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Ancient Mesoamerican Civilizations
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Ancient Mesoamerican Civilizations

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Questions and Answers

What was the primary source of power for the Sapa Inca?

  • The support of the four regional governors
  • The backing of the powerful nobility class
  • The claimed divine right as the son of the sun (correct)
  • The approval of the empire's religious leaders
  • What was the primary function of the Inca road network?

  • To facilitate trade with neighboring empires
  • To unite the four regions of the empire (correct)
  • To showcase the engineering prowess of the Inca
  • To provide a means of rapid communication across the empire
  • What was unique about the Inca's stone temples?

  • They were built without using mortars (correct)
  • They were built using a unique style of architecture
  • They were constructed using only local materials
  • They were only used for religious ceremonies
  • What was the primary deity in the Inca pantheon?

    <p>Inti, the sun god</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the purpose of the Inca's practice of cranial deformation?

    <p>To indicate social status</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a significant medical advance of the Inca?

    <p>The performance of successful skull surgery</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the role of government officials in Inca society?

    <p>They arranged marriages and assigned jobs</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the ultimate cause of the fall of the Inca Empire?

    <p>The Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the result of the spread of smallpox in the Inca Empire?

    <p>It killed a significant portion of the population</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the organization of Inca society based on?

    <p>A system of assigned jobs and community service</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Mesoamerica

    • Mesoamerica refers to Mexico and Central America
    • Some of the greatest civilizations in the Americas developed in Mesoamerica
    • The Maya and Aztec lived in the Mesoamerican region

    Theories of American Settlement

    • Theory #1: Bering land bridge - humans migrated into North America from Asia by crossing over a land bridge between Alaska and Siberia
    • Theory #2: Coastal migration - humans migrated to the Americas by crossing the seas, most likely the Pacific Ocean, and settling along the western coasts of the Americas

    The Maya

    • Settled on the Yucatan Peninsula in central America
    • Maya civilization was made up of city-states, each with its own ruler
    • Built towering temples and palaces, with ceremonial platforms, temples, pyramids, observatories, and ball courts
    • Practiced polytheistic religion, with human sacrifice
    • Created a writing system of hieroglyphics, a set of numerals, and a 365-day calendar
    • Abandoned many of their cities around 900 A.D., with unknown reasons for decline
    • Over 2 million Maya people live in Guatemala and southern Mexico today

    The Aztecs

    • Lived in the Valley of Mexico in central Mexico
    • Tenochtitlan was the capital city of the Aztec Empire, built on an island in Lake Texcoco
    • The city was connected to the mainland by causeways, with canals for navigation
    • The Aztecs created an empire through conquest, with conquered people and local rulers paying tribute
    • Had an emperor, with the main job of leading in war
    • Practiced polytheistic religion, with human sacrifice, and built massive temples and pyramids dedicated to their gods
    • The main Aztec god was Huitzilopochtli
    • The Aztecs were conquered by Spanish conquistadors led by Hernan Cortes in 1521

    The Inca

    • Controlled an empire in the Andes Mountain region of South America
    • The Sapa Inca (emperor) had absolute power, claiming to be the son of the sun and the empire's religious leader
    • The empire was divided into four regions, with the capital at Cuzco
    • Built a massive road network through mountains and across rivers and gorges
    • Constructed stone temples without using mortars, with stones fitting together perfectly
    • Practiced polytheistic religion, with the primary god Inti, the sun god
    • Believed in reincarnation, and practiced cranial deformation
    • Performed successful skull surgery, and used medicines to make patients unconscious during surgery
    • Each family in a community was assigned a specific job, with government officials arranging marriages and organizing mandatory public service building projects
    • The empire fell due to civil war, smallpox, and ultimately, the Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro

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    Description

    Explore the history of Mesoamerica, including the development of civilizations like the Maya and Aztec, and theories on how humans first arrived in the Americas.

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