Today in my history class, I learned about the civilizations in Mesoamerica. I learned about the Olmec, Mayan, Aztec, and Incan civilizations. The Olmec were the 1st complex society. Their name means "rubber people" becuase they invented rubber. The Mayans were the most sophisticated society. They measured time using 2 systems. They had the solar calendar and the sacred calendar. The solar calendar had 365 days divided into 18 months each consisting of 20 days and at the end of the year they added 5 more days. The sacred calendar had 260 days, 20 months with 13 days each. They had very different thoughts about beauty. They prized flat foreheads and crossed eyes.They abandoned their cities for unknown reasons and their civilization declined. The Aztecs were a civilization in present day Mexico. They had a polytheistic religion, but their main god was Quetzalcoatl. They performed human sacrifices were they would rip out the heart of the person. Then they would cut of their head and roll the rest of their body down the temple. The Inca had a very strong political structure. They had the most powerful army around which consisted of about 20,000 warriors. Women had 2 options: get married or become a priestess. Their civilization declined when Francisco Pizarro took over. That's what I learned today in history.
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