Aztec and Inca Empires Lecture Notes

This set covers key political leaders, religious deities, social structures, and technological innovations of the Aztec and Inca civilizations.

Montezuma II

The last emperor of the Aztec Empire who ruled from 1502 to 1520 and was eventually taken captive and died after initially treating Hernan Cortes with respect.

Tenochtitlan

The capital city of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco, which served as a tributary city-state and center of trade.

Triple Alliance

A military alliance between the city-states of Texcoco, Tenochtitlan, and Tlacopan that founded the Aztec Empire by conquering Azcapotzalco.

Pachacuti

The ninth leader of the Kingdom of Cusco who expanded the territory into the Inca Empire and established a centralized government.

Quipu

A recording system used by the Inca involving knotted cords made of llama or alpaca fiber to track calendar dates, census data, and history.

Quechua

The spoken language of the Inca Empire used to create a cultural foundation and unite people across the territory.

Mita

An Inca taxation system requiring labor rather than money, where citizens contributed to public works and the military in exchange for safety and food during famines.

Pochteca

Elite Aztec merchants who operated in guild-like systems and served the empire as diplomats and spies.

Atahualpa

The last Incan emperor who won a civil war against his brother Huascar and was later executed by the Spanish under Francisco Pizarro in 1533.

Quetzacoatl

The "Feathered Serpent" Aztec deity and patron of priests who was believed to have given birth to humanity with his own blood.

Huitzilopochtli

The supreme patron God of the Aztecs, representing the sun, warfare, and human sacrifice, and often depicted as a blue-green hummingbird.

Inti

The Incan sun God, considered the most powerful God in the sky and believed to be the ancestor of the Sapa Inca.

Obsidian

A natural volcanic glass that was a highly valuable commodity for the Aztecs, used to create effective weapons such as blades and darts.

Chinampas

Artificial floating islands built with soil and straw on Lake Texcoco that provided the Aztec Empire with a food surplus.

Templo Mayor

The main temple of Tenochtitlan, built from lightweight volcanic stone with twin temples honoring the Gods of rain and war.

Coricancha

The most sacred site of the Inca Empire located in Cusco, dedicated to Inti and built with earthquake-resistant mortarless stone blocks.

Ayllu

The fundamental kin-based socio-economic unit of the Inca Empire where families collectively owned land and fulfilling Mita labor requirements.

Calpulli

Aztec local organizations or neighborhoods consisting of integrated families that held land collectively and managed local schools.

Chasquis

Fast messengers in the Inca Empire who ran across the road system to deliver Quipu messages throughout the territory.

Economy of Force

An Inca strategy where kings were negotiated with to give up their power in exchange for food supplies and protection before military force was used.