1. AP World History Chapter 11
The Americas on the Eve of Invasion

2. The Toltec Heritage Rule extended to Yucatan
Commercial influence to American Southwest
Possibly Mississippi, Ohio valleys
Central Mexico and Lake Texcoco

3. The Aztec Rise to Power Toltec collapse, c. 1150
Caused by northern nomads?
Aztecs move to Mexico valley
Lakes used for fishing, farming, transportation
City States, common language, and state marriages.
Great fighters and were hired as mercenaries, allies
Tenochtitlan founded in 1325 by Aztecs.
Aztecs practiced human sacrifice.

4. The Aztec Social Contract
Transformation to hierarchical society
Service of gods pre-eminent
Sacrifice increased
Source of political power
Moctezuma II
Head of state and religion

5. Religion and the Ideology of Conquest
Huitzilopochtli
Spiritual and natural world seamless
Hundreds of deities
Three groups
Fertility, agriculture, water
Creator gods
Warfare, sacrifice
e.g. Huitzilopochtli
Aztec tribal god
Identified with sun god
Sacrifice
Motivated by religion or terror?
Cyclical view of history, Dynastic Cycle
Quetzalcoatl

6. Feeding the People: The Economy of the Empire
Chinampas
Agriculture
Chinampas, man-made floating islands
High yield
Farming organized by clans
Markets
Daily market at Tlatelolco
Controlled by pochteca, merchant class
Regulated by state
Daily market at Tlatelolco

7. Widening Social Gulf Calpulli
Transformed from clans to groupings by residence
Distribute land, labor
Maintain temples, schools
Basis of military organization
Noble class develops from some calpulli
Military virtues give them status
Serf-like workers on their lands
Social gaps widen
Imperial family at head of pipiltin
Calpulli of merchants
Montezuma II

8. Overcoming Technological Constraints
Tenochtitlan
Women have various roles
Can own property
No public roles
Elite polygamy
Most monogamous

9. The Inca Rise to Power Cuzco area Quechua-speaking clans (ayllus)
Huari
Control regions by 1438, under Pachacuti
Topac Yupanqui
Son of Pachacuti
Conquered Chimor
Rule extended to Ecuador, Chile
Huayna Capac
Furthers conquests of Topac Yupanqui
1527, death

10. Inca Cultural Achievements
Metallurgy
Knotted strings (quipu)
Accounting
Monumental architecture

11. Comparing Incas and Aztecs
Similarities
Built on earlier empires
Excellent organizers
Intensive agriculture under state control
Redistributive economy
Kinship transformed to hierarchy
Ethnic groups allowed to survive
Differences
Aztecs have better developed trade, markets

12. Larger densities in Mesoamerica, Andes
A. How Many People?
Larger densities in Mesoamerica, Andes
B. Differing Cultural Patterns
Caribbean islands
Some similar to Polynesian societies
c. 1500
200 languages in North America
Mississipian mounds abandoned
Anasazi descendants along Rio Grande
C. American Indian Diversity in World Context
Two great imperial systems by 1500
Mesoamerica and the Andes
Technologically behind Europeans
World Population, c. 1500