Until the arrival of European invaders in the 16th century, complex and
powerful civilizations flourished in the Americas. From 250 to 900 ce,
the Mayan kingdoms of Central America built cities with huge stone
temples, and developed systems of mathematics and astronomy.
From the 14th century, the mighty Aztec empire built pyramid
temples and made sacrifices to their sun god. In the 15th century,
the Inca empire stretched for more than 3,200 km (2,000 miles)
along the Pacific coast of South America, with a network of
roads and fortress cities high in the Andes mountains.American civilizations
(^1) EVERYDAY LIFE
The Aztec, Inca, and Mayan civilizations were
all based on farming. The most important
food crop was maize (or corn), used to make
pancakes, called tortillas, and beer. As well as
farming the land, people had to serve their
rulers as soldiers, builders, or labourers.
(^2) POTTERY
American people made pots by rolling
clay into long strips, which they coiled
to make the walls of their vessels.
Pottery served both a practical
purpose, such as carrying
liquids and boiling food,
and a decorative one.
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Rain god Chac, the
Mayan rain god, had a
long nose and fangs.
Plate Paintings
on pots often
reveal details of
daily life. This
Mayan plate shows
how people hunted
deer using blowpipes.
Inca pots The Incas used these pots to carry and
store maize beer. People carried them on their
backs, using a rope passed between the handles.
Knife There were no
metal tools, so knives
were made of stone.
Music The Incas
made music by
blowing across the
top of cane pipes.
Drink The Incas
drank “chicha”
(maize beer)
from painted
wooden beakers.
Mixtec cup This cup
was made by the
Mixtecs, the Aztecs’
southern neighbours.
Pipes of different
lengths make
different notes
An Inca walks
behind a
Spanish invader
Flint blade with
serrated edge
Conical base for
standing the pot in a
hollow on the ground
Inca designs were
influenced by basketry
weaving patterns
The hunters,
disguised as deer,
creep on all fours
A blue hummingbird
perches on the rim,
ready to take a sip
Jaguar skin
decorated
with feathers
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