The Aztec Empire

VALLEY OF MEXICO The Aztec Empire started in the Valley of Mexico 7.7.2 7.7.4 7.7.5 The Aztec Empire started in the Valley of Mexico 2 non-Aztec groups lived in the Valley of Mexico for 2,000 years before the Aztecs – Teotihuacans and Toltecs In 1250 c.e. the Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico The Aztecs were hired as mercenaries (paid military)

AZTEC LEGEND Group of Aztecs were being chased away after sacrificing the daughter of another chief Got in their boats and rowed away from the people As they were crossing Lake Texcoco they saw something They saw a bald eagle sitting on a cactus with a long snake in its beak They took this as a sign from the gods They built their city on the island of Tenochtitlan Tenochtitlan mans “the place of the fruit and prickly pear cactus”

TENOTCHTITLAN AZTEC CAPITAL CITY

TENOCHTITLAN: A CITY OF WONDERS Population: Between 200,00-300,000 people in the city Created “floating gardens”

THE GREAT TEMPLE 150 feet tall Decorated with bright sculptures and murals Could be seen from several miles away

ROYAL PALACE Home of the Aztec ruler Two stories tall (20 feet)

CAUSEWAYS Causeway – A road across open water 3 causeways linked the island to the mainland Wooden bridges that could be raised and lowered

OTHER TECHNOLOGY AQUEDUCTS Two pipes ran for 3 miles While one was being cleaned the other could be used DIKE A 10 mile wall to hold back flood waters

Main Idea 1: Aztec society was divided by social roles and by class. People in Aztec society had clearly defined roles. These roles, along with social class, determined how Aztec men and women lived. They had five distinct social classes. Ruler Government Officials, Priests and Military Leaders Commoners Peasants Slaves

Classes of Aztec Society: RULER The Aztec ruler, or emperor, was considered more than human but not fully a god. When an emperor died a group of advisors chose the new ruler from the royal family.

Classes of Aztec Society: GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, PRIESTS, MILITARY LEADERS The emperor appointed government officials for life. The priests served individual gods. Priests ran schools to train boys for government jobs or priesthood. Girls could become priestesses. All Aztec men were trained to be soldiers. Common soldiers could become a military leader if they captured enemies in battle.

Classes of Aztec Society: COMMONERS THREE SMALL CLASSES POCHTECA Led caravans to the to distant lands to acquire exotic goods. Some also served as spies for the emperor. CRAFTS PEOPLE AND ARTISANS Pottery, jewelry and were painters. FARMERS, FISHERMAN, LABORER, SERVANTS They were loaned plots of land to work from the emperor All commonors paid taxes to the upper classes in the form of crops, labor or goods.

Classes of Aztec Society: PEASANTS 30 % of the Aztec people were peasants. Peasants were free but considered below the commoners. Their services were hired out to the upper class.

CLASSES OF AZTEC SOCIETY: SLAVES Prisoners, lawbreakers, people who owed money. They could own property, goods and even other slaves. Children of slaves were born free. Gained freedom after working off debt, criminal punishment or when their masters died.

Main Idea 2: Aztec religion required human sacrifice for keeping the gods happy. The Aztecs believed that they had to feed the gods. Most sacrifices were enemy warriors.

AZTEC SACRIFICES The Aztecs believed that keeping the gods happy meant that their lives would be blessed. The greatest number of sacrifices were made to the war god Huitzilopochtli and the rain god Tlaloc. Priests led the sacrificial rituals, which took place on top of the temples that had been built. Humans were sacrificed because it was believed that the human hearts and blood would “feed” the gods and keep them strong. Aztec priests sacrificed as many as 10,000 victims a year in religious sacrifices.

Main Idea 3: Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire. In the late 1400s Spanish explorers and soldiers arrived in the Americas. The soldiers, or conquistadors, came to explore new lands, search for gold, and spread the Catholic religion.

Cortés and Moctezuma A small group of conquistadors led by Cortés reached Mexico in 1519. Moctezuma II, the Aztec leader, believed that Cortés was a god. Moctezuma sent Cortés gifts, including gold. Cortés wanted more gold, so he went to Moctezuma. Cortés took Moctezuma prisoner. The other Aztecs attacked Cortés and his men. The Spanish were driven out, but Moctezuma was killed. Cortés returned with many Indian allies and in 1521 they defeated the Aztecs and ended their empire.

Causes of the Defeat of the Aztecs Alliances The Spanish had made allies in the region who gave them supplies, information, and warriors. Weapons The Spanish had better weapons than the Aztecs. They had cannons, armor, swords, and horses that the Aztecs did not have. Geography The Spanish were able to cut off the capital city. The people had no food or water, so many Aztecs died of starvation. Disease The Spanish had unknowingly brought deadly diseases such as smallpox to the Americas. These diseases killed the Aztecs, who had never been exposed to such diseases.

The Inca Empire The Big Idea 7.7.1 7.7.3 The Big Idea The Incas built a huge empire in South America, but they were conquered by the Spanish. Main Ideas The rise of the Inca Empire was due to conquest and the achievements of the Inca people. Pizarro conquered the Incas and took control of the region.

Main Idea 1: The rise of the Inca Empire was due to conquest and the achievements of the Inca people. In South America, another great empire arose. That empire belonged to the Inca.

Foundations for the Incan Empire Pre-Inca civilization began to develop in what is now Peru. Four major cultures developed and built some of South America’s first cities. The early Incas began as a small tribe in the Andes mountains. A ruler named Pachacuti led the Incas to expand their territory through agreements with, or conquests of, other tribes. Later Inca rulers continued to expand their territory. By the 1500s the Incan Empire was huge and had 12 million people.

The Incan Government As the Incas conquered more people, they had to devise a way to control them. They made the conquered leaders move out of their villages and move in with leaders who were loyal to the Inca government. The Inca made the children of the conquered leaders come to the Incan capital to learn about Incan ways. The Incas established an official language, Quechua. They controlled the economy by having the Inca pay a tax with their labor. There were no markets or merchants. Instead, the government would distribute goods. Leftover goods were stored in the capital for emergencies.

Main Idea 2: Pizarro conquered the Incas and took control of the region. A civil war began in the Inca Empire between the two sons of the king, Atahualpa and Huáscar. Atahualpa eventually won the war and ruled the empire.

The Fall of the Incas Although Atahualpa had won the war, the infighting had weakened the empire. A group of conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro arrived in the empire. They demanded that Atahualpa convert to Christianity. When Atahualpa refused to convert, the conquistadors attacked the Inca, and thousands were killed. The Incas tried to free Atahualpa with a roomful of gold and silver, but the Spanish killed him anyway. The Spanish defeated the last of the Inca, and the empire fell in 1537. The Spanish had superior weapons and horses. They brought diseases that weakened the native peoples.

Inca Life and Society The Big Idea 7.7.2 7.7.4 The Big Idea Many kinds of people make up Inca society in an empire know for grand architecture and complex oral literature. Main Ideas For the Inca, position in society affected daily life. The Incas made great achievements in building, art, and oral literature.

Main Idea 1: For the Incas, position in society affected daily life. Inca society had two main social classes—an upper and a lower class. The Incas from Cuzco, the capital, made up the upper class.

Society and Daily Life Upper Class Kings, priests, and government officials made up the Inca upper class. Men worked for the government, and women had household duties. Sons went to school. Upper-class families had many privileges, such as private schools, stone houses, and the best clothes. Lower Class The lower class was made up of farmers, artisans, and servants. There were no slaves in Inca society. They worked on government farms, served in the army, worked in mines, or built roads. Most children did not go to school, but instead learned to farm.

Religion in the Inca Empire The Inca Empire had an official religion. When they conquered new regions, they taught this religion to the conquered people. They allowed the conquered people to worship their own gods as well. The god of the sun was the most important god to the Incas. They believed their kings were related to the sun god. The Incas rarely sacrificed humans. Instead, they sacrificed llamas, cloth, or food.

Main Idea 2: The Inca made great achievements in building, art, and oral literature. The Incas had strong traditions of building, art, and storytelling. Many of their creations still exist today.

Inca Contributions to Culture The Inca were known for their massive buildings and forts made of huge stone blocks. Blocks were cut so precisely that even today it is nearly impossible to fit a knife blade between the stones. The Inca also built a system of roads that connected all parts of the empire. The Inca artisans made jewelry of silver and gold. Oral literature was made up of storytelling and songs. The Inca also passed down their songs, dances, and religious practices.

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