DOCUMENT RESUME SO 029 046 ED 422 222 Zsohar, Elizabeth AUTHOR The World of Ancient Mexico. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar TITLE Abroad 1997 (Mexico). Center for International Education (ED), Washington, DC. SPONS AGENCY 1997-00-00 PUB DATE NOTE 40p. Guides - Non-Classroom (055) PUB TYPE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE Cultural Awareness; Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign DESCRIPTORS Countries; Global Education; Instructional Materials; *Latin American History; Latin Americans; *Mexicans; Multicultural Education; Social Studies; World History *Latin American Studies; *Mexico IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This unit provides background information and activities about ancient Mexico including the Olmecs, the Mayans, the Toltecs, the Zapotecs and Mixtecs, and the Aztecs. Brief readings are followed by activities that cover a wide range of subjects within each culture. Illustrations throughout the text highlight the topics. A 24-item bibliography concludes the unit. (EH) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** 7he World 11 of I. imient exico 413 : by Elizabeth Zsohar U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educattonat Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) November, 1997 d This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS Points of view or opinions stated in this BEEN GRANTED BY document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. iZaSalt.e. Gejl cl VUE CI"( 0 Elizabeth Zsohar TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar FY-97 1 Final Report 2 lk mop 00,4 Ok % 1 -1,0 jelCi 40%1A 8,,,epoxo e 14(0 406 5-7 Special thank to the Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar for Teachers Program for providing the opportunity to spend five weeks in Mexico during the summer of 1997. This program, a cooperative venture of the U.S. Department of Education and Comision Mexico-Estados Unidos para el Intercambio Educativo y Cultural, enabled our group of 16 educators from throughout the United States to interact with numerous academics, educators and experts in Mexico. Most of all it gave me a better appreciation and understanding of our neighbor to the south. TABLE OF CONTENTS Ancient Times 1 Time Line of Ancient Civilizations of Mexico 2 The Olmecs 3 The Maya Civilization 5 Maya Society 6 Calendars 7 Maya Math 9 The Ball Game 11 If You Were an Ancient Maya 12 Maya Writing 13 The Popol Vuy 15 Why the Maya Civilization Collapse 16 The Toltecs 17 Zapotecs and Mixtec 18 Aztecs 19 Tenochtitlan 20 The Aztec Way of Life 22 Clothes 24 Aztec Religion 25 Aztec Writing Codices 27 Actec Calendar 28 Patolli 29 Growth and Decline of the Empire 30 Word Search 32 Bibliography 34 ANCIENT TIMES The first people who lived in what is now Mexico probably arrived as early as 20,000 B.C. They were Indians who migrated from the north. They arrived in the northern part of present day Mexico called Aridoamerica. It is situated between two large mountain ranges that separate the Sierra Madre. Aridoamerica was a region of little and irregular amounts of rain, with large plains and mountainous areas, almost desert like. The Indians were hunters who lived in small temporary communities. They followed the herds of buffalo, mammoths, mastodons, and other large animals that roamed the land. The people bad a primitive culture and the greatest numbers of them lived by hunting and off the scarce fruits of the land. Some people practiced seasonal agriculture and in some places, as in Paquime in Chihuahua, prosperous zones were developed. They maintained commercial relations with the civilizations to the south in Mesoamerica. The difficult life conditions made the inhabitants of Aridoamerica fierce and terrible warriors. Many used bows and arrows, far superior to the weapons used in Mesoamerica. The Aztecs called these people "chichimecas". The proud Aztecs had forgotten that they also has been "chichimecas." The people who migrated to the south began to organize and build large religious and government centers around 1200 B.C. Ancient civilizations appeared and disappeared several times between approximately 1200 B.C. and A.D. 1521. Societies would rise to greatness, flourish, and then collapse, only to have others replace them. TIME LINE OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS IN MEXICO Make a time line to represent the ancient civilizations of Mexico. Mark each centimeter to represent 100 years (a century). Place the main civilizations in it proper time. ISO BC- AD750 Teotlhuocon 'Place of 1200-600 BC the Vk Olrnec Gods' -11o,rA)t 100-1200 11550-15Z1 Aztec Toltec 1621 200 1200 Conquest Moya by Spcanish What else was happening in the world at the same time? Find out the time which goes with each of the following important events or people. Aristotle lives in Greece reign of Tutankhamun in Egypt Carthage wars with Rome reign of Augustus in Rome Erik the Red in Greenland the Great Wall of China completed William the Conqueror Hawaii inhabited by Polynesians Exodus of Israelites from first Buddhist temples built Egypt 2 7 THE OLMECS "Only a century ago, the Olmecs were entirely unknown, yet today they are regarded as the creators of the first civilization of America." Henri Stierlin The World's Last Mysteries The Olmec Indians of the southern Gulf Coast made the first great advance toward civilization in Mexico.They are often refered to as the mother of cultutes of Mesoamerica. The Aztecs called the area Ohman "land of rubber". Thus the people were called Olmecs. The Olmecs found many uses of rubber they got from trees in the rain forest. They made a ball out of rubber and played a game in which two teams competed on a special court. The game is still played in Mexico. The Olmecs were primarily agricultural people. They built no cities, except for religious purposes. Olmec farmers grew beans, squash, and maize maize, an early form of corn. Like agricultural societies, the Olmecs depended upon the seasonal flooding. They developed a calendar to keep up with the flood season. They also developed hieroglyphic writing to keep a record of events. Ohnec cities were centers of religion. In the middle of each were great stone temples. Looking out over the city were huge carved stone heads 8-12 feet high carved out of basalt. 16 of these huge heads have survived. Whether if rock, wood, clay, or jade, Olmec sculptures generally feature masklike faces, drooping mouths, flat noses and catlike eyes. Some mix features of human with those of a jaguar, an animal that appears to have played a part in the religion of the Olmecs and other civilizations to come. 3 1111 8 Archaeologists have uncovered four important Olmec settlements. By about 1000 B.C. the town of La Venta had become the major center of Olmec culture. La Venta is located on a large island, surrounded by swamps and rivers, near the northern coast of what is now southern Mexico. Most of the Olmec were farmers and growing food to support La Venta. The leaders controlled most of the land that was used for farming. They also built stone monuments to remind the people of the authority of their leaders. Artifacts and ruins in La Venta provide us with some hints about the religious beliefs of the Olmecs. Like the other people of Mesoamerica, the Olmecs were polytheistic. They believed in many gods to explain the forces of nature. Like following cultures, Olmecs built special temples and altars to make sacrifices to the gods. Around 400 B.C. Olmec civilization was gradually beginning to disappear. Historians are not certain why the culture faded. Some think the system of agriculture began to break down from overuse of the land. La Venta and other settlements were abandoned. The Omecs' idea of kingship, their skill in astronomy and the symbols they used in their art became the traditional beliefs of most Mesoamerican civilizations. The Toltecs, Mayas, Aztecs, and others recalled the glory of the ancient Olmecs. 4 9 THE MAYA CIVILIZATION As the Olmec Civilization declined, the Maya civilization arose along the coastal lowlands. The Maya people clearly benefited from the Olmec Culture. They built large pyramids and temples, worshiped a jaguar god, and adopted the Olmec Calendar. Between A.D. 250 - A.D. 900, the Maya built the richest civilization yet seen in the Americas. Agriculture was the heart of the Maya economy. Maize, or corn, was the heart of Maya agriculture. Maize was first grown in Middle America in about 5000 B.C. The cob of this early maize was tiny, about the size of a shelled peanut. When it was heated, maize exploded like modern popcorn. Over the years, Mesoamerica farmers improved their crops of maize. It was the most important part of the Maya diet. Yum Kax, the Maya god, became a significant part of the Maya religion. The Maya performed special ceremonies for the planting and harvesting of maize. The Maya farmers also planted other crops, too, such as beans, squash, and peppers. They also grew cacao trees, which provided chocolate - the favorite drink of Maya rulers. Most Maya grew avocado and papaya near home. They hunted for animals such as deer. Farmers and hunters sold many of their crops and products in city marketplaces. 5