1. Chapter XI The Peoples & Civilizations of the Americas 200 - 1500
(Region 7)

2. Chapter Objectives
Understand the ways in which the environment affected the development of the economies, politics, & culture of the various parts of the Americas
Name & describe the essential features of the classic-era & post-classic civilizations of Mesoamerica
Know the locations & characteristics of the Anasazi, Hopewell, & Mississippian cultures
Describe & compare the development of Mesoamerican & Andean civilizations, particularly the Maya, Aztec & the Inca empires

3. Chapter XI Quote
“These people are very unskilled in arms... with 50 men they could all be subjected and made to do all that one wished.”
Christopher Columbus

4. (From his 1st Ancestor in America, 1611)
Mr. Whitaker’s Quote
(From his 1st Ancestor in America, 1611)
“Let people know they are far mistaken to think that these men are so simple: for they are of body hearty, strong, & very nimble… I suppose the world hath no better marksmen with their bow & arrows than they… who will kill birds flying, fishes swimming, & beasts running: they shoot also with marvelous strength: They shot one of our men being unarmed quite through the body, & nailed both his arms to his body with one arrow in my sight.”
Alexander Whitaker

5. Classical Culture & Society in Mesoamerica 200–900
Olmec
Maya

6. Teotihuacan
Green Obsidian!

7. Teotihuacan was a HUGE Mesoamerican city at the height of its power in 450–600 CE
Population of 125,000 to 150,000+, was dominated by religious structures, including pyramids & temples where human sacrifices were carried out
The growth of Teotihuacan was made possible by forced relocation of farm families to the city & by agricultural innovations, including irrigation works & Chinampas! (floating gardens) that increased production & thus supported a larger population - & trade in Green, not black Obsidian (newest Archaeological discoveries!)

8. Chinampas
2-3 Crops per Year!

9. Culture & Society in Mesoamerica, 200–900
The elite lived in residential compounds separate from the commoners, & controlled the state bureaucracy, tax collection, & commerce
Teotihuacan appears to have been ruled by alliances of wealthy families rather than by kings. Military was used primarily to protect & expand long-distance trade & to ensure that farmers paid taxes/tribute to the elite
Teotihuacan collapsed around 750 C.E. It may have been caused by mismanagement of resources & conflict within the elite, or as a result of invasion (?)

10. The Maya
Maya was a single culture living in modern Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, & southern Mexico, but they never formed a politically unified state! Various Maya kingdoms fought each other for regional dominance
The Maya increased their agricultural productivity by draining swamps, building elevated fields & terraced fields, & by constructing irrigation systems. The Maya also managed forest resources to increase the production of desired products

11. The largest Maya city-states dominated neighboring city-states & agricultural areas. They constructed beautifully decorated buildings by means of very simple technology: levers & stone tools
They believed that the cosmos consisted of three layers: the heavens, the human world, & the underworld. Temple architecture reflected this & the rulers & elites served as priests to communicate with the residents of the two supernatural worlds
Maya military forces fought for captives, not for territory! Elite captives were sacrificed; commoners were enslaved

12. Elite women participated in bloodletting (OUCH
Elite women participated in bloodletting (OUCH!) rituals but rarely held political power. Non-elite women played an essential role in agricultural & textile production
Technological developments were the Maya calendar, astronomy, mathematics, & writing systems
Most Maya city-states were abandoned or destroyed between 800 & 900 C.E. Possible reasons for the decline of Maya culture include the disruption of Mesoamerican trade resulting from the fall of Teotihuacan, or likely, environmental pressure caused by overpopulation, & increased warfare (There is another Theory!)

13. The Toltec

14. The Toltec arrived in central Mexico in the 10th century & built a civilization based on the legacy of Teotihuacan. The Toltec contributed innovations in the areas of politics & war (?)
The Toltec capital at Tula was the center of the first conquest state in the Americas. Dual kings ruled the state - an arrangement that probably caused the internal struggle that undermined the Toltec state around The Toltec were destroyed by invaders around 1175

16. The Aztec
The Aztecs were originally a northern (SW North America) people who migrated to the Lake Texcoco area, established the cities of Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco around 1325, & then developed a monarchical system of government
Gender division of labor was distinct yet complementary. Though warfare increased male power, women maintained control over household & markets!
The kings increased their wealth & power by means of territorial conquest. As the Aztec Empire increased in size, commoners lost their ability to influence political decisions & inequalities in wealth grew more severe

17. Merchants controlled long-distance trade
Merchants controlled long-distance trade. The technology of trade was simple: no wheeled vehicles, draft animals, or money was used. Goods were carried by human porters?
The Aztecs increased agricultural production in the capital area by undertaking land reclamation projects & constructing irrigated fields & chinampas. Nonetheless, Maize & other food tribute (!) met nearly 1/4th of the food requirements
Aztecs worshiped a large number of gods, the most important of whom was Huitzilopochtli, the Sun god. Huitzilopochtli required a diet of human hearts, which were supplied by human sacrifice that increased through time

18. Northern Peoples

19. Anasazi
Mound Builders
Hohokam

20. Southwestern Desert Cultures
Irrigation-based agriculture was introduced to Arizona from Mexico around 300 B.C.E. The most notable Mexican-influenced civilization of the area was the Hohokam, who constructed extensive irrigation works in the Salt & Gila valleys around 1000 C.E.
The influential Anasazi developed a maize, rice, & bean (Food Triad) economy & constructed underground buildings (kivas) in the Arizona/New Mexico/Colorado/Utah region around 450–750 C.E.
The large Anasazi community at Chaco Canyon had a population of about 15,000 people engaged in hunting, trade, & irrigated agriculture. Chaco Canyon people seem to have exerted some sort of political or religious dominance over a large region
The Anasazi civilization declined in the 12th & 13th centuries as a result of drought, overpopulation, & warfare

21. Mound Builders
Hopewell culture developed around 100 C.E. It was based in the Ohio Valley, but trade & influence extended to Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, Ontario, & south to Florida. Their economy was based on hunting & gathering, was supplemented by agriculture: Maize, Beans, & Squash: (Food Triad)
Major Hopewell centers were ruled by hereditary chiefs. They served as priests & managed secular affairs such as long-distance trade. They built large mounds both as burial sites & platforms upon which temples & residences of chiefs were constructed
Hopewell sites were abandoned around 400 C.E., but Hopewell technology & mound-building are linked to the development of the Mississippian culture (700–1500 C.E.). Urbanized Mississippian chiefdoms were made possible by increased agricultural productivity, the bow & arrow, & expanded trade networks
The largest Mississippian center was Cahokia, with a population of about 30,000 around 1200 C.E. Cahokia was abandoned around 1250 perhaps because of climate changes & population pressure

22. Andean Civilizations, 200–1500
The STONE Dudes!

23. Seen these before?

25. Cultural Response to Environmental Challenge
The harsh environment of the high-altitude Andes, the dry coastal plain, & the tropical headwaters of the Amazon forced the human inhabitants of these areas to organize labor efficiently & thus produce enough food to live
The basic unit of labor organization was the clan (ayllu). They held land collectively, & were obligated to assist each other in production & to supply goods & labor to the clan chief (Tribute)
The territorial states organized after 1000 & introduced the institution of the mit’a, which required each ayllu to provide a set number of workers each year to provide labor for various work
Work was divided along gender lines. Men were responsible for hunting, war, & government; women wove & cared for the crops & the home
The Andean region is divided into four major ecological zones: the coast, mountain valleys, higher elevations, & the Amazonian region. Each region produced different goods, & these goods were exchanged among the various regions through a network of trade routes

26. Moche
The Moche culture emerged in the north coastal region of Peru in about 200 C.E. The Moche used forced labor to construct an extensive irrigated agriculture that produced maize, quinoa, beans, & manioc
Moche society was stratified & theocratic. Wealth & power were concentrated in the hands of elite priests & military leaders who lived atop large platforms & decorated themselves with magnificent clothing, jewelry, & tall headdresses
Moche artisans were skilled in the production of textiles, portrait vases, & metallurgy. Gold & silver were used for decorative purposes; copper & copper alloy were used for farm tools & weapons
The decline & fall of the Moche civilization may be attributed to a series of natural disasters in the 6th century & to pressure from the warlike Wari people in the 8th century

27. Tiwanaku and Wari
The civilization of Tiwanaku increased agricultural productivity
& urbanization following 200 CE cultivating potatoes
& grains on raised fields in marshland.
Tiwanaku’s construction included a large terraced pyramid,
walled enclosures, & a reservoir. Construction was with large stones
quarried, moved, & laid by thousands of laborers working with
simple technology & copper alloy tools
Tiwanaku society was highly stratified, ruled by a hereditary elite
The Wari culture was located near the city of Ayucucho, Peru. Wari had contact with Tiwanaku but was a separate culture; the city was built without central planning, with different techniques, & on a much smaller scale than Tiwanaku.

28. The Inca – Machu Picchu
Terraced Farming!

29. The Inca began in Cuzco until leaders consolidated political authority & began military expansion in the 1430s. By 1525, the Inca had constructed a huge empire
The key was a strong military used to broaden & expand until they linked various ecological zones of the Andes region together
They used the mit’a (tributary) labor system to form armies; build their capital city; maintain religious institutions; & care for the old, weak, & ill
The Inca left local rulers in place, controlling them by means of military garrisons & (Hmm…like the future Ottomans!) taking their heirs to Cuzco as hostages. At the central level, the Inca created an imperial bureaucracy led by a king. Each king was required to prove himself by conquering new territory

30. Capital city of Cuzco laid out in the shape of a puma, & constructed of stone laid together without mortar. Cuzco’s palaces & richly decorated temples were the scene of rituals; feasts; & sacrifices of textiles, animals, other tribute goods, & the occasional human
Cultural achievements included astronomical observation, weaving, copper & bronze metallurgy, & gold & silver working. They did not rely on extensive record-keeping but did keep track of bureaucratic records such as tribute with a system of knotted cords called khipus!
They did not introduce new technologies but made more efficient use of technology to increase profits gained by Trade among the ecological zones of the Andean region
Inca domination resulted in increased wealth but also in reduced levels of local autonomy. When the elite fell into civil war in 1525, Inca control over its vast territories was weakened

31. Khipu

32. Political & Economic Comparisons
The Aztec & Inca shared similarities in the use of powerful armies, strong economies based on large workforces, tributaries, & their dependence on organized government & religious practices that connected secular rulers to the gods
Distinctions between the two empires were in their systems of distributing goods & in their management of the empire
The Aztec used local leaders, while the Inca created a strong central government administered by trained bureaucrats

33. Imperial Comparisons
Both the Aztec & Inca were the last in a line of successive indigenous populations organized into strong empires from former collapsed civilizations
The arrival of Europeans ended the cycle of crises & adjustment in both regions