1.4 State Building in America

Maya City States

• mexico and central america

• city-state structure

• warfare between city-states was common

  • fought to gain tribute

  • captives used for human sacrifice

Mayan Government

• Mayan king claimed to be divine

• people required to pay taxes (crops or labor)

• everyone served in the military during war

• no central government

mayan religion

• worshipped many gods

• sun, rain corn

• offerings

• captives killed as offerings

• science and religion were close

Aztecs

• Mexicas

• Tenochtitlan

• gulf of Mexico to pacific

• chinampas floating gardens increased food production

Aztec Government, Economy, and Society

• tribute system established dominance of mesoamerica

• ruthless conquerers

• forced subjects to pay tribute, surrender land, and serve

• allowed conquered rulers to stay in power

• theocracy

• worshipped many gods, human sacrificed often

decline of aztecs

• Empire had extended too far to possibly govern

• extraction of conquered people for sacrifice inspired resentment, not loyalty

• Spanish used them to rebel against the Aztecs and topple them

Inca

• ecuador to chile

• 4 provinces

  • each with governor and bureaucracy

• subjected people to mita system (mandatory public service)

mita system

mandatory public service in incan empire

Inca religion

• sun god

• temple of the sun was core of religion

• human sacrifice

• animism

  • belief that physical elements had power

Inca achievements

• quipu (system of knotted strings to record data)

• used to record trade, engineering, and recording messages

• developed sophisticated mountain agriculture

  • terraced farming

• carpa Nan (massive roadway)

Inca Decline

• civil war during Spanish arrival

• Francisco Pizarro killed them

• disease

• killed or enslaved by 1572