Pre-Columbian Cultures

Introduction

Study of the cultures that existed in America before the arrival of the Spanish.
Multiple cultures such as the Toltecs, Chichimecas, Otomies, Mayos, Yaquis, among others.
Three outstanding cultures: Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs.

Knowledge was the center of Maya culture, passed down from generation to generation.
Advanced system of time measurement and mathematics, including the use of zero.
Location: Mexico (Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Chiapas) and countries like Belize, Honduras, Guatemala.
Pictographic writing system, complex to decipher.
Importance of color in Mayan art.
Constructions: pyramids built according to their astronomical knowledge.
- Examples of locations: Tikal (Guatemala), Copán (Honduras), Mexico.
Polytheistic religion, main god: Kukulkan, the god of the sun.
Governors jealous of power, frequent power struggles.
Economy based on hunting.

Location in South America: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina.
Foundation of Cusco in the twelfth century, capital of the Inca empire.
Greatest splendor in the fifteenth century, extensive empire similar to the Roman in Europe.
Polytheistic religion, main god: Inti, the sun god.
Agriculture: cultivation of corn, potato, and coca.
- Coca used for ceremonies and physical endurance at altitudes.
Construction of Machu Picchu, sacred city in the mountains, never conquered by the Spanish.
Livestock farming: breeding llamas and alpacas for milk, meat, and wool.
Contribution to the textile industry.
Excellent social organization based on agriculture.
Overthrow by Francisco Pizarro, a topic to be studied later.