more about Mesoamerican empires

The Maya Empire

• One of the longest-lasting, influential, advancel and geographically dispersed culture in Mesoamerica

• First to leave a written historical record 

• City states 

• Covers regions Mexico and most of South America

• Had a very sophisticated calendar (more accurate) 

Teotihucan

a massive city that predates the Mayans

the center of influence → moves to Chicen itza in the North

Kukulkan Temple

A mayan building constructed over the remains of a previous temple, the temple itself is made to repesent the mayan calendar

with 365 steps to reprsent a year and 9 large stages = 18 months in the mayan calendar

Mayan religion

• Polytheistic 

• Deities overapped w/ other cultures of the region

• More than 250 names of mayan divinites 

  • Were not distinct

  • Were fluid, shift between diff aspects, avatars, or manifestations

• Sometimes humanoid, human-animal hybrids, beast, mythical etc. 

Chaac

Mayan rain god

• as aquatic creature features + carries a lightning bolt 

• Stay in caves ← were “storms originate” from 

• oldest of gods in MesoAmerica, associated with Tlaloc of Teotihuacan

bloodletting

• considered precious, highest form of sacrifice to present to the gods)

• Self inflicted in public – standard form of worship

Mayan Math

developed a base 20 math system (included 0) → allowed to calculate sums in hundreds of millions

Mayan Language

only Mesoamericans to create complex form of writing → each sign is a glyph, total known is 2,000 glyphs

Mayan decline theories include…

Warfare, Disease, Famine, Disaster or environemtal changes

The Inca

• Were advanced similar to the Mayans 

• Included modern day city of Quito in Ecuador to Santiago in Chile 

• 100 yrs after forming, they are conquered by Spanish conquistadors, Francisco Pizarro

capital city of Inca civilization

Cusco

what was the Inca empire called?

Tawantinsuyu,(Land of the Fourt Quarters) 

language of Incans

Quechua

which empire was connected by a road system?

The Incan

Quipu

messages/recordings through knotted rope or string

Incans made yarn from what

alpaca fibers

what animals were essential to live in the Andes?

llamas and alpacas

Acllas

chosen woman” isolated in special houses by the Inka to weave fine textiles

Qompi

fine, luxurious textiles that chosen women wove

• Distributed as high status gifts by Sapa Inka to give loyalty to local lords 

• Smtimes burned as a sacrifice to Inti – the sun god + ancestor of Inka ruling class

Incan Architecture

• fitted individual stones of diff size + shapes against each other, like a puzzle  

• Doorways, windows, in walls have a vertical trapezoid shape or keyhole shape  

  • This had thought to stabalize buildings during earthquakes, roofs were made from wood + thatch,

Machu Pichu

Inka masterpiece built in a challenging setting

• site includes two other mountain peaks (apus) considered as dieties throught the Andes 

  • Also contains housing for elites, retainers, staff, religious shrines, fountains, outcrops etc. 

• Terraces surround the site, with steps so crops could be planted on 

Aztec civilization

• Best known for conquest against the Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortez 

  • Represented the final phase of pre-columbian civilization in Central America 

• Rested on cultural contributions of earlier civilizations 

• Large mountain rimmed valley of Mexio, 2,500 ft above seal level, mountains 6,000 ft

• Farmed via intensive + innovative agriculture to sustain 1.5 mil ppl 

• Rich in minerals: obsidian

which group belonged to the Nahua speaking people?

the aztecs

Aztec imperalism

• Wars of conquest → boosted their exchange system

  • Wars brought wealth to the capital aka commodities 

  • Used the booty to gift allies or potential ones

The Tripple Alliance

Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan

which group had a ranked society?

the aztecs

King

wore tunic made from coyote fur + dyed cotton w/ bright colored feathers, lots of gold, silver, and jade jewlery

Nobility

wore bright colored cloaks, jewlery and ornaments pierced thru the nose + lip

Merchants

wore white cotton cloaks

eagle warriors

wore cloaks + helmets adorned w/ feathers

jaguar warriors

wore jaguar skin

Ordinary soldiers

Plain knee length shirts + loin clothes, shaven heads except. from a scalock in the back 

If they took a prisoner, they could wear decorated tunics + grow hair long

Farmers, artisans, labours

Not allowed to wear decorated/colored clothes

Chinampa

digging drainage ditches to artificial construction of land from lade mud & veitation, lakes & swamps were converted into productive farmland 

Aztec economy

tribute system - passed up goods from provinces to capital

What is the Aztec Capital?

Tenochtitlan

Temple Mayor

• relgious centre of Aztec civilization, located in Tenochtitlan

• has twin temples dedicated to the war god Huitzilopochtl, and the rain god, Tlaloc 

• raided by spanish conqjuest

tzompantli

Heads of victims were displayered on these racks in Aztec human sacrifice rituals

Huitzilopochtl

Aztec war god

Tlaloc

Aztec rain god

Why did the Aztec civilization fall?

The Spanish had horses & guns + spread of disease

– Many believe other groups that were against them were on the Spaniard’s side to rid themselves of theirrule

El Dorado

actually a ritual that took place at Lake Guatavita and the word means the golden one

• The newly elected leader, covered in powered gold, dived into the lake + emerged as the new chief of the Muisca ppl who lived in present day Columbia’s eastern ridgs