Download Chapter 11 PP - Madison Central High

The Americas: The Aztec & the
Inca
The Americas on the Eve of Invasion
Toltec Heritage (#1)
• Many Aztec traditions and cultural practices were adopted
from their predecessors, the Toltecs.
• The Toltec established a capital at Tula in central Mexico
in 968 C.E. They had a strong militaristic ethic and
practiced human sacrifice for the appeasement of their
many gods.
• Aztecs viewed them as the “givers of civilization”.
• Toltec dominance continued in Mesoamerica (Middle
America) until about 1150 C.E.
• They helped establish numerous city-states that vied for
control of the region.
Toltec Art
This stone panel depicts an eagle consuming a human heart. The eagle
was meant to represent the sun, the Toltec and Aztec highest deity. The
sun needed energy and strength to survive the perilous journey each night
through the underworld to rise again the next morning. This strength came
in the way of human hearts and blood.
The Aztecs (read p.238)
The Aztecs (#3)
• According to their own accounts, the Aztecs were
one of many wandering people groups in
Mesoamerica.
• They were viewed by others as fanatical followers
of their gods and highly skilled in warfare. This
made them both feared and valued by others.
• They rotated between temporary alliances with
other groups for military aid and isolation due to
their extreme religious ideals.
Rise of the Aztecs (#4)
• Aztec mythology states that
they migrated to Lake
Texcoco in central Mexico c.
1325
• Founded city of Tenochtitlan
in 1325
• Their empire started in 1434
after they signed an alliance
with two other city-states for
security from hostile
neighboring cities.
Aztec Government (#2 and 5)
• City-states were 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 city-states were often left unchanged if they
recognized Aztec supremacy and met labor and tribute
obligations
• This system was a success because the Aztec emphasized
political domination and not necessarily direct administrative
control.
• Subjected people groups provided the Aztecs with taxes and
tribute (food) and most importantly, sacrificial victims.
Aztec Religion (#6)
• Aztecs maintained
traditional deities of
Mesoamerica
• 128 major deities
• Huitzilopochtli (right) was
the chief Aztec god and
patron deity of the cult of
warfare and sacrifice. He
was embodied in the sun.
• Aztecs took pre-existing
human sacrifice tendencies
and expanded them as a tool
of political terror and
religious devotion.
Aztec Religion (#6 and 7)
•
Aztec religion can be organized
into three main cults of worship.
• 1)The cult of fertility, centered
on the rain god Tlaloc.
• 2) The cult of creation that
worship creator dieties.
• 3) The cult of warfare and
human sacrifice.
• Human sacrifice was not
only important, but
necessary to return thanks
to the gods for their
provision and provide
strength for the sun god to
fight evil nighttime forces.
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
• Religious devotion
• Cannibal kingdom
Human Sacrifice
Aztec Art
• Aztec religious art and
poetry are filled with
images or descriptions
of flowers, birds, and
music.
• Human hearts and
blood are also depicted
as the “precious
water” needed to
sustain the gods.
Tenochtitlan
• On an island in Lake
Texcoco
• Aztecs called it the
“foundation of Heaven”
• By 1519 had a
population of 250,000
• Connected by causeways,
canals, and bridges
Tenochtitlan “The Venice of the
Americas
Aztec Economy (#8 and 9)
• Agriculture
• Food often provided as tribute
• Built chinampas
• Pochteca was a special merchant class which specialized in
long-distance luxury trade like exotic bird feathers, cacao,
textiles, and gold.
• Cacao beans and gold dust were used as currency;
bartering was most common
• The state redistributed the vast amounts of tribute brought
in, and levels were assigned based on whether the
subjected peoples had accepted Aztec rule or fought
against it. Nobles received far more than peasants. (#9)
Chinampas
Chinampas were man-made floating islands 17’ long x 100’ to 300’
feet wide. Aztecs built over 20,000 acres of chinampas. Crop yields
were extremely high, as many as four corn crops per year.
Chinampas
Aztec Society (#12)
• Women’s primary role was the household
• Women spent six hours a day grinding corn due
to technological limitations; restricted women’s
rights.
• Weaving skill was highly valued.
• Marriages were arranged for young girls by
parents.
• Polygamy existed amongst the nobility but
peasants were monogamous.
• Women could inherit property.
Military Organization (#11)
• Aztec military was highly skilled and organized, divided
into various ranks based on experience and success in
taking war captives. (#11)
• The military was highly ritualized with different ranks like
“Eagle” and “Jaguar” knights with distinctive uniforms.
Similar ranked warriors fought together and did not mix
with other ranks.
• Banners, cloaks and symbols marked off the distinct
military ranks.
• The Aztecs had impressive weapons despite their
technological limitations, like the maquahuitl and atlatl.
• Diagram on p.242
Aztec military
Aztec Weapons
Maquahuitl
Atlatl
The “Flowery Death” (#10)
*In Aztec society, certain deaths
were seen as more noble than
others.
• Soldiers who died while trying
to take captives for human
sacrifice were seen as giving
their lives for the honor of their
gods.
• Also, women who died in
childbirth gave their lives for the
well being of the empire.
*A flowery death ensured eternal
bliss in highest levels of the
afterlife.
Twantinsuyu: World of the Incas
(#15)
• At roughly the same time that
the Aztecs flourished in
Mesoamerica, another
American empire rose to
prominence in South America.
• The Inca Empire stretched over
3000 miles along the spine of
the Andes mountain chain.
• From modern day Colombia in
the north to Chile in the south
and eastward into Bolivia and
northern Argentina.
Rise of Inca
• Founded by Quechuaspeaking clans living near
Cuzco c. 1350
• Inca (ruler) Pachacuti
expanded the empire from
1438-1471
• Built Machu Picchu
• Expansion continued after
Pachacuti’s death
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
Conquest & Religion (#16)
• The Inca empire
expanded for common
reasons like economic
gain and political
power.
• Another reason for
military conquest was
fueled by the Incan
worship of their dead
ancestors and the idea
of split inheritance
(p.246)
Temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu
Temple of the Sun
• Built in honor of
Inca sun god, Inti,
in the capital of
Cuzco.
• It housed the bodies
of seven deceased
and mummified
Incas adorned with
golden décor.
Inca Religion (#17)
• Along with the intense
worship of ancestors,
the Inca were
polytheistic and
animistic.
• Sun God (Inti) was the
primary god.
• Animistic
• Mountains, rivers, etc.
were considered holy
shrines (huacas).
Inca Mummification
• Mummification was a type
of burial heavily
employed by the Incas.
• It represented a deep
respect for older
generations and kinship
within communities.
• Mummies were frequently
removed from their resting
place and consulted for
advice or blessing on
marriages, planting, or
warfare.
Inca Government (#18)
• The Inca (emperor) was considered almost a living
god.
• The empire was divided into four provinces, each
ruled by a governor picked by the Inca.
• Developed a bureaucracy run by nobles.
• Local rulers could maintain their positions so long as
they remained loyal to Inca.
• The Incas spread their language (Quechua) and used
roads to unify their empire.
• Colonized conquered areas through resettlement.
• Relocated some conquered peoples
Inca Economy(#20)
• Unlike Aztecs, there was not a lot of trade.
• Tried to be self-sufficient.
• Primarily agricultural
• Terrace farming & complex irrigation
• Over 200 types of potatoes
• Inca Socialism (p.248)
• Used forced labor for massive projects
• Mita (p.248)
Terrace Farming
Self-sufficient communities
provided for by the state??(#19)
• The Incan government believed heavily in
the idea of reciprocity.
• They expected labor from the communities
throughout their empire which would help
build roads, bridges, temples, schools, etc.
(Mita system)
• The state would provide the materials
needed for construction and goods that
communities could not provide easily.
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
Incan Accomplishments (#21)
• Built a complex system of roads and bridges
• 25,000 miles of roads
• Used a system of imperial runners to carry
messages throughout the empire
• Craftsmansip included beautiful pottery, cloth, and
goldsmithing
• Quipu
• Stone masonry
Bridges and Roads
Quipu
Inca Goldsmithing
Inca textiles