Peoples and Civilizations of the Americas, 200-1500 Chapter 12

Classic-Era Culture and Society in Mesoamerica, 200-900 pgs 299-304

Teotihuacan (teh-o-tee-WAH-kahn) Teotihuacan was a large Mesoamerican city at the height of its power in 450–600 CE. The city had a population of 125,000 to 200,000 inhabitants Dominated by religious structures Pyramids and temples where human sacrifice was carried out

The growth of Teotihuacan Made possible by forced relocation of farm families to the city By agricultural innovations including irrigation works and chinampas (“floating gardens”) that permitted year round agriculture This increased food production and thus supported a larger population

Chinampas

The elite’s increased status and wealth: Apartment-like stone buildings housed commoners, including the artisans who made pottery and obsidian tools and weapons for export The elite’s increased status and wealth: Lived in separate residential compounds Controlled the state bureaucracy, tax collection, and commerce.

Who controlled Teotihuacan Appears to have been ruled by alliances of wealthy families rather than by kings The military was used primarily to protect and expand long-distance trade and to ensure that farmers paid taxes or tribute to the elite

Reasons for Collapse of Teotihuacan ? Collapsed around 650 CE The collapse may have been caused by mismanagement of resources and conflict within the elite Invasion by a rival city

The Maya The Maya were a single culture living in : Guatemala Honduras Belize Southern Mexico They never formed a politically unified state Various Maya kingdoms fought each other for regional dominance.

Mayan Agriculture Increased their agricultural productivity by: Draining swamps Building elevated fields Constructing irrigation systems

Mayan Religious Beliefs The Maya believed that the cosmos consisted of three layers: The heavens The human world The underworld The rulers and elites served as priests to communicate with the residents of the two supernatural worlds.

Maya military forces Warfare was infused with religious meaning and rituals Fought for captives not for territory Elite captives were sacrificed Commoners enslaved

Mayan Women Only 2 women ruled Maya kingdoms Participated in bloodletting rituals and other ceremonies Held no political power; society was patrilineal Non-elite women probably played an essential role in agricultural, textile production and family life

Maya technological developments Maya calendar Ritual cycle (260 days—13 months of 20 days) Solar calendar (365 days—18 months of 20 days plus 5 unfavorable days at years end) Mathematics Zero and place value The Maya writing system Whole words/concepts and phonetics

Decline of the Maya Most Maya city-states were abandoned or destroyed between 800 and 900 CE Possible reasons for the decline of Maya culture include: The disruption of Mesoamerican trade attendant upon the fall of Teotihuacan Environmental pressure caused by overpopulation Epidemic disease

The Postclassical Period In Mesoamerica, 900-1500 pgs 304-308

Toltecs Borrowed from cultural legacy of Teotihuacan The most important Toltec innovations dealt with politics and the military

Toltec Military 1st state based on military power Extended power north of modern day Mexico City to Central America Tula, the capital city, was decorated with a warlike theme (warriors, human sacrifice)

Toltec Political structure Two kings ruled Toltec Evidence suggests this led to the destruction of Tula One of the kings was exiled to the east and after his exile, Toltec began to decline 1156 CE northern invaders destroyed Tula

Aztecs The Aztecs were originally a northern people with a clan-based social organization They migrated to the Lake Texcoco area Established the cities of Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco around 1325 Developed a monarchical system of government

Aztec Kings The kings increased their wealth and power by means of territorial conquest As the Aztec Empire increased in size, commoners lost their ability to influence political decisions and inequalities in wealth grew more severe. Nobles lived in large two story houses and consumed a rich diet

Aztec Agriculture The Aztecs increased agricultural production in the capital area by undertaking land reclamation projects (Lake Texcoco) and constructing irrigated fields and chinampas Grain and other food tribute met nearly one quarter of the capital’s food requirements

Aztec Trade Specialized class of merchants controlled trade and provided valuable political and military information Merchants were denied the privileges of the high nobility Bartered with the use of cacao, quills filled with gold and cotton cloth

Aztec Worship The Aztecs worshiped a large number of gods (dual nature) Most important God was Huitzilopochtli (wheat-zeel-oh-POSHT-lee), the Sun god Huitzilopochtli required a diet of human hearts that were supplied by sacrificing thousands of people every year War captives were the preferred victims

Northern Peoples pgs 308-311

Southwestern Desert Cultures Most influential was the Anasazi (ah-nah-SAH-zee) “ancient ones” Anasazi developed a maize, rice, and bean economy Constructed underground buildings (kivas) in the Arizona/New Mexico/Colorado/Utah region around 450–750 CE.

The large Anasazi community at Chaco Canyon had a population of about 15,000 people They engaged in hunting, trade, and irrigated agriculture Chaco Canyon people seem to have exerted some sort of political or religious dominance over a large region The Anasazi civilization declined in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries as a result of drought, overpopulation, and warfare.

Mound builders: Adena and Hopewell The Adena culture was based on hunting and gathering supplemented by seed crops Around 100 CE the Adena culture blended into the Hopewell society, located by the Ohio River Valley Early example of a chiefdom—territory that had a population of as much as 10,000 and was ruled by a chief with both religious and secular responsibilities

Mound Builders: Mississippian Chiefs served as priests Chiefs managed secular affairs such as long-distance trade The Mississippians built large mounds both as burial sites and as platforms upon which temples and residences of the society’s elite were constructed

Cahokia The largest Mississippian center was Cahokia—population of about 30,000 around 1200 CE Cahokia was abandoned around 1250, perhaps because of climate changes and population pressure After their decline, smaller cities flourished until the arrival of the Europeans

Andean Civilizations, 200-1500 pgs 312-319

Andean Civilizations, Moche The Moche culture emerged in the north coastal region of Peru in about 200 CE Moche used a labor system where clans would have to provide a set number of people each year for labor. These people would work for religious establishments, the royal court, or the aristocracy

Moche society was stratified and theocratic Wealth and power was in the hands of an elite group of priests and military leaders They lived atop large platforms and decorated themselves with magnificent clothing, jewelry, and tall headdresses Commoners cultivated their fields, cared for their llama herds and supplied labor to the elite

Moche artisans skilled in the production of: textiles portrait vases metallurgy Gold and silver were used for decorative purposes, copper and copper alloy for farm tools and weapons The decline and fall of the Moche civilization may be attributed to a series of natural disasters in the sixth century and to pressure from the warlike Wari people in the eighth century

Chimu The Chimu Empire began around 800 CE Chan Chan was the capital city Rulers separated themselves from the commoners with rare textiles, ceramics and precious metals Believed to have a split inheritance: goods and lands of the ruler went to secondary heirs or for religious sacrifices while the royal heir inherited the throne but was forced to construct their own house

The Inca The “Land of four corners” The Inca were a small chiefdom in Cuzco until their leaders consolidated political authority and began a program of military expansion in the 1430s By 1525, the Inca had constructed a huge empire.

Inca wealth Ability to develop a strong professional military Used military in order to broaden and expand the traditional exchange system that had linked the various ecological zones of the Andes region together

The Inca used their labor system to: Man their armies To build their capital city To maintain their religious institutions Provide for the old, the weak, and the ill.

Inca domination resulted in increased wealth, but also in reduced levels of local autonomy. When the elite fell into civil war in 1525, Inca control over its vast territories was weakened

Inca tunic Inca tunic Like the Aztecs, the Incas were a small militaristic group that established one of the most extraordinary empires in the world. Gradually, Inca culture spread throughout Peru; roads built by the Incas linked most of the Andean region. Weavers in this region produced beautiful textiles from cotton and from the wool of llamas and alpacas. The Inca inherited this rich craft tradition and produced some of the world's most remarkable textiles. The quality and design of each garment indicated the weaver's rank and power in this society. This tunic was an outer garment for a powerful male. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.