Why does America lag so far behind the world in technology, power, and contacts? 5 minutes to discuss

 Before Columbus and the European explorers reached the America’s they were developing in isolation from the rest of the world. When the Europeans arrived they encountered not only societies as complex as their own but mighty empires that dazzled their conquerors.  Mound builders of North America  Aztecs  Incas

 After the fall of the Mayans, nomads like the TOLTECS migrated to central Mexico  Established there capitol at TULA  Carried on long distance trade  Exchanged obsidian with the Anazazi of the Southern United States  Started the legend of god QUETZALCOATAL which has permeated throughout Latin America

 700 – 1500 CE in North America  Called the Mississippians  Large mounds used for burial or ceremonies  Most well known is in southern Illinois  Pyramid shape indicates contacts with the Mayans

 Totecs fell in the 12 th century; the Aztecs then filled there place in central Mexico  Capitol at Tenochtitlan in 1325  Built on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco  Maize and beans were staple products  Mid 15 th century Aztecs were the dominate power in North America  Human sacrifice was widely practiced  Polytheistic = chief god was Huitzilopochtu (the sun god)  Classes of nobles, peasants, and slaves  Further organized into classes called CALPULLI  Records kept through hieroglyphics  Women were respected and produced intricate weaving

 1300’s rose to power in the Andes of South America  Integrated several cultures of the Andes such as the Chimo and other ayllus or clans  By 1438 Incan Empire extended from present day Columbia to the northern portion of Argentina

 Ability to integrate 11 million people of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds under one empire  Spread the Quechua language through the empire  Center of the empire was the city of Cuzco  Settled conquered people in areas away from their homelands  Records kept without writing; by quipas  Groups of knotted cords  Knots in various size and color represented different categories  Created a dual system of roads for the highlands and the lowlands

 Polytheistic centered around the worship of the sun god and the creator god  Made ritual human sacrifice to both  Woman carried out traditional child care roles, worked in fields and weaved cloth  Economy based on the cultivation of the potato as their main crop  Inheritance was organized along lines of “ parallel descent ” passed to both females and males

 TITLE = Early American Societies 400 – 1500 CE  Include Inca, Aztec, Toltec, Mississippians and dates and shaded areas  Include items such as mounds and locations  Major cities and monuments 30 points