Download Chapter 11 Powerpoint - Madison Central High School

The Americas: The Aztec & the
Inca
Toltec Heritage
• Many Aztec traditions and cultural practices
were adopted from their predecessors, the
Toltecs.
• The Toltec established a capital at Tula 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 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)
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
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 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.
Aztec Religion
• Aztec 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
• Aztecs took pre-existing
human sacrifice tendencies
and expanded them as a
tool of political terror and
religious devotion.
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 150,000
• Connected by causeways,
canals, and bridges
Tenochtitlan “The Venice of the
Americas
Aztec Economy
• 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 and
cacao.
• 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.
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
• 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
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
Military Organization
• Aztec military was divided into various ranks
based on experience and success in taking war
captives.
• 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.
Aztec military
The Inca
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
• Expansion motivated
by split inheritance
(p.246)
• Polytheistic
• Sun God was the
primary god
• Influenced by
animism
• Mountains, rivers, etc.
were considered holy
shrines (huacas).
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 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
• Inca (emperor) was considered almost a
living god.
• Divided empire into four provinces, each
ruled by a governor.
• Developed a bureaucracy run by nobles.
• Local rulers could maintain their positions
so long as they remained loyal to Inca.
• Colonized conquered areas
• Relocated some conquered peoples
Inca Economy
• Unlike Aztecs, 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
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
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
Bridges and Roads
Quipu
Inca Metalworking
Inca textiles