THE AMERICAS

During this time there were four major groups; the Olmecs, the Aztecs, the Mayans-Tolecs, and the Incas. The geography included low lands that were humid and tropical, and mountains that had extreme climate shifts. Religion was big during this time as well. They cad ceremonial centers that were the nuclei of the Mesoamerican settlement. They has temples too, that provided spatial orientation for the town. The pyramids were made to stand out and represent the gods and powers of religion. When I say many gods, I mean they believed in many gods (Polytheistic). They also believed in human sacrifice.

The Olmecs were the first major civilization in Mexico. They wer around from 2000-300 B.C. and came to a violent unknown end. They were known as the people of the rubber country. They were also well known for developing hieroglyphic writing. They were also the first to come up with a calendar in the Western Hemisphere. The temples around there civilization were a main focus of there city life. The jaguar was the symbol of their chief deity and they had realistic art. They were the first example of temple focused city type. The ceremony center was composed of the great pyramid of earth, ball court, smaller pyramids, burial grounds and giant stone heads.Artwork consisted of delicate carvings of jade, rock crystal, and less valuable stone. They had ax heads, masks and decorative objects. They also had mural paintings and pottery.

The Teotihuacans were named the city "Place of the gods" during 250B.C. -99A.D.. The cities ceremonial center was two miles in length, had a center spine, and had the Temple of the Feathered Serpent and the Pyramid of the sun/pyramid of the moon. This city was laid out in a grid with the houses of the elite raised up on a platform. They had no city walls which showed a sign of a powerful society with no enemies. Decorative motifs during this time included; birds, butterflies, flowers, and abstract signs.

The Aztecs were around from 1150-1520 A.D.. Their Tenochtitlan's center of Aztec civilization. The temple Mayor had two temples; the god of war, and the god of agriculture. The Templo mayor destroyed by the Spanish. The pyramids of the sun and moon were made out of stone and brick. They also had floating gardens. They were the first to create art expression through thoughts of life. When it came to agriculture, the chinampas was a raised garden bed that was located in a swamp or shallow lake. They had the most productive agriculture design ever developed by humans.

Finally, the Incas were the largest empire in Pre-Columbian America. They were around from 1200-1572 C.E.. There were known for there architecture and the mastering of stone cutting. They had climate variations and a capitol of Cuzco. Machu Picchu was built without mortar and was located in a seismically unstable area. It had trapdoor shaped opening and it was never discovered by the spanish. It was however discovered by an American professor Bingham in 1911. 

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