Olmec and Maya CAN’T DENY THE MAYA STYLE GET A KICK OUT OF AN ANCIENT BALL GAME HEADS UP! OLMEC STATUES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ROCK Olmec_and_Maya_FC.indd 1 3/8/17 11:50 AM 2 Early Cultures in the Americas Thousands of years The Americas ago, not a single human being lived in all of the 150˚ W Americas. The first peo- ARCTIC GREENLAND ple are thought to have OCEAN arrived about 15,000 years ago. They may have come from Asia via Arctic a land bridge over the Circle Bering Strait. That land 60˚ N bridge no longer exists. R O It appeared during the C Ice Age, when much of K Y the land was frozen. This M G . S R T E M T A N made the level of the T A S I H ATLANTIC P C L . A L oceans so low that land A A OCEAN I N P P now covered with water 30˚ N S A 30˚ N was exposed. Tropic of Cancer These early hunter- MEXICO gatherers slowly roamed CENTRAL south, and as the gen- AMERICA erations passed, some 0˚ Equator 0˚ groups settled in parts PACIFIC A of Mexico, Central N OCEAN D America, and South E America. Their descen- ATACAMA S Tropic of Capricorn DESERT dants included the people M 30˚ S T 30˚ S known as the Olmec S . N and, later still, the Maya. 150˚ W 120˚ W 90˚ W The Maya created one of W E the most splendid civi- North America 60˚ W S Scale at equator lizations of all time. But South America 0 1,000 mi. around 800 CE, some- Temperate Zone 0 1,000 km. thing terrible must have 60˚ S Tropical Zone occurred. During the Antarctic Circle Present-day Border next century, many Maya ANTARCTICA cities became deserted, and in time, the jungle u BECAUSE THE 1,600 miles north is often rainy. once again claimed the Americas stretch and south of the North and south of over such a huge equator is the this zone are two Maya lands. area, they contain tropical zone. The temperate zones. many different temperature is There, the climate climates and land- usually hot there, changes with the forms. Within and the weather seasons. Olmec_and_Maya_2-3.indd 16 3/8/17 11:51 AM 3 l AN IMPORTANT early group in South America was the Chavín people, who appeared in the Andes around 900 BCE. The Chavín are famous for their religious sculptures. Their artifacts include objects depicting jaguars, which were common in the l THE MAYA ERECTED area. Throughout magnificent palac- the Americas, es, developed an the animals that elaborate system prehistoric peo- of writing and an ples encountered accurate calendar, became important and were able to in their religious predict eclipses. beliefs. u ALONG THE WEST- include the Rocky both continents, ern areas of North Mountains (above), are areas well suit- and South America the Sierra Madre, ed for agriculture u CENTRAL AMERICA there could be and Mexico that are several and the Cascades. – grassy plains and contains many difficult because was settled in mountain ranges, South America’s river valleys. active volcanoes, of this terrain. We ancient times called cordilleras. include the Andes. rain forests, and call the region of Mesoamerica. Those in the north East of these, on swamps. Farming Central America l A MAJOR GROUP and farmed corn, in prehistoric North beans, and other America was the crops. They were Mississippians. known for building These people large earthworks, settled mainly in or mounds. The what is now the biggest (left) is southeastern and 1,000 feet long, midwestern United 700 feet wide, States, starting and 100 feet high! in the 700s CE. Religious temples They lived in large were built on top of towns or villages these mounds. Olmec_and_Maya_2-3.indd 17 3/8/17 11:51 AM 4 The Olmec In the fertile lowlands of southern Mexico, scientific pursuits, and writing systems, they the first sophisticated urban civilization in set the tone for all the major Mesoamerican the Americas came into being. It lasted from cultures that followed, including the Maya about 1200 BCE to 400 BCE. The people who and the Aztec. The Olmec have been called built it were called the Olmec. In their reli- the “mother civilization” of the Americas. gious beliefs, artworks, architecture, u THE OLMEC USED rivers for trans- porting goods and l THE WORD OLMEC other goods. But natural resources. means “rubber rubber and the Scholars believe people.” The Olmec rubber trade were they built rafts created rubber not the Olmec’s so they could from the sap of only inventions. float huge stones the rubber trees They were also the and other things growing on their first people in the from one place to lands. They used Americas to have another. The stones the rubber to make a writing system. were used for their balls for games They used pic- sculptures. and religious cere- ture-like symbols, monies. They also carving them on traded rubber with stone, sculptures, their neighbors for and pottery. Olmec_and_Maya_4-5.indd 16 3/8/17 11:54 AM 5 l THE OLMEC WERE They grew corn, Olmec Lands in an excellent beans, squash, geographic location avocados, and for farming, and peppers. They also CUBA their success at fished, in rivers MEXICO it provided them and the sea. They with many advan- built their houses tages. Water was with reeds from Tlapacoya Gulf of Mexico plentiful, and they the local rivers and Tlatilco El Viejón depended on the grasses from the Chalcatzinco Tre Zapotes flooding of rivers plains. The Olmec Las Bocas La Venta to nourish the soil farmlands were Laguna de Balancán and irrigate their very productive, Oxtotitán los Cerros San Lorenzo crops. They even growing more JAMAICA M developed a cal- than enough BELIZEfood Juxtlahuaca E S O A M endar system and for everyone. This E R Xoc numbering to help meant the Olmec I GUATEMALA Padre Piedra C them keep track of could spend time the flood season. on other activities,HONDURAS Pijijiapan A PACIFIC such as engaging OCEAN Izapa in trade and creat- ing artworks. La Blanca NICARAGUA Olmec Homeland N Olmec Ceremonial Center 0 100 mi. W E Other Olmec City 0 100 km. S EL SALVADOR l OLMEC RULERS ordered the building of large templesCOSTA and pla- RICA zas. At these sites were found many PANAMA sculptures show- ing what seem to be half-human, half-jaguar figures that research- ers have called were-jaguars. Some are depicted as infants, being held in the lap of another figure. These creatures have downturned mouths and half-closed, 0almond-shaped 500 Miles eyes. In the Olmec religion, the jaguar was associated u THE OLMEC MADE heads out of huge they are wearing with the all-import- truly amazing boulders of basalt helmets and may 0ant rains, which 500 KM sculptures. Many rock. These heads be players in a ball caused the flooding of them were may be portraits game that had reli- that guaranteed a religious in nature. of their rulers. But gious meaning. good harvest. They carved giant some people think Parallel scale at 20˚N 0˚ E Olmec_and_Maya_4-5.indd 17 3/8/17 11:54 AM 6 Pre- Classic Period 2000 BCE to ARCHAEOLOGISTS 250 CE (experts who Many Maya lived study the remains in settled com- of past cultures) munities. often divide time into periods to make it easier to discuss history. Maya history is divided into three periods. Archaic Period 8000 BCE to 2000 BCE Most Maya lived as hunters and gatherers. Some Maya began to settle in one place and farm. l STATUES AND r THE MAYA LIVED carvings in many in an area of about Classic Maya 120,000 square cities show what miles. This map the people looked shows the sites of like – or the looks their ancient cities. they admired: The heart of Maya straight black hair, civilization was the high cheekbones, tropical rain forests almond-shaped in the lowlands of eyes, curved nos- what is now north- es, and elongated ern Guatemala. skulls. Present-day border Ancient Maya city The Rise of the Maya The saying “Rome was not built in a nuts, and seeds for food. By around day” means that it takes a long time 8000 BCE, these roving bands of to create something significant and Maya began making homes for them- lasting. This saying also applies to selves – in caves, rock shelters, and the Maya. open camps. Slowly, over the next The earliest Maya hunted animals, several thousand years, they began fished, and gathered wild berries, living a more settled village life. They Olmec_and_Maya_6-7.indd 16 3/8/17 11:57 AM 7 Classic Period 250 CE to 900 CE The Maya reached great heights in intel- lectual, artistic, and cultural mat- ters. They built more than 100 cities and towns. One of the larg- est, Tikal, had as many as 100,000 residents. r TWELVE-YEAR- r STELAE (stONE old Pacal came slabs) were erect- to the throne in ed to honor the the Maya town of important events Palenque in 615 in leaders’ lives. CE. He reigned for The tallest stela 68 years. During in the Maya area this time, the city – almost 25 feet became large and high – is Stela powerful. When F at Quiriguá, Lord Pacal died, he Guatemala (right). had a royal burial On it is a portrait in the Temple of of Cauac Sky, an the Inscriptions. important ruler Present-day border The sarcophagus whose reign began Ancient Maya city (coffin) lid shows in 724 CE.