Worldviews of Latin American Civilizations

What is "Latin America" ? A name invented to denominate the regions of the Western Hemisphere stretching from Mexico and the Caribbean in the north to Chile in the south Includes all of Central and South America All originally colonized by speakers of Romance Languages (languages descended from Latin) Spain, Portugal, or France

Overview Since before 7000 BC, there is evidence of human culture in Latin America These people are believed to have crossed the land bridge from Asia. Latin American people thrived into many different nations, with different cultures. Olmecs, Toltecs, Mixtecs Maya Aztec ("Mexica") Inca

Names, names, names Latin American people thrived into many different nations, with different cultures. Olmecs, Toltecs, Mixtecs Maya Aztec ("Mexica") Inca However, these peoples had many things in common, so they are often spoken about together

Achievements: Mesoamerican Pyramids Mesoamerican --> meaning "middle of America" Pertains to the cultures of Central America: Aztecs and Maya In most cases, first built by the Maya, then later used by the Aztec Similar to Egyptian pyramids in shape only Used for astrological measurements and ceremonies Closer to sky = closer to the Sun God Built in strategic places for the best viewing of celestial events (solstices and equinoxes)

Pyramids at Teotihuacán Teotihuacán: "The City Of the Gods" - giant abandoned city Aztecs used pyramid summits for religious sacrifice Pyramid of the Sun Pyramid of the Moon Temple of the Feathered Serpent (Queztalcoatl)

Mesoamerican Achievements: Mathematics and astrology Highly developed number system: First to use a symbol to represent "zero" Extremely accurate calendar able to detect 365.25 days in the Earth's rotation

Achievements: Inca Records The Inca kept exact records on strands of knotted rope called "quipu" Each region of the empire kept records of births, deaths, marriages, and other social history on their quipu Each knot, strand, and color of rope meant something different They could only be read by the "quipucamayos," people specially trained to understand the code

Achievements: Writing system - Maya Only indigenous American culture to use a writing system Both Hieroglyphic(pictures for words) and phonetic (pictures for sounds) Complicated system, still being deciphered Over 800 different glyphs Created giant stone statues called "stela" (plural: stelae) with portraits of important officials and glyphs surrounding them to explain their personal information and history

Achievements: Writing Systems Aztecs had no written language, but borrowed some glyphs from Mayan civilization Kept records in a folded, illustrated "codexes," similar to modern- day comic books

Government and Society -all 3 empires Theocracy - King and priests at the top Highly structured social classes: Priests, Warriors, Artisans, Slaves Military Structured military with different ranks and armor Both the Aztecs and Incas conquered large amounts of land, creating empires

Achievements: Agriculture All indigenous Latin American societies had huge populations, that they fed very well Cultivated products that were extremely nutritious: Over 100 types of potato Beans Tropical Fruits Over generations, "invented" modern-day corn Used to be a small weed known as "teotsinte"

Government: Empires Aztec Empire Developed after the Mayan empire had "disappeared", borrowed many of their achievements and culture Non-traditional: allowed villages and kingdoms to maintain their previous way of life (religion/government) All kingdoms had to pay tribute to the Aztec capital city: Tenochitlan The Flower Wars - "La Guerra Florida"

Empires The Incan Empire Developed along the Andes Mountains and coast of South America Two very different climates required people to work in "mitas" (large farming areas) to provide enough food for all Ended up with a surplus of food and therefore a huge population boom

Religion Polytheistic - over hundreds of gods Kings were also gods or priests Gods were linked to nature The goal of these religions was not personal salvation (getting to "heaven" or pleasing a god), but convincing the forces of nature to help society instead of hurt it Human sacrifice

What is worldview? A cultural or personal set of beliefs about the nature of the world Answers the following questions: How did the world come to be? (past) What happens next? (future) What is the right thing to do? (ethics) How does society progress? (practice) What am I, and what is the world? (identity) How do I know anything? (truth)

How to find worldview Examine a cultural artifact What beliefs do you see? What is the evidence of these beliefs?

The Aztec Calendar Ancient monument, called the "Sunstone," dedicated to the god of the sun, Tonatiuh Found buried under the corner of the main square in Mexico City Made of basalt, weighs 25 tons, nearly 12 feet tall and 3 feet thick

How does the sunstone answer the question of "Identity"? To find answers about identity, ask yourself what the artifact says about humans and the world around them The figures in the sunstone are all gods and natural elements, while human figures are absent Therefore, this shows that the Aztecs saw nature as part of themselves and did not value humans above others

How does the sunstone answer the question of "past, future, and truth"? To find answers about past, ask yourself what the artifact says about what happened in the past To find answer about the past, ask yourself what the artifact says about what might happen in the future or what they would expect based on what they know

The Four Cosmogonic Epochs

Sunstone and Aztec worldview What does it tell us? Feeding the Sun god Night and day Cycles of death and rebirth World is gods' creation Importance of natural symbols/names