Mesoamerica, Exploration, Atlantic Slave Trade, Columbian Exchange, Commercial Revolution

Aztec Location

northern Mexico

aztec geography/geographic challenges

They lack of land for farming, flooding of their island, and isolation. They built canals to manage water levels during flooding that were also used to travel, and for irrigation. They also created Chinampas or floating gardens to grow crops on the lake.

aztec social structure

The noble class, the warrior class, and the peasant class

Aztec religious Beliefs

polytheistic and monistic pantheism in which the Nahua concept of teotl was construed as the supreme god Ometeotl, as well as a diverse pantheon of lesser gods and manifestations of nature.

aztec impact of trade

Bartering, or trading goods for other things you need, drove the Aztec economy. Not only did the Aztec people barter with cocoa beans, they also used agriculture. For example, in the market, you would see people trading avocado, beans, tobacco, squash, hemp, corn, and even rabbits or chickens for things they needed.

Maya location

northwestern part of the isthmus of Central America, from Chiapas and Yucatán, now part of southern Mexico, through Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and El Salvador and into Nicaragua.

maya geography/geographic challenges

The land of the Maya had many natural barriers. In addition to the rainforest, the Maya - and any potential invaders - had to contend with many large bodies of water. In fact, because most of the ancient Maya civilization was on a peninsula, it was surrounded on three sides by water.

maya social structure

At the top was the king and his family. Next came the council/priests (often from the royal family) • Then came the nobles. After that came the craftsmen, merchants, & traders • Below them were the farmers. Slaves were at the lowest level.

Maya religious beliefs

animism was an important part of their religious beliefs. The Maya believed that all objects and creatures, from stones and trees to animals and humans, possessed a spirit that could influence the events of the physical world.

maya impact of trade

the Mayans received necessary items and luxury items they could not grow or find where they were located. Necessary items the Mayans would trade for included salt, clothing, other types of food, and tools.

Inca location

Stretching from modern-day southern Colombia to southern Chile, they ruled over western South America from the Andes to the Pacific Ocean.

inca geography/geographic challenges

spanned a challenging geography and diverse environments including coastal areas, desert, high mountains, tropical forests, and jungle.

inca social structure

4 main levels which were the Sapa Inca, The Royalty, the Nobility and the Ayllu.” “Below the Royalty came the nobility which was the class of people who acted as leaders to govern over the rest of the Incas population.

inca religious beliefs

nature, man and the Pachamama (Mother Earth), lived in harmony and perpetual interrelation. The Inca state promoted the worship of a creator god (Wiracocha), the sun god (Inti), the Moon Goddess (Mamaquilla), the thunder god (Illapa), the earth monther (Pacha Mama), and a host of other supernaturals.

inca impact of trade

The Incas traded bronze, animals, crops, and different tools to each state in turn for money or other materials. Higher points on the empire grew crops like potatoes and lower points grew corn and raised llamas. The government controlled the economy and maintained trade.

Sapa Inca

the monarch of the Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu), as well as ruler of the earlier Kingdom of Cusco and the later Neo-Inca State.

Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, was founded by the Aztec or Mexica people around 1325 C.E. According to legend, the Mexica founded Tenochtitlan after leaving their homeland of Aztlan at the direction of their god, Huitzilopochtli.

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a 2,430-meter (7,970 ft) mountain ridge. Often referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it is the most familiar icon of the Inca Empire.

Why did Europeans want to explore (motivations)

God, gold, and glory motivated European nations to explore and create colonies in the New World.

Why Spain and Portugal were the strongest nations

Initial financial endowments, a partnership between state enterprise and private investment, enabled both the Spanish and the Portuguese to explore and colonize, something to which that other European countries either were unwilling to commit.

Challenges with exploration/new inventions

Discuss the fact that voyages during this time period had many dangers. Maps were often inaccurate or incomplete, bad storms or rocky coasts could cause shipwrecks, and sailors could become sick due to lack of food or unsanitary conditions on the ship.

Exploration w/ Vasco Da Gama

Da Gama's discovery of the sea route to India opened the way for an age of global imperialism and enabled the Portuguese to establish a long-lasting colonial empire along the way from Africa to Asia.

Exploration starting with the Portuguese and Henry the Navigator

Henry the Navigator (born March 4, 1394, Porto, Portugal—died November 13, 1460, Vila do Infante, near Sagres) was a Portuguese prince noted for his patronage of voyages of discovery among the Madeira Islands and along the western coast of Africa.

Geography of Southeast Asia

mountain ranges, plains and plateaus, and water in the form of both shallow seas and extensive drainage systems

Southeast Asian civilizations

There were five major powers in Southeast Asia between the 14th and 18th centuries: Myanmar under the rulers of Ava (1364–1752), especially the Toungoo dynasty during most of that period; an independent Vietnam under the Later Le dynasty (1428–1788); the Tai state of Ayutthaya, or Ayudhia (1351–1767); Majapahit

impact of exploration on Southeast Asian civilizations

Southeast Asia's social structure has changed as a result of colonialism, which also introduced contemporary western concepts. Some of these concepts were influenced by western culture, including human rights, religion, and education. The region's population has increased as a result of the presence of European powers.

Mughal India and interaction with the British

When Thomas Roe arrived in India in 1616 as James I's first ambassador to the Mughal Empire, the English barely had a toehold in the subcontinent. Their understanding of South Asian trade and India was sketchy at best, and, to the Mughals, they were minor players on a very large stage.

Spanish Exploration with Columbus

The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: in 1492, 1493, 1498 and 1502. He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he never did. Instead, he stumbled upon the Americas.

Spanish Exploration with Hernan Cortes

Cortés explored the northwestern part of Mexico and discovered the Baja California peninsula. Cortés also spent time exploring the Pacific coast of Mexico. The Gulf of California was originally named the Sea of Cortés by its discoverer Francisco de Ulloa in 1539.

Spanish Exploration with Francisco Pizarro

In 1523 Francisco Pizarro embarked upon the adventure that was to lead to his lasting fame—the exploration of South America's west coast. Over the course of several expeditions, Pizarro explored as far as 9° S, obtaining distinct accounts of a great Indian empire in Peru and many Inca artifacts.

Why were the natives easy to conquer?

The Natives were easily conquered by the European explorers due to their vulnerability. The natives were vulnerable due to three key point: lack of knowledge; disease; and the slave trade. As the world started looking for a faster trade route , they headed west across the Atlantic.

English exploration and French exploration in North America

Like the Portuguese, they were interested in establishing the geography of the region, and were especially interested to find out whether a viable westerly route to Asia actually existed.

Impact of Spanish exploration on Mesoamerican Native Americans

Weakened by deadly diseases, the indigenous people of Mesoamerica were conquered fairly quickly, and colonial rule was established. Some aspects of life remained fairly stable for the Maya: farmers still farmed and taxes were still paid to the ruling elite. Only now the ruling elite were Spanish.

difference between spanish and english exploration

he Spanish and English explorations developed in different ways and had different motivations. The Spanish tried to open new lands exploring the area, but then began to colonize South America. The British immediately sent to conquer the land, trying to take away control from the Spanish and French.

Encomienda System and the impact of the social system of New Spain

The encomienda system permitted the Spanish Crown to convert its invading army of conquistadors into colonial settlers, but the system's flaws – maltreatment and significant population reductions from diseases – meant that it was eventually replaced by a system of low-paid labour and large estate management.

Columbian Exchange and the Commercial Revolution

The exchange of raw materials from the Americas and other regions that were previously unknown in Europe was a major factor in the development of the Commercial Revolution.

Mercantilism

belief in the benefits of profitable trading; commercialism.

Impact of exploration on the Atlantic Slave Trade

Spanish conquistadores sailed to the Americas lured by the prospects of finding gold. They brought a few Africans as slaves with them. Early Spanish settlers soon were reporting that in mining operations the work of one African was equal to that of four to eight Indians.

middle passage

The Middle Passage itself lasted roughly 80 days on ships ranging from small schooners to massive, purpose-built "slave ships." Ship crews packed humans together on or below decks without space to sit up or move around. Without ventilation or sufficient water, about 15% grew sick and died.

impact of West African societies

Over three thousand years ago there were two important developments in West Africa: long distance trade, and the ability to manipulate stone, clay and metals to sophisticated degree. Against this background, there arose a number of kingdoms and empires starting in the 5th century through to the 16th century.

Oladuah Equiano

He spoke out against the English slave trade. He worked to resettle freed slaves. By 1789, the year he published his autobiography, Olaudah Equiano was a well-known abolitionist. Ten years after his death in 1797, the English slave trade was finally abolished.

Bartolome des las Casas

Bartolomé de Las Casas (born 1474 or 1484, Sevilla?, Spain—died July 1566, Madrid) was an early Spanish historian and Dominican missionary who was the first to expose the oppression of indigenous peoples by Europeans in the Americas and to call for the abolition of slavery there.