Taylor's+Americas+Exhibit

=Description of Society= The Incas were a powerful South American empire, and at its peak, measured 2,500 miles from one end to another. Its capital city was Cuzco, a center of religion and government. The Inca ruler was called Sapa Inca, or “the emperor.” The Incas had many lasting achievements that still amaze people today. They constructed long paved roads, massive walls, mountaintop buildings, and used stone terraces on the Andes Mountains to farm. The Incan empire declined in the 1530's when the Spanish came and basically wiped out the entire population by spreading disease and conquering. The Mayas established a great civilization in Middle America. They had many farmers who grew many things, but their most common crop was maize, or corn. Maize was so important, they worshiped a maize god. A different ruler commanded each Mayan city. The Mayas also developed a calendar to keep track of important celebrations. They abandoned their cities around A.D. 900 for unknown reasons. The Aztecs built their empire in the Valley of Mexico in a lake, with their capital being the city of Tenochtitlan. Aztecs held religious ceremonies that would win favor over the gods, like sacrifices. In 1519, the Spanish invaded the Aztec Empire, and killed many people with diseases and fierce battles. The Aztecs surrendered in 1521. Mound builders (peoples in North America who built earthen mounds by hand) called the Adena constructed mounds usually less than 20 feet high. They lived about 600 B.C., but declined about 100 B.C. The Hopewell Culture appeared along the Ohio and upper Mississippi rivers. They built larger mounds, and grew a greater variety of crops than the Adena. Around, A.D. 400, though, the Hopewell declined. The Mississippians appeared around A.D. It spread over a wide area in the present-day South and Midwest. Cities like Moundville, Etowah, and Cahokia thrived here. The population dropped however, in 1250. The Anasazi culture began about 100 A.D. They constructed pueblos, or clusters of stone and adobe dwellings, for homes. Between 1275 and 1300, though, severe droughts hit and the Anasazi abandoned their pueblos. There were also Native American groups in the Great Plains and in the woodlands of the United States and Canada.

The aztec calendar La piedra del sol

Source:http://library.thinkquest.org/C006206F/Aztecas_i.htm

Click here for a link with more information about the Aztec calendar! ===This is a picture of the Aztec calendar, the biggest Aztec structure ever found. In the center of the calendar is the face of the sun. It represents the Aztec belief that there were four previous worlds before our 5th world, which is doomed to be destroyed by earthquakes. This calendar has about a 13 foot diameter.===

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Aztec calendar in the news =Starbucks Using Aztec, Pre-Aztec Images Without Permission, Says Mexican Government =