The Americas Chapter 8

Iroquois Lived in villages that consisted of longhouses surrounded by wooden fences for protection. Had a capacity for 12 families

Iroquois Men hunted deer, bear, caribou, and small animals and were also warriors that protected the community Most important crops were corn, beans and squash Women cooked, made baskets and took care of the children Developed the first representative government in N.A., Iroquois League

Plain Indians Cultivated beans, corn, and squash Hunted buffalo to use the skin for tents called tepees.

Anasazi The southwest territories (New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado) Farming society Used stone and adobe (sun-dried brick) to built pueblos – multistoried structured that housed many people

Maya Civilization Yucatán Peninsula- civilization of the Maya (AD 300-900) Sophisticated civilization in the Americas Maya built splendid temples, pyramids and developed a calendar Around 800 the Maya civilization began to decline due to invasion, internal revolt, or volcanic eruption

Political and Social Structures Civilization composed of city-states Rulers were hereditary nobles that believed they descended from the Gods Most people were peasants farmers Lived on tiny plots or on traced hills in the highlands Chocolate was used as a beverage of the high class Itzamna was the supreme god.

Maya cont. Maya created the hieroglyphs or pictures The Spanish believed the writing were evil and of no value. Calendar “Long Count” was based in a belief in cycles of creation and destruction According to them, our world was create in 3114 BC and it schedule to complete its cycle on Dec. 23 AD 2012.

Maya Numbering system based on 20 and used zero Used two different systems for measuring time Based on solar calendar of 365 days, divided into 18 month of 20 days each, w/ extra 5 days at the end Sacred calendar of 260 days divided into 13 weeks of 20 days ;only interpreted by trained priests

Toltec After the Mayas, the Toltec Empire emerged. (northern and central Mexico) A.D 950-1150 The center of empire was at Tula Pop. b/w 40,000-60,000 + 60,000 living the surrounding territories. They were warrior people First people in Mesoamerica to .work in gold, silver, and copper

Toltec Main God for the Toltec was Quetzalcoatl. The God of learning and culture. God of wind./ The feathered serpent. (quetzal= green feathered bird & coatl= serpent).

Quetzalcoatl

Toltec One of the greatest Toltec leaders was Topiltzin, (high priest of Quetzalcoatl). Topiltzin and his followers went into exile (trouble w/ other religious groups) but vowed to return to Tula to reclaim his throne. Topiltzin-Quetzalcoatl. Decline in around AD 1125 as a result of fighting among different groups (yrs later the city was burned)

The Aztec Origins are uncertain, around 12th century began a migration that brought them to Valley of MX. Established Tenochtitlan, the capital center of their empire Build houses, public buildings & temples

Aztec Political Structures Authoritarian – the monarch had all the power Government Consisted in: A council of lords & gov’t officials assisted ruler extended their empire across much of Mexico, from the Atlantic to the Pacific and to the Guatemalan border

Society Structure Males in the elite society could held gov’t positions. They could select a career in the military service, the gov’t bureaucracy (administration) or the priesthood. As a reward, received large estates from the gov’t. The rest of the population consisted in: commoners - most were farmers, built chinampas (canals that provided water for their crops) indentured workers (landless workers contracted to work on the nobles’ estates) slaves

Religion Believed in many gods Ometeotl (Supreme God)- represented all powerful forces of the heavens Based on a belief in an unending struggle b/w the forces of good and evil Practiced human sacrifices to honor Huitzilopochtli(Sun God) When Spanish explorers arrived, the Aztecs believed the men heralded the second coming of their god Quetzalcoatl.

Nazca Appeared in Peru 200-600BC Built no great temples May have practice their religion outdoors, as suggested by ancient formations known as Nazca Lines- drawings they created that can only be seen from the air

Moche Around 300 bc –developed near the Pacific coast near border of Ecuador Moche, capital city-Major urban center Corn, peanuts, potatoes, and cotton They had no written language Paintings and pottery portray warriors, prisoners, and sacrificial victims.

Incas (“ruler”) After the collapse of the Moche civilization in the 8th century AD , the Incas empire lasted for 800 yrs A small community in the area of Cuzco (located at 11,000 feet in the mountains of Southern Peru) Under the leadership of Pachacuti, they launched a campaign of conquest The entire region was under Inca control

Political Structures Extended boundaries from Ecuador to central Chile and the edge of the Amazon basin. Population of 12 million people Their state was built on war, so all young men were required to served in the army

Cities Pachacuti- divided the empire into 4 quarters each ruled by a governor Then were divided into provinces, each ruled by a governor Each were supposed to contain about 10,000 residents At the top of the system was an emperor, believed to be descended by Inti (sun god)

Labor All Incas were responsible for labor service for several weeks a yrs Built a road from the border of Colombia – Santiago, Chile (24,800 miles) to manage the empire and increase trade. 2 major roadways extended in north-south directions, one through the Andes and the other along the coast, with connecting routs b/w them.

Social Structures Men and women were required to select a marriage partner from within their own social group\after marriage, women were expected to care for the children and to weave cloth Some girls were chosen to serve as priestesses in temples

Building and Culture Were great builders, best engineers Built roads and monuments Had no writing system but developed a system of knotted strings called quipu

Inca Machu Picchu- elevation 8,000 feet, built of a lofty mountain hilltop surrounded by mountain peaks far above the Urubamba River A long stairway leads to an elegant stone known as “hitching post of the sun” May have been used as solar observatory