Essay On Latin American Civilizations

Did Latin American tribes successfully adapt their environment to build civilizations?

The Latin American tribes had to learn to survive in harsh conditions. Some lived in swampy, wet, marshy land, and some lived in dry, harsh, desert land. Resources were few, and conditions weren’t very good. So, how did these civilizations learn to adapt? Aztecs and Incas did successfully adapt their environment to build civilizations. The Aztecs used Chinampas to grow their food in swamps and built sturdy homes out of the resources they were limited to. The Incas used terrace farming as a way to make flat land on the Andes Mountains, where they lived. Let’s take a look.

Aztec Chinampas are floating gardens that can produce more crops than ordinary land. Marshy land was bad for crops, so they made Chinampas, or “floating gardens”, to grow their food. Chinampas were very successful in growing large amounts of food and sometimes was even better for plants. Although Chinampas didn’t always work, (flooding, etc.), it was an excellent adaptation to the environment they lived in. In an article about Aztec Chinampas, this idea is supported: “This large population meant that the exploitation of the

What could they build houses with? Using their resources, they built out of mud, bricks, and dry grass. (Fun fact, Aztecs believed sweeping and keeping the house clean were religious.) This quote agrees: “Aztec homes in the big cities in what is now central Mexico ranged from the elaborate homes of the wealthy to the homes of the poor.” Aztecs made the most out of their land by using the resources they had to make strong and well-built homes. Not much is known about the Aztec’s homes, but we do know that they were very good examples of adaptation. How? It isn’t very easy to build homes for living out of dried grass and sticks. The Aztecs used their surroundings to make shelter, and that’s