How Does Intercultural Contact Impact the Worldviews of Societies?

Aztec  Valley of Mexico = center of civilization  large basin between the mountain ranges

1. Geography  Ecological zones i nfluenced lifestyle

Geography

Geography - Review  The geography of Mexico includes deserts, mountains, tropical forests, ranchland, rich farmland and seacoasts on the east and west  The two largest rivers, the Rio Grande and the Usamacinta, run through Mexico

Geography - Review  Most of the major mountain ranges are located in the central plateau of Mexico

Temperatures  always spring-like in the valley

Aztec and the mountains  Sacred or holy sites.  Mountains brought people physically closer to the gods.  Temples built in shapes of mountains

What advantages can be achieve from surrounding mountains? Geography

Protection from invaders Serve as walls like a fort

Geography What problems can be caused from surrounding mountains?

–Rainstorms cause flashfloods in low lying areas –Can also keep out rain clouds from providing fresh water

Homework 1.Review notes individually 2.Write a paragraph about the importance of Geography for the Aztecs

2. Ideas/Knowledge  The Aztec believed their god Huitzilopochtli led them to the place they lived.  They knew that the island was their destination because their God gave a sign – an eagle perch on a nopal cactus, holding a snake in its beak

Aztec God  The area was a small swampy island in a salt water lake.  Because their religion was so powerful they were determined to survive there.

The Long Migration  The Aztec (Mexica) left northern Mexico and migrated southward.  For 200 years they led a semi-nomadic life looking for the sign that would tell them where to settle.  Throughout their migration, they followed what they believed were orders from their patron god, Huitzilopochtli

The Long Migration  They believed they were the chosen people of Huitzilopochtli and that the god would lead them to the land of their destiny  Their devotion to their god often created many hardships. When told to move they did so even if not a convenient time  Eventually they arrived in the Valley of Mexico led by their chieftain, Tenoch

Tenochtitlan

The Arrival  The city they built was called Tenochtitlan, the city of Tenoch  The lands around them were occupied by the three most powerful societies in the Valley  The Aztec’s traveled by water to trade with other city-states along the lakes in the valley

The Arrival

The Acqueduct  The Aztecs created acqueducts to prevent drought and to provide plenty of clean drinking water.  These structures brought water into the city from underground springs.

3. Contact with other groups  Contact with other Meso-American nations they learned and adopted many new skills and values

Contact with other Meso-American Societies  In Meso-America, cultures of the past greatly influenced the societies that came after them  The three greatest earlier civilizations in the Valley of Mexico were the Olmec, the Teotihuacan, and the Toltec

The Olmec  Are said to be the founding or mother culture of all Meso-American civilizations.  Lived in the lowlands near the Gulf of Mexico  Considered the greatest sculptors (page 244 is a picture of Olmec head)

The Teotihuacan  The word Teotihuacan refers to the ancient civilization and to its altepetl (a Meso-American city-state) where its mysterious people dwelled  The Aztec’s believed the ruins left behind by the Teotihuacan were a holy place where the sun, moon, and universe were created.  In the center of Teotihuacan was a temple to the god Quetzalcoatl.

The Toltec  The Aztec believed that the Toltec were master at creating a refined civilization  They wrote many poems and told many stories about the Toltec

The Legacy of Ancient Civiliations  Contact with different societies during the Aztec’s migration influenced their religious beliefs and practices, social structure, architecture, and art.  Each time they lived among a new people they absorbed many of their customs and beliefs.

Aztec Emperors  By the time the Spanish arrived in the early 1500’s there were few independent territories left in Meso-America that were not controlled by the Aztec  Societies that could claim direct lineage to the Toltec where the most respected and powerful

Aztec Emperors  Aztec Emperors increased their power by creating alliances with other powerful rulers (often through marriage like the Europeans)

THE SPANISH

The Spanish  In the 11oo’s Spain was predominately multi-religious and under control of the Moors  Over the centuries, Christian kingdoms became more powerful and struggle to take back the southern lands ruled by the Muslims

Geography  Spain occupies about 80% of the Iberian Peninsula

Geography  The Mediterranean Sea is on the southeast side, the Atlantic Ocean is on the west side and the Strait of Gibraltar separates it from Africa  Spain has several large mountain ranges, the Pyrenees is the largest and separates Spain from France

Geography  The central plateau of Spain is called the Meseta Central and is almost treeless  The area is divided into northern and southern sections by irregular mountain ranges or sierras  The climate of Spain is generally rainy in the north and moderated by the ocean, the southern is very dry with very little rainfall.

Geography  Spain was made up of individual kingdoms that were kept separated by mountains and rivers

The Reconquista  The move to retake the Iberian land under Muslim control was called the Reconquista. Its underling purpose was to deliver Christianity to all.

The Reconquista  These wars between the Moors and the kingdoms of Spain were intermittent, lasting about 700 years  Even after the Moors were defeated there were still many separate kingdoms on the Iberian Penisula  Eventually, through the marriage of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile did two of the largest kingdoms unite

The Reconquista

The Moors Legacy  The legacy left by the Moors in Spain influenced later learning and expansion  Their contributions can be found in architecture, design and science

The Spanish Inquisition  The Inquisition was reinstated in 1492 and lasted until 1834  The main purpose of the Inquisition was to eliminate all non-Christians  The Inquisition was both a civil and a religious court

Exploration  The Spanish were developing a strong desire for exploration to new, undiscovered lands.  They looked in two directions – Western Mediterranean and west across the Atlantic  Christopher Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic

Exploration  Ferdinand and Isabella dealt with any new lands the same way: resources and goods from anywhere within the empire were considered the rightful property of Spain  They also sent missionaries to teach the beliefs and customs of the Roman Catholic Church

Spanish Monarchy  When King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella married in 1479  They wanted to increase the power of the throne and decrease the powers of the Cortes (the Spanish parliament)

Spanish Monarchy  To do this they:  Centralized government under their control  Created a more efficient government bureaucracy  Imposed new taxes  Took control of the Roman Catholic Church in Spain  Began the Spanish Inquisition  Forbid any faith but Roman Catholicism

Spanish Monarchy  Ferdinand and Isabella wanted to reduce the power of the Aristocracy (Cortes) so they:  Had men from humbler origins, not the aristocracy, selected for the Cortes  Allowed nobles to participate in parliamentary proceedings, but not vote

Spanish Monarchy  Reorganized important financial and judicial institutions so the monarchy had more control  Centralizedthe power of the government under a Council of State, a Council of Finance, and a Council of Justice

Spanish Monarchy  The Monarchy knew that they needed to maintain the support of the aristocracy so they compensated them for the loss of power in government with huge tracts of land and exempted them from paying taxes on there lands.  By reducing the power of the Corte, Ferdinand and Isabella were able to significantly develop their power.

Control of the Church  To have complete control over Spain Ferdinand and Isabella knew that they had to have control of the Church so, in an agreement with the Pope, they set up the Spanish Inquisition in exchange for the right to select who would be appointed to important positions within the Roman Catholic Church.

The Spanish Begin to Build an Empire  With the greater authority that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella now had gave them better resources to begin a policy of exploration and discovery.  In 1492 the monarchs supported the voyages of Columbus. This decision led to Spain becoming the most powerful and wealthy country in Europe.

The Spanish Begin to Build an Empire  By the mid-1500, Spain controlled large areas of the Caribbean, the Americas, and parts of Asia and Africa.

Creation Stories  The Aztec’s believed the gods had created and destroyed the world four times. After the fourth destruction, the gods met at Teotihuacan to create the fifth world.  Aztec’s believed they were living in this fifth world, known as the fifth sun, and that they had to keep the sun alive to prevent the destruction of the Earth and its people.

Creation Stories  There are many variations of creation stories because these stories are told in the oral tradition.