The Aztecs, Incas, and Maya Unit 5, November 9th and 10th The Aztecs, Incas, and Maya

The Maya The Land of the Maya Urban Centers The Maya lived in Southern Mexico and Northern Central America Land and vegetation of this region varied The Maya culture influenced the Olmec civilization Urban Centers From 250-900 A.D., the Maya built spectacular cities Cities, like Tikal, have pyramids, temples, palaces, and stone carvings Each has a court where ritual ball games were played

Agriculture and Trade Support Cities Cities were linked by alliances and trade Farming maize, beans, and squash were the foundation of Maya life Kingdoms Built on Dynasties Farming success leads to rise of social classes The King is the leader and holy figure – priests and warriors were also at the top of the social class Middle class – merchants, artisans Lower class - peasants

Religion shapes Maya life The importance of Religion The Maya believed in many gods, who could be good, evil, or both Each day is a God whose behavior could be predicted with calendars Religious practices They had many ways of worshiping from prayer, offerings, to giving blood The Maya also made human sacrifices to please gods and balance the world

Written Language preserves History Math and Religion Religion leads to advances in their calendar, math, and astronomy The Maya used two calendars – one religious (260 days) and one solar (365 days) Written Language preserves History Their writing system has 800 glyphs – or symbols They use writing to record history in a codex – bark/paper book Popul Vuh – famous codex that contains Maya story of creation

The end of the Maya In the late 800s, the Maya abandon their cities for causes unknown Signs of social problems: In 700s there was fighting among many Maya city-states Population growth and over-framing might have hurt the environment By the 1500s the Maya live in small, weak city-states

The Aztecs Geography An early City-State They live in a mountain basin 7,500 feet about sea level, with access to large lakes and fertile soil They lived in modern day Central Mexico, with their largest city being where Mexico City is today An early City-State Teotihuacan as a city-state rises in the first century A.D. At it’s peak, in the 500s, the city had up to 200,000 people The city served as a center of trade, especially of obsidian, a volcanic glass The city quickly declines and by 750 A.D. is abandoned

Toltecs take over Around 900, the Toltecs rise to power and rule in Central Mexico for about 300 years They are a warlike people and they rule by conquest They worship a fierce war God and offer human sacrifices to him The Toltec ruler Topiltzin tires to change the religion and end human sacrifices by encouraging the worship of Quetzalcoatl – a feathered serpent He ends up being exiled to the Yucatan Peninsula and by the early 1200s, the Toltec rule ends

The Aztec Empire Arrival of the Aztecs Aztecs grow stronger Aztecs (or Mexica) arrive around 1200 and begin working as soldiers A legend claims that a god led them to found the city of Tenochtitlan Aztecs grow stronger Triple Alliance was created in 1428 between the Aztecs and two other city- states By the early 1500s, the Aztecs have a large empire and rule 5-15 million people Power comes from tribute which is given by conquered peoples

Nobles rule Aztec Society Noble class – military leaders, officials, priests – they rule Aztec society Nobles own the vast estates, and live life in wealth and luxury Commoners – merchants, artisans, soldiers, and farmers Lowest class – enslaved people The Emperor’s power was absolute and he lived in the palace and was revered by all the people

Tenochtitlan Extraordinary Urban Center Causeways connected island cities to mainland areas Canals enable people to carry goods to cities and its huge main market Chinampas – floating islands – were used to grow crops Central area has palaces, temples, and government buildings

Religion rules Aztec Life Many Gods Their religion includes 1,000 gods, many of which were adopted from other indigenous peoples Religious Practices Center of religion is public ceremonies to win gods’ favor Many religious festivals are held throughout the year Sacrifices for the Sun God The most important rituals are for the sun god, Huitzilopochtli He needs human sacrifices to be strong Aztecs engage in war to provide captives for these sacrifices

Problems in the Aztec Empire A new ruler In 1502, Montezuma II becomes the emperor and he calls for more tribute from all of the conquered peoples These sacrifices lead to revolt in outlying areas The Emperor tried to make life easier for the people, but they were too worried about the future Soon after, the Spanish arrived and took over

The Inca Incan Beginnings Pachacuti builds an empire The Inca live first in the high plateau of the Andes Mountains By the 1200s, they have a kingdom in the Valley of Cuzco and modern day Peru The Inca believe that their ruler is descended from the sun god, Inti Pachacuti builds an empire Pachacuti, a powerful and ambitious emperor takes control in 1438 A.D. Under Pachacuti, the Inca conquer lands that house 16 million people The Inca use diplomacy and military force to achieve conquests

Incan Government creates unity Organized rule The Inca divide their conquered lands into smaller units to easily govern them Quechua is the official language of the entire empire Incan cities show government presence The Inca build cities with all the same architecture The capital of their empire is Cuzco, which has temples, plazas and palaces The Inca are very skilled builders

Incan Government The Incan government controls the economy and society They use ayllu – extended family groups – to control how people live and work They divided society into groups of 10; 100; 1,000; and 10,000 They demand mita – tribute – which is a requirement that people work for the state They care for the aged and disabled

Government record-keeping Public works projects The government created public works, including a 14,000 mile road network which spanned the entire empire Runners carried messages along the roads to different places Government record-keeping The Inca did not develop a system of writing They used quipu – set of knotted and colorful strings – as their accounting and message service They may have had an elaborate two-calendar system

Religion supports the state Inca Gods The Incan have fewer gods than the Aztecs The Creator god and Sun god were the most important Religious practices Priests draft young women to assist in the ceremonies Some young men also became specialized religious workers Great cities Cuzco had a magnificent Temple of the Sun decorated in Gold Other cities might have had religious importance as well

Discord in the Empire Problems Arise In the early 1500s, the Inca Empire reached its height under Huayna Capac Capac died, perhaps of smallpox, while touring the newly conquered area of Ecuador In the 1520s, his sons Atahualpa and Huascar split the empire in half Atahualpa wanted control of the whole empire and begins a civil war This weakens the Inca state just before the Spanish arrive