The Americas

1
The Americas

• Pre-Invasion (ca 1492)

2
2 Major Regions

• Mesoamerica
• Maya (cities abandoned around 8th C.)
• Toltec
• Aztec
• Andean
• Incas

3
Mayans

• 300 BCE-800 CE
• Pyramids
• City states
• Religion and Society
• Quetzalcoatl
• Polytheistic
• Human sacrifice
• Popol Vuh
• Patriarchal

4
Toltecs

• nomads who settled _at_ Tula around 968
• giver of civilization
• Empire reached to Yucatan
• economically reached SW America obsidian
  turquoise
• Religion and Society
• Quetzalcoatl
• Human sacrifice

5
Aztecs

• Nomadic invasions in central Mexico around 1150
• By 1434, Aztecs were regions dominant power
• Capital located on island in Lake Texcoco,
  Tenochtitlan (200,000?)
• Religion and Society
• Highly stratified society under a powerful
  leader military elite was highest strata
• Expanded the practice of human sacrifice

6
Yes, I said human sacrifice

• Religion and Society cond
• Balance of religion and war demanded conquest
  (Huitzilopochtli)
• Warriors provided slaves for sacrifice
• Human sacrifice expanded to include cannibalism
• Women no role in public high honor as mothers
  of future warriors

7
Economy of Aztec Empire

• Tribute system
• All conquered people lost land and gave food in
  tribute
• Agriculture
• Irrigation system around the capital,
  Tenochtitlan
• Chinampas
• Maize, cacao, beans, squash
• Market for exchanging long-distance goods jade,
  emeralds, parrot feathers, vanilla beans
• State-controlled mixed economy

8
Aztec Social Structure

• CalpulliAztec clans by 16th C, became
  residential groupings as opposed to kinship
  groups
• Pipiltin (nobility) controlled military and
  priesthood
• Military values
• Women inherited property, but subordinate to men
• Any similarities to other cultures?

9
Incas

• Emerged as civilization around 1300
• Why did they expand?
• Economic gain
• Political power
• split inheritance?all titles power went to
  successor, but wealth land remained in hands of
  male descendents for supporting the
  mummy?justified endless expansion

10
Imperial Rule

• The Inca (emperor) considered a god
• Ruled from Cuzco
• Bureaucracy
• Local rulers (curacas) stayed in office in return
  for loyalty
• Exempt from tribute, received labor/produce from
  subjects
• Conquered peoples could retain culture/leaders
• Quechua

11
More Incan Policies

• Forced transfer?kept empire stable
• Administrators
• Complex public works system
• Roads, bridges, causeways, etc.?kept military
  mobile
• Built for people when too big for them to do it
  themselves (irrigation projects)
• Mita?required labor shifts
• Conquered peoples provided land and labor
• Local resources taken and redistributed
• No writing system, but quipu (knotted strings)
  helped with accounting

12
Incan Society Religion

• Hierarchy Inca? rulers? aristocrats? priests?
  peasants
• Women
• Wove cloth
• Taken as concubines
• Worked in households
• Female inheritance
• Idea of gender cooperation
• Still, male dominance
• Religion
• Sun god, Inti
• Some human sacrifice, mostly animal
• Sin violation of social order

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Aztecs, Incas, and?
On your own piece of paper, compare the Aztecs,
the Incas, and one other culture (600-1450),
using the categories at rightThis means, create
a chart!