Diapositiva 1

Mayas, Incas and Aztecs:Three Indian cradles of CivilizationBy Marcela Escrraga

In 1492, Christopher Columbus arrived in San Salvador, an island, where there many people that he called Indians.

Before Europeans came to America, there were three important Indian Civilizations: The Inca in Peru and the Maya and the Aztec in Central America.

The Peruvian Civilization

Inca Empire

They lived in Peru.

The Inca Empire started as a small tribe who lived in the village of Cuzco, high in the Andes Mountains of South America.

One day, another tribe tried to conquer them. Thanks toPachacuti, the king's son, the Incas won! That was the beginning of the Inca Empire.

The Spaniards called them The Inca Empire because their ruler was the Inca.It was one of the largest empires in the world. At it's height, it was over 2,500 miles long and about 500 miles wide, tucked high in the Andes Mountains.

They were farmers and engineersThey had roads and bridges and aqueducts.They lived in the mountainous regions and cultivated corn, cotton, beans and the white potato.

Most people were farmers, but the Inca also had specialized professions like weavers who made fabulous textiles, and musicians who created new instruments like the pan pipe.

They created water irrigation systems because their land was dry and cool.They domesticated the llama and alpaca that were from the Andean Mountains.

They were great architects too. Important cities were Cuzco and Machu Picchu.There was almostno crimeas punishment was harsh.

The Incainventedmany things. They believed in many Gods.

TheSpaniards conquered theIncan civilization.

Today, in South America, in the moderncountryof Peru, you can still find ancestors of the incredible Incas.

The Mayan CivilizationThey lived in Mexico and Central America Nobody knows where they came from, but about 2,400 years ago, anew tribeappeared in Central America. They settled in the rainforests of theYucatan Peninsula.

They were architects and built large buildings and cities like Chichen Itz and Uxmal.They were very clever people. They built many beautiful cities in rainforest,. They did not usemetal tools.

They were astronomers too. They invented a calendar with 18 months.

They also cultivated corn, sweet potatoes, peanut, manioc, pineapples, avocados, cotton, and papayas. Today, many countries, in different parts of the world also cultivated these products.

Today there are still many Mayas that speak their native language in the south of Mexico and in the North of Guatemala

They lived in Central America after Mayan Civilization. The Capital of the Empire was Tenochtitlan, where Mexico City is today. When the Spaniards came, there was silver and gold.

The Aztecs wandered around Mexico for about 200 years before theysettleddown in the Valley of Mexico.Aztecs settled down in the swampy land around Lake Texcoco.

They built canoes to fish. There were pyramids too, because they were great enginners.

They were warriorsAfter they had settled in, the Aztecs began conquering neighboring tribes. Soon, the entire Valley of Mexico was under their control.

Other tribes had to pay tribute to them in the form of food, clothing, goods, and captives to feed the hungry Aztecs gods. The Aztecs believed in human sacrifice.

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