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Kabihasnang Mesoamerica at Andes: Olmec, Maya, Aztec at Inca
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Good day. In this video we will
discuss the cultures of Mesoamerica
and the Andes.
Let's look at the geography of Meso America.
America.
The name Meso America comes from the
word Meso which means middle.
This is the cradle of the first civilizations
in America. Meso America or
Central America is the region between the
Sinaloa River Valley in central Mexico
and the Gulf of Fonseca in southern El Salvador.
Salvador.
On its northern border are
the Panuko and Santiago rivers.
Meanwhile, the southern border runs
from the coast of Honduras on the Atlantic
to the ridge of Nicaragua on the
Pacific. and on the Nicoya Peninsula in
Costa Rica. Currently,
Currently,
Meso America encompasses large
parts of Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, El
Salvador, and parts of Honduras.
In this land, the large differences
in land elevation and
rainfall frequency cause different
types of climate and ecology in different
parts of the region.
The weather in this region is changeable.
In Mesoamerica, the first
human settlements were established. It is also one of the
first places where
agriculture flourished, like South Asia and
China. In the present day, it also
has a large population.
The farming communities.
Many centuries passed
between the beginning of settlement
and the emergence of
state-organized societies in Mesoamerica.
Ancient people cultivated
corn and other crops in the
fertile lands of the Yucatan Peninsula and
present-day Beralus as early as 3,500 BCE.
BCE.
By 1,500 PCE, many
Mesoamericans began to live in settlements.
settlements.
The existence of
political and social order in
Mesoamerica is already evident. In many regions,
small but powerful
communities developed leaders.
There were also several clans that dominated
dominated economic,
economic,
political, and regional aspects.
The most famous of the newly formed
societies was the Olmec.
The Olm was the first primate to
emerge in Central America and
possibly throughout the Americas.
The term Olmec means
rubber people because they were the first people to
use the sap of rubber trees .
.
Their culture flourished in the
Gulf Coast region of Southern
Mexico, eventually extending
to Guatemala.
This period was roughly contemporary with the
Shang dynasty in China.
OLMEC is an agricultural community.
agricultural community.
The irrigation system built here
allowed them to cultivate
their land. They also made
calendars. They used a
writing system that was based on
Egyptian hieroglyphics and
created unique works of
art. They also understand the
concept of zero in calculations.
Rituals related to their
beliefs were important to the
Olmec way of life. They have a ritual
game called pokatok which seems
similar to the game of basketball.
But players
cannot use their hands
and feet to touch the ball.
Players attempt to drop and
hit a solid rubber ball into a
small stone ring
set on a high wall.
Archaeologists believe that
some players were
sacrificed after the game.
Later, it was played in
various centers throughout Meso, America.
The Olmecs are also known for carving
carving
colossal heads from stone. The
largest stone weighs up to a
ton and is a foot high. supposedly
. These sculptures may have been
inspired by the appearance of their leaders.
They also built
pyramid-shaped temples on top of mounds of
earth. These structures
served as places of worship for
their gods. The
Jaguar was an important animal in Olmec beliefs, being their most feared
money or predator in Central America
and South America.
It shows strength, cunning,
and the ability to live in any place.
It is also aggressive and bold.
The Olmecs worshipped the spirit of the Jaguar.
Jaguar.
Two of the Olmec centers were San
Lorenzo and LaBa.
These areas were trading centers
where mineral products
such as jade, obsidian and serpentine
came from as far away
as Costa Rica. Like other
cultures that emerged in the Americas, the
Olmec empire weakened and fell.
It is said that they may have mixed
with other groups that conquered
them. However, the ancient
people who followed them were able to
establish the great city of Teyote Huawakan.
Huawakan.
The Maya's gesture. The
Maya civilization prevailed in the Yucatan Peninsula.
The Southern region, Mexico to Guatemala.
Guatemala.
Maya city-states such as Washakton, Ical, Elmirador
and Cupan were formed here. The Maya reached the peak of
their civilization between 300 CE
and 700 CE.
In Maya society, the priests assisted
the rulers in governance. It was
extended by leaders called
halasunik or real men. The pamay
pamay
are also the center of their worship of
their Gods. Later,
city-states were formed here.
They possess absolute power.
power.
Maya city-states were connected by wide and well-maintained roads and waterways. The
order of the city reflects the
division of people in society. The
poor and the wealthy lived separately .
.
The center of each city was a
pyramid whose upper part was a
shrine to the gods. There are
temples and palaces next to the pyramid.
This is a tribute to
their God, Kukulkan.
The God of the Feathered was influential
in the economic sphere, with
their trade products including
corn, salt, tapa, dried fish, honey,
honey,
wood, and animal skins.
They plant by digging.
digging.
Their main crops are corn,
beans, squash, avocados, peppers, pineapples,
papayas and cacao. Because of the importance of
agriculture in the lives of the Maya, the
God they worshipped was related to
planting such as rain and corn.
The Maya reached the peak of their
literacy after 600 CE. But
by the end of the eighth century CE,
some centers were in decline. The
use of the calendar was discontinued and
religious and
state structures collapsed. Between 850 CE
and 950 CE most of the
Mayan centers were completely abandoned or abandoned.
No one has yet been able to fully explain the
decline of this skill. According to
some experts,
environmental degradation, population growth, and
ongoing war may be just some of the
reasons for its decline.
Its decline may also have been caused by a decline
in food production based on
excavated human remains that showed
a lack of adequate nutrition.
The remains were found to be
less tall while
their bones were thinner.
However, some cities in the northern
Yucatan Plateau survived for
several more centuries, such as Chichen Itza,
Uzmal, Edzna and Cupon. With the decline of
Chichen and Uzmal,
the city of Mayapan dominated the
entire region. until
a revolt occurred in the year 1450.
The kabyas of the astech. The Astic are
nomadic tribes whose
origins are uncertain.
They gradually moved into the Valley of
Mexico between the 10th and 11th centuries CE.
The word Aztec means
one who came from Asland, a
mythical place in northern Mexico.
In the year 1325,
they founded the settlement of Tenotitlan,
Tenotitlan,
a small island in the middle of Lake
Texcoco. Texco is in the center of the
valley of Mexico.
By the 16th century,
their city-state had conquered other
tribes in central Mexico. The city
became an important trading center.
trading center.
The Astech economy is based on agriculture
. The land around the lakes
is fertile but not large enough
for the entire population.
To increase the land
under cultivation, streams were covered with soil by
asts. and created
chinampas, artificial islands
called floating carts in the middle
of the lake.
They had no tools to dig the
land or animals to work with.
They plant in soft soil using
only sharp sticks.
Their main crop is corn.
Their other crops are cotton,
squash, avocado, chili, and tomatoes.
They also raise turkeys, dogs,
ducks and geese.
Because they were farmers, the
Aztecs relied heavily on the forces
of nature and worshipped them
as Gods.
Their most important God is
Willy Liposle, the God of the sun.
Sunlight is important to
farmers' crops, so they appease and
prepare for this God.
Their two other important gods are
Talok, the God of rain, and Quitzal
Quatol, the God of knowledge, science,
wind, and creation. This is what they
consider a feathered serpent.
The Aztecs believed that
these gods had to be always strong
to prevent the evil gods
from destroying the land. Because of this, the
Aztecs practiced human sacrifice.
Those they sacrificed were often prisoners of
war. Although there are brave
warriors who are willing to sacrifice themselves.
themselves.
By the turn of the century, the Astic's
extensive military and
economic campaigns began.
One of the people who paved the way for
these changes was Taka Elel, an
advisor and general. He promoted the
worship of Siliposley.
They also had to conquer so
they could offer the captives to their God.
God.
Intimidation and human sacrifice
were some of the methods used
to control and subjugate
other neighboring areas.
Conquered cities were
also required to pay tribute or
taxes. Due to tribute and
conquered states, Tenosytlán
became the economic and
political center of Mesoamerica. [Music]
[Music]
The Aztecs were skilled engineers
and builders of structures such as
canals or aqueducts, dams. So are
the irrigation systems, parks, and markets.
markets.
By the middle of the century,
the estimated population of Tenositland had
reached 3,000 people.
With the arrival of Hernan Cortes and the
Spanish in Mexico in 1519,
the dominance of the Aztecs in Mesoamerica came to an end .
.
Cortes led the
Spanish expedition that conquered Mexico.
Montezuma de Aste, the leader of the
Aztecs, thought that the arrival of the Spaniards was
the supposed return of their
God, Quizal Quattle,
because of their white appearance.
In the year 1521,
the fortress completely collapsed.
By the year 1680,
the estimated 1.2 million
people living in the former
Aztec center had been decimated
by epidemics of smallpox, slavery,
slavery,
inhumanity, overwork, and exploitation.
exploitation.
From this original number,
the population fell to 70,000.
The geography of South America.
South America has a different climate and geography compared to
Meso America. The Amazon River is located in the north,
flowing through lush forests.
forests.
All the friars and steps are
found in the Andes Mountains in the southern
part. Meanwhile, the
western ridges of
mountains parallel to the Pacific Ocean are arid with deserts.
Because the
topography of the Andes is more favorable, the
first settlements were formed here.
There are indications of
irrigated agriculture on the northern edge of the
Andes as early as 2000 BCE.
By the 1st century CE,
many settlements in the central Andes had
become religious centers.
Its settlements emerged in
present-day Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.
Later, some
large states were able to subjugate their Caratigars.
Caratigars.
But despite this, no one
dominated the land until the
19th century.
The INCA's flag.
In the 16th century, a group of
people called the Inka lived on the
northwestern side of Lake Titicaca.
Titicaca.
In the fertile land of the CCO valley.
Under the leadership of Manco Kapak, they formed
small city-states.
The word Inka means empire.
empire.
It is derived from the name of the family that
ruled a group of people who
lived in the Andes.
The Incas gradually expanded
their territory until
it covered 3,223 km²
km²
along the Pacific coast.
This empire encompassed the present-day lands
of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.
Argentina.
In 1438,
Kusi Inkayupanki or Patakoti Inkayupanki consolidated
Inca society by
establishing a centralized state,
state,
one of the great emperors of the
Inca empire in the mid-14th
century. Pacha Kuti in
Kayupanki had Machu Pichu built. It is
believed to have been built as a royal
retreat, a sacred place and a symbol of the
power of the Inca Empire.
Under Topayunki,
he extended the empire to
northern Argentina, parts of Bolivia and Chile.
Chile.
The state of Chimor or
Chimu, the Incas' fiercest rival
on the coast of Peru, also came under his power. Under
Hu Kapak, the empire conquered Ecuador.
Ecuador.
He continued to build
roads, terraces, and erections that
strengthened the empire's economy and communications .
.
The Incas and Aztecs were similar in some aspects .
.
First, both groups originated from
small tribes but became
powerful due to the conquest of lands.
lands.
Second, part of their belief
is the worship of the sun as God. Third,
Third,
the Incas were also excellent hunters.
They built roads, bridges,
and several tunnels in the mountains.
The city of Cko is proof of the
Inca's skill in
building and metalworking.
This can be proven by the Temple of the Sun,
which is almost completely covered in gold plate.
Outside the temple, there are statues made
of gold and depicting activities
in Inca life.
The Incas were called the children of
the son or children of the sun.
They believed in Inti, the
main God and the God of the sun
of the Incas. The Incas believed
that they were direct descendants of Inti. The
sun is central to their calendar,
agriculture and rituals.
By the arrival of Francisco Pizarro, the
Spanish conqueror of the Incas in 1532,
1532,
the empire's territory stretched from
present-day Colombia in the north to Chile
Chile
and Argentina in the south.
However, due to conflicts over
leadership and insecurity among the
conquered, the empire gradually weakened.
Added to this was the seemingly enormous
scope of the Inca empire, which was
far from the central administration of the
CCO. There was also a great difference between the
groups of people under
their power.
In other words, the empire was in
political turmoil, exacerbated by the
smallpox epidemic brought by the early
early
Spanish conquistadors.
In fact, Wayna Kapak, one of the
Inca leaders, died in an
epidemic in 1525.
This death caused
conflict among his sons. namely
Ata Hulfa and Wascar. In the end,
Ata Hulfa prevailed. He met Pisaro
while he was traveling to Kgo.
Later, Pisaro captured Ataholfa
Ataholfa
and ransomed him with a lot of gold.
In 1533,
Atahualpa was killed
and a year later, the
Spanish conquered the capital with only a
small army.
Despite the bravery of the Incas,
they were unable to master the new
technology brought by foreigners
such as guns and cannons.
Some of the Incas went to the
Vabamba mountains
and stayed there for almost 30 years.
Not long after, the last
Inca leader, Tufa Kamaru, was
beheaded in 1572.
This marked the end of the
greatest empire in the Andes.
Thank you very much for listening.
I hope you learned something
from the topic we discussed.
Until next time. Goodbye. [Music]
[Music] Hey
Hey [Music]
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