The Ancient Civilizations of Central and South America

5350 Words11 Pages

The Ancient Civilizations of Central and South America

Central and South America was once home to some of the ancient world's

most magnificent and glorious civilizations. The Incas, Aztecs, and

Mayas were just three of these civilizations. These civilizations

ruled the area for many years, and flourished greatly in their own

different ways. They were the cause for much advancement in arts,

architecture, politics, religion, and society in the world. These

civilizations created pyramids, temples, and monuments in honor of

their gods and rulers. Their people proved to be intellectually

advanced, and they were able to successfully create calendars,

alphabets, and predict solar eclipses. They all developed differently

from each other but shared one thing in common, the fact that they

were all highly successful. It took a great many years to finally

bring an end to these civilizations. Many attacks and assaults from

the Spanish conquistadors, European diseases, and selfish kings to

finally bring an end to their influence on the world.

The Aztecs were the first major civilization to rule the area of

Central and South America. They are also sometimes known as the

Mexicas, but we refer to them the Aztecs. They might not have been a

huge empire when they began, and never really had the land area that

many empires of their time could boast, but nevertheless had a great

influence on Europe and Spain in particular. The Aztec Empire also

ranges to the Aztec Triple Alliance. The Aztec Triple Alliance was a

group of three tribes that were brought together for military

purposes. The Mexicas, Acolhuas, and Tepanecas made up this particular

allian...

... middle of paper ...

...on the region. Their cultures and civilizations are remembered by many

people even until now. These civilizations will always remain in my

mind as the greatest ever. I learned a lot from doing this research

report and I hope you learn just as much from reading it.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Ancient Kingdoms of the Sun pgs 59-63

[2] Encarta Encyclopedia Article (Aztecs)

[3] Collier's Encyclopedia Volume 3 pgs. 412-416 (Article: Aztecs)

[4] Collier's Encyclopedia Volume 12 pgs. 550-553(Article: Incas)

[5] Encarta Encyclopedia (Article: Inca Empire)

[6] Encarta Encyclopedia (Article: Machu Pichu)

[7] Encarta Encyclopedia (Article: Maya Civilization)

[8] Collier's Encyclopedia Volume 15 pgs. 577-584 (Article: Mayas)

[9] Website: Chichen Itza, Mexico

Open Document