Americas Unit Test - Maya, Aztec, Inca

World History - Nichols

Which civilization was known for a writing system with over 800 glyphs?

The Maya

Describe the Maya writing system

• They created a writing system that contained 800 glyphs (glyphs = hieroglyphic symbols)

• Some glyphs stood for words, while others represented syllables

Which civilization used codices?

The Maya

Describe Mayan codices

• Their writing system was used to record historical events onto a codex (bark-paper book)

• Codices kept records of important events in stone or bark paper

• Mayans wrote down their history in codices after the Spanish came

• However, there are only 3 codices left today

• The Popol Vuh was the most famous book, and it tells of their version of the creation of the world

Which civilization created the calendar?

The Maya

Describe Mayan calendars

• The religious beliefs of the Maya led to the creation of the calendar

  • The Maya believed that time was a burden that it was carried by a god, and that at the end of a day, month, or year, one god would give that burden to another one

• The nature of the god would influence the day, so they had to create a calendar to keep track of this

• They created two calendars; a religious one and a solar one

  • The religious one had 260 days and 13 months

  • The solar one had 365 days and eighteen months, and 5 days at the end of the year

  • All months were 20 days long

• The calendar helped them plan when to attack, when to plant crops, when to crown a new ruler, and when to hold ceremonies

• Their calendar was based on their observations of the sun, moon, and other planets

Describe the cities of the Mayan Empire

• The Classic Period of Maya civilization was from 250 to 900 AD

• The Maya built many important city-states including Tikal, Copan, Palenque, Uxmal, and Chichen Itza

• These city-states served as religious and trade centers

• Maya cities were heavily populated - 10,000+ people

• In Maya cities there were palaces, pyramids, ball courts, and religious buildings/statues

  • On the ball courts, the Maya played a game that they believed would help with the sun/moon cycles and rain levels

• Maya city-states had alliances with each other

• They traded salt, feathers, honey, jade ornaments, etc. with each other

• No single currency was used, but cacao beans were often used

• Cities were sustained through agriculture

• The Maya city-states were influenced by the Olmec

• Each independent city-state was ruled by a god king

Describe the Mayan economy

• They traded resources like shells, salt, honey - for craft goods like textiles

• They had no single currency, but cocoa beans were often used

• Cities served as trade centers

• Farming was the basis for the wealth that the Maya collected

Which civilization was known for having a math system that involved the concept of zero?

The Maya

Describe the Mayan math system

• The religious beliefs of the Maya led to the creation of their math system

• Highly-skilled, Mayan astronomers used a math system that included the concept of zero - their system was a base-20 system

• The use of zero allowed their system to be very accurate

• They used dots and lines to represent numbers

Which empire used the slash-and-burn technique?

The Maya

In which empire was the city of Teotihuacan built?

The Aztec empire

Describe the city of Teotihuacan

• Teotihuacan was the first major civilization in the Valley of Mexico

• The city displayed over 20 pyramids - the biggest of them being the Pyramid of the Sun (200+ ft tall) - that were all dedicated to different gods

• Teotihuacan never tried to conquer other cities, but art and religion from their were found around Mesoamerica

• The city was abandoned by 750 because of either an invasion or inner conflict

• The city peaked in the 500s -  population of 150,000-200,000 - one of the largest cities in the world at that time

• Traded obsidian - used to make weapons

Which empire joined the Triple Alliance?

The Aztecs

Describe the Triple Alliance

• The Aztecs joined with Texcoco and Tlacopan to form the Triple Alliance in 1428

• This alliance quickly gained power and land, and by the 1500s, they controlled 80,000 square miles of land

• They divided their empire, which was home to 5-15 million people, into 38 provinces

Which empire performed the most human sacrifice?

The Aztecs

Describe Aztec religion

• The Aztecs were polytheistic and they worshiped around 1,000 gods

• They adopted many of their religious customs from other Mesoamerican peoples

• The Aztecs had many ceremonies for their gods they had a ceremonial calendar

• The Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochtli (the sun god) caused the sun to rise each morning, and when the sun set, it was his job to fight the evil forces so the sun could rise again the next day

• In order for Huitzilopochtli to have the strength to fight this battle every night and for there to be light in the morning, he needed a constant supply of human blood

• Because of this, the Aztecs performed lots of human sacrifice, with thousands of people being sacrificed in the Great Temple each year

  • Most people who were sacrificed were criminals, enslaved persons, or prisoners of war

  • A large supply of prisoners of war were required for this though, and so the Aztec army often went out on conquests, specifically to capture more prisoners for their human sacrifice rituals

Which empire built chinampas?

The Aztecs

Describe Aztec chinampas

• One difficulty that came along with building your capital city in the middle of a lake on swampy land was the issue of growing food and having enough farmable land to grow this food on

• Chinampas - “floating gardens” created to feed the large population

• A chinampa is an artificial garden that is made in a lake bed. Chinampas were topped with mud that was raked up from the bottom of the lake. The chinampas are connected by a canal.

Tenochtitlan was the capital of what empire?

The Aztec empire

Describe the city of Tenochtitlan

• Tenochtitlan had a population of 200,000 - 400,000 people during the early 1500s

• The city was on an island, so three causeways were made to connect it to the mainland - pilings were used to build these causeways

• Streets connected villages to the city center and canals allowed canoes to bring people and goods to the market called Tlatelolco - the economic center of the city

• Chinampas - “floating gardens” created to feed the large population

• The center of the city had a wall around it and contained many large and beautiful buildings like temples and palaces

• The main building was the Great Temple, which was a large pyramid with two temples at the top

• The Great Temple was the center of religious life for the Aztecs

Which empire used pilings?

The Aztecs

What were some geographic challenges that the Aztecs faced?

• The Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, was in the middle of the lake and the ground was very swampy

  • Therefore the Aztecs had to engineer ways to deal with unstable ground, an unsafe water supply, flooding, and not having enough farmable land

Pachacuti was an emperor for which empire?

The Inca empire

Describe Pachacuti and his empire

• Pachacuti became the ruler of the Inca empire in 1438, and he created an empire that stretched 2,500 miles along the West Coast

  • This empire was divided up into 80 provinces

  • It was home to around 16 million people

• It was called the “Land of the Four Quarters”

• Pachacuti prioritized using diplomacy before military force force

• When conquering, the military only used force when they had to, and they would often offer to allow the enemy states to keep their traditions if the states pledged their loyalty to the Incas. Even when the Incas were forced to use violence, they still tried to win the loyalty of the people who had been conquered.

Which empire used the ayllu system?

The Inca empire

Describe the ayllu system

• The ayllu system was the Incan social system of communal labor and support 

• An ayllu is a group of extended family that completed tasks that were too large for just a single family to complete. 

• The ayllu system was used in the government based upon the decimal system. 

• Families were separated into groups of 10, 100, 1,000, and 10,000, with a chief being the head of each group.

• This chain of command extended to Cuzco

• Local leader made most decisions - if they resisted, they might be relocated

Which empire used the mita system?

The Inca empire

Describe the mita system

• The mita system demanded that all able bodied citizens do labor for the state for a specific number of days during the year - subjects paid tribute through labor

• Some historians compare it to a modern welfare state or a kind of socialism

• The elderly and the unwell were supported by the government

• Extra resources were saved and shared among the community

Which empire had a large road system?

The Inca empire

Describe the Inca road system

• The road system stretched across the empire, spanning over 14,000 miles long

• Some roads were paved and others weren’t

• The roads were used by the government to provide soldiers with easy access to key areas in the empire, and it improved communication and transportation

• The road system spanned mountains, rivers, and deserts

• There were guest houses built along the roads for people who were travelling 

• Chasquis - runners who delivered messages - used these roads

• The Inca Road Network allowed people to go where they couldn’t before, and it allowed them to triumph over the Andes Mountains area. 

• The bridge master slightly wets the special type of grass and he twists it together into a long, thick cable to create a bridge

• The roads were built out of stone on the side of cliffs and up mountains

Which empire used a lot of terrace farming?

The Inca empire

Describe Inca terrace farming

• Terraces are little growing platforms that are stacked on top of each other

• The Inca lived on very mountainous and hilly land, so they modified that previously unfarmable land by creating terraces along the hillside to grow different crops on

• The walls were very high and thick, they were slightly angled back, and they absorbed the sunlight

• There was a drainage system at the bottom of each terrace

• Each terrace represents a different ecological zone where different crops can be grown

• This led to a variety in their diet and protection against famine

Which empire used the quipu?

The Inca empire

Describe the quipu

• The Inca had no writing system, so they used a quipu

• They used a quipu to keep records, which contained several knotted strings of different colors to represent numbers and categories of information.

Describe the geographic challenges of the Inca empire

• Their geography doesn’t really have moderate growing zones that are good for growing crops

• The mountains had varying topography, so only some animals and plants could survive in some areas

• Their empire contained the Andes mountains - the mountains created an extreme climate

• The Inca lived in an area that had many different climates and growing zones

Describe the key social and political features of the Maya empire

The Mayan kingdoms were organized into city-states. The Maya were never fully connected - they were split up into independent city states that were ruled by a god-king. However, the city-states interacted with each other through alliances and trade. Additionally, the city states had ball courts, and they played a game on these courts in place of diplomacy. There were also social classes, with the king at the top, then priests, nobles, merchants, and finally the commoners.

Describe the key social and political features of the Aztec empire

The Aztecs were originally a poor, nomadic tribe called the Mexica and they settled in the Valley of Mexico. They found an island in Lake Texcoco in 1325 and settled on it when they saw a sign of an eagle on a cactus with a snake in its mouth. The Mexica joined the Triple Alliance in 1428 and changed their name to the Aztecs. They expanded control over the region through conquest and divided their land into 38 provinces. They gained power and wealth through tribute but they still allowed local rulers to govern. Aztec society was organized around one emperor. The emperor was at the top of the social hierarchy, then nobles, merchant elites (spies), commoners, then enslaved persons.

Describe the key social and political features of the Inca empire

The Inca believed that their rulers were descendants of the sun god Inti. The most famous ruler was Pachacuti who built an empire that spanned 2,500 miles. When conquering new land, the Inca prioritized diplomacy first, and the military force second. Overall, the Inca used bureaucracy to manage and unite their territory. They also showed their control by building cities in conquered areas. Additionally, the Inca enforced the Ayllu and Mita systems. In terms of social classes, at the top was the Sapa Inca (ruler), then the nobles, and finally the commoners.

Describe the key achievements of the Maya

One of their best achievements was their math system, which was a base-20 system that involved the concept of zero. They also had many observatories, and between their math and their observations, the Maya were able to create a very accurate calendar. They had two calendars, a solar one and a religious one. Additionally, they had a very advanced language system that contained over 800 glyphs. This language was used in codices to record important historical events.

Describe the key achievements of the Aztec

The main achievements in the Aztec empire were in the field of engineering. For example, they used pilings to make roads and buildings. They also connected their island to the mainland by causeways, and created a canal system to transport people and goods. Additionally, they made aqueducts and dams, and they also made chinampas, which were floating gardens. Another achievement was their religion. The Aztecs worshiped around 1,000 gods with the Sun God being the main one. Human sacrifice was also very important in their religion, and they sacrificed thousands of victims every year.

Describe the key achievements of the Inca

The main achievement of the Incas was their road system. It stretched for 14,000 miles and it went over mountains, rivers, and deserts. All of the roads went to the capital city, Cuzco. This road system was also used by the government to allow for the easy movement of troops. Another main achievement was the quipu. It was a way of keeping track of information using knots and colored strings. Finally, the Incas created many incredible religious sites such as the Temple of the Sun and Machu Picchu.

Identify the reasons for the decline of the Maya

One reason why the Maya declined was because they put so many resources into religious activities. Additionally, right before the Maya declined, there was a large increase in fighting. Ultimately, the Maya abandoned their kingdoms, because of overpopulation and a lack of resources.

Identify the reasons for the decline of the Aztec

One reason why the Aztec empire declined was because they spent so many physical and human resources on religious activities. Their need for humans to sacrifice also made their warfare style less deadly. Additionally, tribute states became rebellious and tired of the Aztecs. The empire really began to decline when Montezuma II became emperor. That was when the period of unrest and rebellion began that ultimately led to the end of the Aztecs.

Identify the reasons for the decline of the Inca

In 1520, the Sapa Inca died due to an unknown disease (it was probably smallpox). After he died, the empire was split between the ruler’s two sons and eventually a civil war broke out that forever weakened the empire. Combined with the spread of disease, the Inca became very conquerable.

Compare/contrast the key political and social features of the Maya and the Inca (provide two similarities and two differences)

• Similarity (political): In both societies, the gods played a role in determining who was chosen as the next ruler

• Similarity (social): Both religions were polytheistic

• Bonus similarity (social): Both had similar social classes, with the emperor at the top and commoners at the bottom

• Difference (social): The Incas used the ayllu system for labor and support, but the Maya did not use this system

• Difference (political and social): The Maya played a certain type of ball game for both political and social purposes, however the Inca did not play this ball game

Compare/contrast the key achievements of the Aztec and the Inca (provide two similarities and two differences)

• Similarity: Both built a road system - the Inca road system was more advanced, but both road systems made it easier to access the capital

• Similarity: Both experienced geographical challenges that forced them to engineer new ways to plant crops - terrace farming (Inca) and chinampas (Aztec)

• Difference: Aztecs made aqueducts to bring in safe drinking water, while the Incas did not use their time to build aqueducts

• Difference: Incas used the quipu to keep track of important information - however the Aztecs did not keep track of information this way

Compare/contrast the reasons for the decline of the Aztec and the Inca (provide two similarities and two differences)

• Similarity: The Spanish were involved in both of their declines - the Aztec tributes made alliances with the Spanish to bring down Montezuma II, the Spanish conquered the weakened Inca empire

• Similarity: Both empires experienced an internal war - the Aztec tribute states fought back against Montezuma II, the two rulers of the Inca empire (the two brothers) fought a civil war against each other

• Difference: The Aztec empire really began to decline when a ruler came to power (Montezuma II) whereas the Inca really began to decline after a ruler (the Sapa Inca) died

• Difference: One key reason for the decline of the Aztecs was that they were funneling their resources into religious activities, whereas the Inca did not have this problem

Describe the slash-and-burn technique

• Farming was the basis for the wealth that the Maya collected

  • Cities were sustained through agriculture - henceforth the Maya used many advanced techniques

• The Maya were farmers, and they harvested beans, squash, etc.

• They used the slash and burn technique, planted on raised beds, and planted on terraces on hills

• Using the slash and burn technique, the Maya made land for farming by using fire to burn down trees and other plants to create an open space for their crops to be planted

• They also used the leftover soil that was rich with ashes to plant their crops in

Describe pilings

• Pilings were used to make the three causeways that connected Tenochtitlan to the mainland

• Pilings helped the Aztecs deal with the challenges of unstable ground that came with living in a swampy area

  • They anchored buildings by driving many pilings (wooden logs) into the ground and then building the structure on top of it.