The three most dominant and advanced civilizations that developed in the Americas prior to the arrival of the Europeans were the Aztecs, the Maya, and the Inca.
1100 - The Aztecs leave their homeland of Aztlan in northern Mexico and begin their journey south. Over the next 225
years the Aztecs will move many times until they finally settle down at the city of Tenochtitlan.
The Aztec Family The basic unit of Aztec society was the family. The family was very important to the Aztecs and
marriage was considered sacred. Men could marry more than one wife, but there was usually a primary wife who was in
charge of the household. Marriages were arranged by matchmakers.
Metaphors The Aztecs often used metaphors throughout their art. For example, the hummingbird represented the sun god,
the eagle represented the warrior, and flowers represented the beauty of life. Metaphors like these were used in their
drawings, sculpture, and poetry.
Maya
Life as a Maya Noble The Maya king and his nobles lived an easy life. They had their every need provided for by the
commoners. They were even carried from place to place in litters by slaves.
Inca
The Ayllu One of the most important aspects of the Inca daily life was the ayllu. The ayllu was a group of families that
worked a portion of land together. They shared most of their belongings with each other just like a larger family.
Everyone in the Inca Empire was a member of an ayllu. Once a person was born into an ayllu, they remained part of that
ayllu their entire life.
nca Temples The Inca built many beautiful temples to their gods. The most important temple was the Coricancha built in
the heart of the city of Cuzco to the sun god, Inti. The walls and floors were covered with sheets of gold. There were also
gold statues and a huge gold disc that represented Inti. Coricancha means "Golden Temple".