1. The Americas: The Aztec & the Inca
Mr. Fenlon
AP World History
NHSS

2. The Aztecs

3. Rise of the Aztecs
Aztecs (Mexica) migrate to Lake Texcoco in central Mexico c. 1325
Founded city of Tenochtitlan in 1325
Empire started in 1434
Aztec kings represented civil power and served as a representative of the gods on Earth

4. Aztec Government
City-states ruled by a speaker chosen from the nobility
The Great Speaker, ruler of Tenochtitlan, was in effect an emperor
Increasingly considered a living god
Conquered peoples maintained some autonomy if they paid tribute

5. Aztec Religion Aztec maintained traditional deities of Mesoamerica
128 major deities
Huitzilopochtli (right) was the Aztec tribal patron and patron deity of the cult of warfare and sacrifice

6. Human Sacrifice
Human sacrifice was a typical part of Mesoamerican religion
Aztec expand practice into a cult where military supplied war captives for sacrifice
Why?
Political purposes
Population control
Cannibal kingdom

7. Human Sacrifice

8. Tenochtitlan On an island in Lake Texcoco
Aztecs called it the “foundation of Heaven”
By 1519 had a population of 150,000
Connected by causeways and canals

9. Tenochtitlan “The Venice of the Americas

10. Aztec Economy Agriculture
Food often provided as tribute
Built chinampas
Pochteca was a special merchant class which specialized in long-distance luxury trade
Cacao beans and gold dust were used as currency; bartering was most common
17’ long x 100’ to 330’ wide
20,000 acres of chinampas

11. Chinampas
17’ long x 100’ to 330’ wide
20,000 acres of chinampas
Chinampas were man-made floating islands 17’ long x 100’ to 300’ feet wide. Aztecs built over 20,000 acres of chinampas.

12. Chinampas

13. Aztec Society Originally divided into seven clans called calpulli
Calpulli redistributed land, organized labor gangs & military units, maintained temples & schools
Eventually a class of nobility emerged
Nobility controlled the priesthood & military

14. Aztec Society Women’s primary role was the household
Women spent six hours a day grinding corn; restricted women’s rights
Marriages were arranged
Polygamy existed amongst the nobility
Women could inherit property

15. The Inca

16. Rise of Inca
Founded by Quechua-speaking clans, ayllus, living near Cuzco c. 1350
Inca (ruler) Pachacuti expanded the empire from
Built Machu Picchu
Expansion continued after Pachacuti’s death

17. Machu Picchu

18. Machu Picchu

19. Conquest & Religion Expansion motivated by split inheritance
Polytheistic
Sun God was the primary god
Influenced by animism
Mountains, rivers, etc. were considered holy shrines
Temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu

20. Inca Government Inca was considered almost a god
Divided empire into four provinces
Developed a bureaucracy run by nobles
Nobility drawn from the ten ayllus
Local rulers maintained their positions
Colonized conquered areas
Relocated some conquered peoples

21. Inca Economy Unlike Aztecs, not a lot of trade Primarily agricultural
Tried to be self-sufficient
Primarily agricultural
Terrace farming & complex irrigation
Over 200 types of potatoes
Inca Socialism
Used forced labor for massive projects
Mita

22. Terrace Farming

23. Inca Society Inca emphasis on military reinforced gender inequality
Women worked in the fields, wove cloth, and cared for the household
Women worshipped fertility deities
Recognize parallel descent
Women passed rights and property to their daughters

24. Inca Technology Built a complex system of roads and bridges
2500 miles of roads
Used a system of runners to carry messages throughout the empire
Beautiful pottery, cloth, and metalworking
Quipu
Masonry

25. Bridges and Roads

26. Quipu

27. Inca Metalworking