Early American Empires

Types of Government Democracy = a system of government in which the power is shared by all the people Authoritarianism = a system of government in which power is highly centralized and maintained by political repression Monarchy = a system of government in which all or most of the power is in the hands of one individual, the monarch, whose authority is hereditary.

Now that’s a nice looking map! Yucatan Peninsula Valley of Mexico Andes Mountains

Maya Empire ( CE) Each city had its own ruling chief (usually men, but sometimes women governed) Nobles served as both military rulers, officials who collected taxes, and law enforcers Since most Mayas were farmers, men cultivated the crops and women turned them into food Most of the wealth of Maya cities, like Tikal, came from trade (honey, cocoa, and feathers) along roads of packed earth across Middle America.

Aztec Empire (1400s – 1521) A single ruler, or Emperor, was chosen by council of nobles & priests and led the Aztecs from the capital Tenochtitlan was a city (with temples, palaces, zoos and floating gardens) and the center of a well-ordered empire Nobles served as officials, judges, and governors Warriors might rise to nobles by killing/capturing enemies Majority of people were farmers; some built chinampas The lowest class were slaves, mostly prisoners of war

Inca Empire (1400s – 1535) The emperor, known as Sapa Inca, exercised absolute power over the empire because he claimed divine right Incan god-kings owned all land, herds, mines, and people Gold, the “sweat of the sun,” was the emperor’s symbol From their mountain capital at Cuzco, the Incas had an efficient chain of command that reached into every village Nobles ran the local provinces and villages Officials enforced laws and collected taxes with quipus The government divided up harvests among the farmers