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This is the New England/Northern Colonies project. This project is by Kim Sullivan, Stephanie Cafasso, Mike Guarino, Catherine Pham, Asna Irfan, and Matt Weitz. This is our 7th grade Social Studies project given by our teacher Ms. Testa. This is the 'special project.' We will include the colonies included in the Northern Colonies, jobs,reasons for settlement, etc. We hope you enjoy the site and look at the links. They'll be helpful and important information about the Northern Colonies.
In the past, between 300 and 1500 AD, few advanced civiliations throughout central and south america had developed. The empires of the Mayas, the Aztec, and the Incas were among the few successful civilizations in their time periods. Each civilization held many achievements, some which they still hold to this very day.

By around 250 AD, the Mayan Culture had burst forth in a flourishing civilization. THey obtained many accomplishments in architecture. For instance, their temple int he city of Tikal was the tallest structure in the Americas until the twentieth century. (Document 1) This pyramid stretched up to 212 feet. In addiction to giantly built pyramids, Mayan cities featured temples, palaces, and elaborate stone carvings dedicated to the gods and to important rulers. Having such skills in architecture helped the empire the build advanced cities and buildings. The structures they have built show how significant politics and relgion were in their culture. Furthermore, the Mayas developed an advanced writing system consisting of many hieroglyphic symbols or glyphs. (Document 2) They used glyphs to keep track of the date, important information, history of their rulings, farming, and religious activities. Some of the glyphs stood for whole words while others represented syllables. Glyphs were carved in stone or recorded in bark-paper books known as codex. A writing system positively impacted the Mayan civilization because it helped them to record important information and keep order within the empire. The writing system developed by the Mayas was the most advanced in ancient America. The acievements made by the Mayan civilization helped them to become a successful empire.

By the 1200s, the Incas had established an advanced kingdom. One achievement was their sufficiency they held in agriculture. The engineering technique of irrigation canals supplied water for crops. (Document 4) Once irrigation systems were constructed, fertility increased as much as possible. Terrace farming was another farming technique used by the Incas. Due to their mountainous surroundings, agricultural terraces were built on steep hillsides. Farming techniques positively impacted the empire as crops were able to grow sufficiently. The most spectacular accomplishedment was the Incan road system. THe significance of the road system was its use for trade, the unify the government, and symbolize power. (Document 6) In addiction, the 14,000 mile long network of roads and bridges had a system of runners known as chasquis to carry messages throughout the empire. Therefore, information easily reached another part of the empire. The success of the road systems majorly affected the Incas. Other than easy trasportation, movement of troops, and tradem the civilization was unified by the roads which enabled further success. Ergo, the advancements of the Incas helped superiorize their culture.

Around 1200 AD, the Aztecs gradually increased in strength and began a successful empire. One accomplishment were the well-built cities of the Aztecs. For example, the capital city of Tenochtitlan became an extraordinary center for many people. With an estimated population of 200,000 people and many peieces of architecture, Tenochtitlan was one of the most magnificent cities. This city had many square where markets were held and trade was carried on. (Document) Also, palaces, temples and residential districts were built throughout the city. This city was important for the Aztecs because not only did it symbolize their power but it was a place for trade, which began their wealth. Tenochtitlan also represented the importance of religion with hundreds of temples and religiouse structures dedicated to the gods. The Aztecs' religion consisted of many unique aspects. For instance, eleborate cermonies were designed to communicate with the gods and tons of religious festivals were held to honor the gods. The Aztec people believed that blood sacrifices made the sun rise by the gods. Therefore, humans and animals were scarificed with a believe that being sacrificed was to become like the gods. Thus, the ways and ambitions of the Aztecs helped them to gain a thriving empire.