Civilizations of the Americas: Maya, Aztec, Inca Global History: Adamiak

Maya Periods – Pre-classic: (c BC to 250 AD) – Classic: (c. 250 AD to 900 AD) – Post-classic: (900 AD to 1500s AD)

Maya Location: – Modern day southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras

Maya King Nobles: Priests & Warriors Merchants Peasants Slaves Social Structure

Maya Religion – Believed each day was a living god – Had to please the gods via sacrifice Piercing of bodies with needle – Also done to show fierceness of a warrior Flowers & incense

Maya Religion (Con’t.) Human Sacrifice – Sacrificed prisoners of war, slaves, and children » Children were preferable as they were pure » Victim painted blue, had chest cut open, and heart removed Drug Use – Smoked a strong tobacco w/hallucinogenic effects – Drank fermented water, honey, and tree bark drink

Maya Farm, Trade, and Agriculture – Slash-and-burn farming – Slash-and-burn farming  clear land by burning current vegetation and planting new crops in the ashes – No Formal Currency…Used the cocoa beans as $ Counterfeit cocoa beans – Some merchants would remove the cocoa from the bean and refill it with wax

Maya transported all goods by boat or hand. Porters carried goods for 10 hours a day. The loads were usually between 80 and 150 lbs. Worked in relay teams to transport the goods.

Maya Achievements – Hieroglyphic symbols Only Mesoamerican culture to have a complete writing system – Concept of zero & counting system – Calendar Only.0002 days short; extremely accurate “Predicted” the end of the world 12/2012

MesoamericanMesoamerican Ballgame

Maya: Collapse Theories Non-ecological Overpopulation? Peasant revolts? Foreign invasion? Disruption of key trade routes? Ecological 200 year drought? Overuse of slash & burn? Disease?

Assessment 1.In ancient Mayan society, the ball court shown above was believed to be 1.A recreational area for children 2.A marketplace for merchants 3.A site where religious rituals and sacrifices occurred 4.A school for the children of aristocrats 5.Part of the royal palace where the military trained

1.Which of the following best describes the decline of the Maya? 1.Foreign invaders destroyed all evidence of the Maya 2.The Incas immediately replaced the Maya 3.Its cities were abandoned as the population size decreased 4.Its economy collapsed due to break of the extensive trade networks

The Aztec

Aztec Tenochtitlan – A group of people first known as the Mexicas, later the Aztecs, found the city of Tenochtitlan (modern day Mexico City) in – Tenochtitlan became an urban center that was larger than European capitals Dubbed the “Venice of the New World”

Aztec The city has many squares where markets are held and trading is carried on. There is one square…where there are daily more than 60,000 souls, buying and selling, and where are found all the kinds of merchandise produced in these countries, including food products, jewels of gold and silver, lead, brass, bones, shells and feathers.

Aztec Tribute System – The Aztecs ruled their empire by indirect means Instead of exerting their supreme authority on conquered people, they demanded tribute. – Conquered leaders were even restored to their positions i.e. feathers, greenstones, cloth, firewood, and food

Aztec Cocoa Plant – Like the Maya, the Aztec used cocoa as currency 20 beans a year could support a commoner A man could sell his daughter as a sacrifice or sex slave for upwards of 500 beans – Beverages First accounts of chocolate beverages were noted by the Spanish – Thickened with maize flour and seasoned with a chilies

Aztec Social Structure – Nobility Not hereditary. Being born to noble parents did not necessarily mean you would become a noble – Peasants Very few farmers. Mostly artisans and warriors. – Slaves Prisoners of war, criminal punishment, or payment of a debt

Aztec Social Structure – Like the Maya, Aztecs also intoxicated themselves, but… ONLY ELDERS WERE ALLOWED TO GET DRUNK

Aztec: Social Structure Education – From ages 0-14, parents guided education – At age 15, both boys and girls (of all classes) went to school Aztecs were one of the first civilizations to require all children go to school. The Schools – Telpochcalli Military training – Calmecac Taught writing, astronomy, theology, etc. – But girls were taught domestic skills & religion. » Not taught to read or write.

Aztec Religion – As an agricultural people, the Aztec depended heavily on the forces of nature and worshiped them as gods – The Aztec believed that the benevolent gods must be kept strong to prevent the evil gods from destroying the world Human Sacrifice – Victims of sacrifice were usually prisoners of war, some Aztec warriors would volunteer for the more important sacrificial rituals – The god Tlaloc was believed to prefer children as sacrificial victims

Aztec Human sacrifice Aztecs took human sacrifice to a new level. According to Ahuitzotl, over the course of four days the Aztec sacrificed some 84,000 people to dedicate the new Great Pyramid.

Aztec Agriculture – Tenochtitlan was constructed on swamp land not suited for farming – Chinampas – Chinampas  “floating gardens;” artificial islands made of soil and reed mats that were placed in Lake Texcoco

Aztec Spanish Conquest – In 1519 Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés and more than 500 Spaniards landed in eastern Mexico in search of land and gold – Kidnaps Aztec leader Montezuma for a gold ransom – Conquered all of the Aztec by /3 of population killed – Mostly from small pox Survivors forced into labor mining for gold or working on the estates of the Spaniards

INCA

Inca Government – The Emperor owned all people, land, & resources – Government had complete control over the economy Farmers worked on cooperative farms Early form of socialism/communism – Massive bureaucracy For every 10,000 people there were 1,331 government officials – Mita  special tax, but in the form of labor NOT money All able bodied citizens required to work for the government for a set number of days per year

Inca Religion – Worshipping of sun played a major role in the religion Emperor seen as the son of the sun god – Human Sacrifice? Only on the rarest occasion; usually children or virginal women who dedicated lives to worshipping the sun Most of sacrifices were guinea pigs and llamas

Inca Religion – Believed in reincarnation – Moral Code: “ama suwa, ama llulla, ama quella” Do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy Those who followed those rules went to live in the Sun's warmth while others spent their eternal days in the cold earth – Practiced cranial deformation

Inca Achievements – Massive Road System Connected all the people of the Incan Empire All roads led to the Capital of Cuzco – Machu Picchu Served as religious city and fortress during the Spanish conquest Could only be reached by bridges over rivers 1,950 feet in the air

Machu Picchu

Inca Achievements – Terrace farming What other cultures that we have studied this year have used this method? – Quipu  a series of knotted strings used by Incan officials for keeping records Incans did not have a writing system or advanced calendar

Inca Spanish Conquest – Conquered by Pizarro in 1532 Despite getting the ransom of gold and silver he demanded, Pizarro killed Incan ruler Spanish ruled Inca harshly – Destroyed traditional culture and farming methods – Forced them to mine gold and silver

Nazca Lines