves at the very bottom of the society struggled a lot.

Trusted nobles helped the empire to collect taxes.

Noble positions were passed down from fathers to sons.

The lower class holds the majority of the population.