The Americas on the Eve of Invasion

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The Americas on the Eve of Invasion

• Chapter 11

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Map 11.1 Central Mexico (page 241)

• 1. Describe the physical world of the Aztecs
• 2. How might environment have influenced Aztec
  Civilization?

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Map 11.2 Inca ExpansionMap 11.3 Ancient Cities
of Peru(pages 252 255)

• 1. How did geography influence Inca expansion?
• 2. What problems would distance create for the
  Incas?

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Post-Classic Mesoamerica
abandonment of Mayan cities - 8th century
Toltecs
1000 CE ruled most of Mexico
collapse by 1150 - nomadic invasion
shift to the valley of Mexico - lakes
politically small, competing units
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Aztecs
migrate to valley early 14th century
stratified society powerful ruler
chosen to serve gods
human sacrifice - war captives - political
terror
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religion
gods natural order go together
fertility, agriculture, water
creators
warfare sacrifice
Huitzilopochitli top god - strength from
human sacrifice
sacrifice motivated by religion or terror?
cyclical, fatalistic view of life
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Tenochititlan
urban planning
island
150,000 people (1519)
Economy
state-controlled, mixed
agriculture food as tribute
irrigated agriculture
- chinampas
markets
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calpulli
expand from kinship
vital local functions
nobility class (pipiltin)
military
social distinction
serfs
intermediate group
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Women
domestic weaving grind corn
polygamy/monogamous
could inherit
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tribute empire
each city-state ruled by speaker
Great Speaker
Prime Minister
nobility emperor take over from calpulli
military virtues religion
conquests tribute captives
political domination
empire not integrated
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Incas
before 1300 small regional states
Quechua speaking
1400 1550 - consolidated through conquest -
Colombia to Chile to Bolivia - 9-13 million
people
split inheritance
justification for expansion
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Religion
ruler - divine
Temple of Sun - Cuzco
sun cult animism
Imperial Rule
4 provinces - under local rulers
Inca ruler - god
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integrated society
language colonists forced transfers
roads
conquered people
state - irrigation
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resources taken allocated
land delegated
communities self sufficient
parallel descent
gender equality?
reciprocity between state local community
nobility privileged
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non existent merchant class
Culture
pottery cloth metallurgy
statecraft architecture
no writing (quipu) no wheel
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Inca Aztec comparison
Comparisons - imperial military
organization - intensive agriculture - goods
re-distributed - kinship transformed to
hierarchical
Contrasts - climate geography - markets
trade - writing system - hierarchy
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population Mesoamerica Andes
67 million out of world 500 million
Other Native Americans
many groups
diversity of geography - of cultures
human development dependent on examples of other
civilizations?
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Colombia
Amazon
Caribbean like Polynesia
few nomads
North American hunter/gatherer
kin based communal ownership material wealth not
related to social standing part of ecological
system women subordinate yet important roles