Ancient Civilizations of the Americas: Aztecs, Incas, Mississippian, and Maya

Tribute system

Conquered people were forced to pay tribute (jewelry, clothes, etc.) and perform military service.

Political control of the Aztecs

The Aztecs allowed rulers to stay in power to collect tribute, maintaining dominance without direct administrative control.

Theocracy

The Aztecs were a theocracy led by an emperor (Great Speaker) as the political ruler and a divine representative of the gods.

Social hierarchy of the Aztecs

Society was strictly layered, moving downward from land-owning nobles, to scribes & healers, craftspeople & traders, a special luxury merchant class (Pochteca), peasants & builders.

Aztec religion

They believed gods sacrificed themselves to create the world; thus, human sacrifice was a payment for human sin.

Inca Empire

A combination of small tribes led by trial leader Pachacuti, known as the transformer/shaker of the earth.

Mit'a system

Mandatory public service in the Inca Empire.

Inti

The sun god in Inca religion.

Quipu

A system of knotted strings used for mathematics to record numerical information for trade/engineering and recording messages for the empire.

Terrace systems

Cultivation of crops using raised beds with channels that captured and recirculated rain to avoid erosion during floods and stored water during dry periods.

Carpa Nan

25,000 miles of roads used mainly by the government/military in the Inca Empire.

Mississippian Culture

The first large civilization near the earthen mound in southern Illinois, along the Mississippi River valley.

Cahokia

A major urban center of the Mississippian Culture.

Social structure of Mississippian Civilization

Class structure included priests/nobles, the Great Sun, and slaves.

Decline of Mississippian Culture

Theories include crop failures and collapse of the agricultural economy due to flooding or other weather extremes, and diseases introduced by Europeans.

Chaco and Mesa Verde

Civilizations that adapted to dry regions by learning to collect, transport, drill, and store water efficiently.

Chaco architecture

Built large housing structures using stones and clay, some with hundreds of rooms.

Mesa Verde architecture

Built multi-story homes into the sides of cliffs using bricks made of sandstone.

Mayan government

The main form was the city-state, each ruled by a king and consisting of a city and its surrounding territory.