The Americas on the Eve of Invasion

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The Americas on the Eve of Invasion
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I. Post Classical Mesoamerica

• The Old Days- Toltecs
• Nomadic Toltecs from north established Tula,
  Central Mexico, 968
• Military society mixed with culture of
  sedentary/farming people
• Toltec legend Quetzalcoatl
• Vast empire into N. America
• Collapsed 1150

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Aztec rise to Power

• Various city-states organized around Lake Texcoco
  after fall of Toltecs
• Political foundation
• military
• shared culture in Toltec language
• Established own powerful city-state at
  Tenochtitlan 1325 gained power, land from
  tribute sacrifice

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Height of Aztec Empire
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Religion Ideology of Conquest

• Conquered peoples forced to pay tribute, lands,
  military service
• Spiritual Natural World the same
• polytheistic
• Huitzilopochtli- god of war, tribal god of Aztecs
• Sacrifice for religious and political purposes

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Tenochtitlan

• Capital City, set on island of lake Texcoco with
  central zone of palaces
• City divided into wards controlled by calpulli
• Calpulli
• organized wards tributes, temples, community
  bureaucracy, land
• Tenochtitlan leading city state of 50 surrounding
  Texcoco

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Tribute Empire

• Speaker rules city state Great Speaker of
  Tenochtitlan
• Prime Minister chosen from relatives
• When Aztec conquered a new territory
• Local rulers stayed in place, coordinated
  tribute, labor to Aztecs, little direct political
  administration
• Empire collapsed under increase of nobility,
  terror, tribute demands

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Aztec Economy

• Agriculture!!!
• Developed chinampas
• Calpulli portioned lands
• Markets held in community periodically large
  market controlled by pochteca, long distance
  travelers
• Govt controlled use distribution of tribute
  food, slaves, victims

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Transition of Aztec Society

• Social Classes
• Emerging Nobility from original Calpulli
  controlled everything (religion, military, govt,
  private lands)
• Serfs as workers for Nobility
• Scribes, Artisans, Healers own Class

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Overcoming Technology

• No animals of burden
• Women provided significant economic roles
  allowed greatest degree of freedom
• Despite limited technology, supported 20 million
  people

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Twantinsuyu World of Inca

• Rise of Inca
• Time of war between chieftains of small states
  (not quite city-states, though)
• 900- 1465 Chimor state controlled much of Andean
  coast
• Quichua speaking ayllus (clans) conquered hostile
  neighbors in 1438 under Pachacuti
• The Inca consolidated power from Colombia to
  Chile
• Capital Cuzco

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Conquest Religion

• Split Inheritance
• Political power passed down to the next king
• LAND and wealth passed to children who used it to
  support his mummy
• created need for constant expansion
• Sun God highest deity, Temple of Sun _at_ Cuzco
  center of state religion, held past Incas
• Profound animism
• Priests Women served the temples, coordinated
  celebrations

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Inca Rule

• Inca, leader considered to be god
• Governors for 4 provinces
• Nobles led state bureaucracies
• When a new region was conquered
• Local rulers (curacas) allowed to maintain
  position and received privileges
• relocation of people (tambos)
• People had access to new goods, irrigation, etc
  from the inca
• TRIBUTE demanded
• mita reqirements- communities took turns working
  on projects

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Social

• Society focused on military virtue, developed
  inequality of men and women, equality in worship
• Women could serve in temples
• Treated like servants otherwise

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Cultural Accomplishments

• No wheel, no writing
• Llama domestication
• Terrace farming
• Metalwork
• 13000 miles of roads
• Quipu knotted strings for record keeping
• Monumental architecture- Machu Picchu
• Extensive infrastructure

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Comparison

• Similarities

• Differences

• Built on earlier empires
• Intensive state agriculture
• Redistributive economy
• Kinship/family based hierarchy
• Ind. Ethnic groups allowed to survive

• Aztec developed market system Inca
  redistribution
• Writing System