pre-Colombian+America

=Pre-Colombian America=

Before Christopher Columbus sailed on his voyage in 1492, the Americas were referred to as Pre-Colombian America. During this era there was already some European influence, but that didn't have a major impact on the civilizations. The term “Pre-Colombian” could still describe regions for decades or even centuries after 1492 if the native cultures were still intact.

During the pre-Columbian era there were three major Empires. These included the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas. At this time in history, religion was very important to these groups. For example, the Mayans were polytheistic who practiced human sacrifice in order for the sun to come up every day. The Aztecs were located in Central Valley of Mexico with its capital at Tenochtitlan. Its religion included polytheism and they believed in the sun god, under which they would also capture warriors and Aztecs as sacrifices. The Inca Empire was located in the Andes mountains and Pacific coast of South America, with Cusco as its capital. Religious beliefs for the Inca centered around polytheism. They worshiped the sun god Inti with religion tied to routines of life and its emperor, Sapa Inca, who performed religious rituals. In the upcoming years around 1492 these American empires would fall to European conquistadors, who then spread Christianity.

The Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas made a major impact on the world. For example, the Mayans created and used the number zero and made an accurate 365 day calendar. They also applied art-flat topped pyramids, palaces, temples. The Aztecs influenced floating gardens and distributed their knowledge on astronomy and Mathematics-counting system. Lastly the Incas created engineering techniques such as roads which united the empire and the construction of stone buildings without the use of cement.

By: Fabiely Roldan