Chapter 20

Who was the Spanish Soldier that described Tenochtitlan at its high point?

Bernal Diaz del Castillo

What was the most impressive sights of Tenochtitlan?

The large markets and the pyramid temples

What was the political situation of Mesoamerica in the 8th century?

It was dominated by war due to the fall of Teotihuacan and people from the countryside and N. Mexico started to raid it.

Who were the peoples that created the Aztec Empire?

The Mexica

What were the similarities between the Mexica and the Toltecs?

They shared similar cultural religious traditions and their capitals were on well-defended hill sites.

Where did the Toltecs come from?

NW Mexico

When did the Toltecs unify central Mexico?

8th century

What river did the Toltecs use to cultivate their crops and why did they use the river?

They used the Tula because there was little rainfall in C. Mexico.

What crops did the Toltecs and Mexica grow?

Maize, Beans, Peppers, Tomatoes, Chiles, and Cotton

How did the Toltecs maintain its stability?

By having a powerful army that campaigned throughout central Mexico. They also collected tribune from subjects.

What were the houses in the capital of the Toltecs like?

They had spacious homes made of adobe, stone, or mud.

What types of manufacturing was the city of Tula known for?

Weaving, pottery, and obsidian work

What did the city of Tula import?

Jade, Turquoise, Animal Skins, and Luxury Products

What caused the collapse the Toltecs?

Difficulty with different ethnic groups and Nomadic groups coming from NW Mexico.

Who were the Mexica?

They were a nomadic group from NW Mexico.

What did the Mexica do to the settled people when they first arrived in C. Mexico?

They kidnapped women and seizing land that was cultivated by others, which resulted in them constantly migrating to avoid conflict.

Where was Tenochtitlan built?

It was build on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco.

What are Chinampas?

They are fertile muck that was gathered from the lake bed and was used to grow crops. They were so fertile they could sustain several harvests in one year.

How did the Aztec empire form?

It formed when the Mexica were powerful enough to demand tribune from its subjects.

Who were the leaders that expanded the Aztec empire?

Itzcoatl and Monteazoma I

How did the Aztec’s expand?

They attacted the Oaxaca in SW Mexico and killed their inhabitants and replaced it with Mexica. Then they conquered the cities in the high plateaus near Tenochtitlan and and the Gulf Coast.

How did the Aztec’s further expand?

They created alliances with Texcoco and Tlacopan to take over most of Mexico besides parts of the Northern and Western regions.

What was the main objective of the triple alliance?

To tax the subjects.

What were the different objects that the Aztecs received as tribune from neighboring peoples?

Textiles, Rabbit Fur, Blankets, Embordered Clothes, Jewels, and Obsidian Knives.

What was the Aztec government like?

There was no burecracy and government was up to local authorities.

How was the Aztec military like?

They assembled people to fight when they were at war but they didn’t have a permanent standing military.

What did they sell in the markets of Tenochtitlan?

Gold, Silver, Slaves, Turkeys, Dogs, Game, Maize, Beans, Peppers, Cacao, and Fruits.

How do we know so much about the Mexica?

Due to the lengthy interviews and accounts made by the Spanish.

What was the social hierarchy of the Aztecs?

It was rigidly hierarchical.

How could one improve their social status?

By winning glory in battle.

Where did the military elite come from?

The aristocracy.

How did the rich have an advantage in military?

They had more training and more opportunities to showcase their skills in battle.

What did great warriors get from the people?

They god land and tribune.

How did the great warriors participate in Aztec society?

They made councils to deal with public issues and served in the government.

How did great warriors eat?

They ate lavish and luxurious foods.

How did the clothing of warriors and commoners differ?

commoners wore clothes made of henequen while aristocrats wore cotton. Aristocrats also wore bright capes, lip plugs, and eagle feathers.

What was the role of women in Mexica society?

Didn’t play a role in society and their role was to raise warriors. They also had more influence in their family, although they were under the control of their husband/father.

Did women in Aztec society inherit land or property?

No

What was the action of a woman bearing children equivalent to?

A warrior capturing an enemy in battle.

What was the social standing of priests in the Mexica like?

They were the same rank as aristocrats and some even became rulers.

What was the role of priests in Aztec society?

They looked over religious ceremonies and explained how the world workers to commoners. They also heavily influenced the rulers.

What were communities of farmers called?

Calpulli

What did Calpulli do?

They were communities of families which lived together and organized communities.

How did the commoners serve the elite?

They gave tribune to the elite, worked on Public Works Projects, and worked on the land of the Elite.

Who did slaves usually consist of?

Criminals or family members that were sold, but were usually not foreigners.

What type of job did most slaves work as?

Domestic servants.

What was the place of Merchants and Artists in society?

They were in the middle between Commoners and Elite and enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle.

What types of materials did Artists and Merchants work with?

Gold, Silver, Cotton Textiles, and Exotic bird feathers.

How did Merchants serve the Aztec government?

They provided intelligence about the distant lands that they visited.

What was the language that both the Toltecs and Mexica spoke?

Nahuatl

What were the similar cultural traditions between the Toltecs?

They had similar rituals, ball games, and complex calendar.

Where the Mexica gods like?

They borrowed it from previous civilizations.

What were the main gods of the Mexica?

Tezacatipoca (Patron of Warriors) and Quetzalcoatl (Patron of Arts and Agriculture).

Why did Aztecs perform ritual bloodletting?

Because they thought that it would be an offering to the gods so that they would getter agricultural harvests.

What were the places that the Aztecs pierced when bloodletting?

Penises and Earlobes

Who was Huitzilopchtli?

The god of human sacrifice.

Why did the Aztecs perform human sacrifice?

It was seen as necessary for the survival of the world.

What did the Aztecs due to the POWs that they captured in war?

They gave them to the Preists to sacrifice.

Who were the people that were usually sacrificed?

Criminals, POWs, and people given as tribune.

What types of foods did the N. American people depend on?

Hunting, Fishing, and collecting edible plants.

What did people in the Arctic eat?

Sea mammals and whales.

What did people in the midwest eat?

Bison and Deer.

What were most societies in N. America like?

They were built on a large scale due to the environment and the resources it naturally provides not being able to support large populations without agriculture.

Where were the Publeo and Navajo people located?

SW United States

How were the Publeo and Navajo people able to maintain a large society?

Due to them having large scale irrigation and agriculture.

What types of crops and foods did the Publeo and Navajo people eat?

Beans, Squash, Sunflower, Wild Plants and Small Game

What types of buildings did the Publeo and Navajo people build?

Stone and Adobe buildings.

What types of people lived in the Mississippi area and Upstate NY?

Woodland people and they lived in settled commmunities.

What happen in 1000 in Upstate NY?

The Oswaco people established a distinct society.

When and where was the Iroquois confederacy founded?

Upstate NY in the 1400s.

What groups made up the Iroquois confederacy?

Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca.

What was the role of women in Iroquois societies?

They were in charge of running the villages and way more power than women in other civilizations.

In what structures did the Iroquois people live in?

They lived in longhouses were several families lived in.

What were mounds in the Eastern US like?

They were gigantic and were used to for ceremonies, rituals, and placies of living.

What is the Cahoika?

It is the area where the largest surviving mound is located and it was probably the third largest structure in all of the Americas before two temples in the Aztec empire.

What is the only info that we have about N. American people?

Archeological finds due to a lack of writing.

What linked different people across N. America together in trade?

The Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee Rivers.

How do we know that there was trade between different groups in N. America?

Objects that were from one part of N. America were found in another part.

Why was the Cahoika a hub for trade in N. America?

It was where the major rivers of N. America converged, allowing the society to have access to all of the N. American trade.

How do we know about SA civilizations?

Due to archaeological evidence because there was no written script in SA.

What are the three regions of SA?

The Highlands, Valleys, and Coastal Plains

What happens after the collapse of the Chavin and Moche?

There were autonomous regional states throughout the Incan empire.

Where were the Chucuito people located?

They lived in the highlands near leake Titicaca.

What did the Chucuito people cultivate and domesticate?

Potatoes, Llamas, and Alpacas

What are the fields of Chucuito people like?

They are elaborate terraced fields and they had many different varieties of potatoes.

Where did Maize and Coco leaves come from to the Chucuito?

They came from the lowlands.

What products did they get from Llamas?

Wool, Hides, and Dung

What was a staple of the Chucuito diet?

Maize

What were Coco leaves used as in the Chucuito?

They were used as a stimulant to have energy in high altitudes.

Where were the Chimu people located?

They were located in the lowalands.

What was the Chimu society like?

It was wealthy and prosperous with distinct social classes.

What was Chanchan?

The capital of the Chimu.

What types of buildings were in Chanchan?

Massive brick buildings that flexed the labor power of the Chimu.

How were the city blocks in Chanchan divided?

They belonged to different clans which maintained order and communicated with other clans.

Where did the Incans origininally come from?

The valley of Cuzco.

What language did the Incans speak?

Quechua

What types of people were the Incans originally?

Migratory peoples.

What area did the Incans eventually settle in?

Near lake Titicaca.

Who was the leader that started the expansion of the Incan empire?

Pachacuti.

What were Pachacuti’s characteristics?

He was a fierce warrior.