The Americas

Maya, Aztec, Inca Civilizations

Mayan Civilization Dates

250-900

Geography

Souther Mexico and Central America

Yucatan Peninsula

Rainforest

Resources: salt, jade, cotton, shells, flint

Maya: Government

City states ruled independently by kings

Kings were holy figure (thought to have descended from Gods) with dynastic rule

Maya: religion and society

Polytheistic with nature-based gods

Pyramid temples for ceremonies and sacrifice (blood and human sacrifice)

Calendar tied to gods

Men	Women
Fighting and hunting	Provided the homemaking and raising of children

Maya: economy

No formal currency (used Cacao beans)

Agriculture: maize, beans, squash

Trade between city-states (local products, agricultural goods, luxury items)

Maya: Technology

Calendar: 2 forms, one religious and one solar (used for farming, planning war, crowing kings)

Hieroglyphics

Number system, concept of zero

Astronomy

Maya: decline

Decline begins around 700 CE

Warfare between city-states

Limited resources

Disrupts trades

Over-farming, deforestation

Aztec: geography

Modern-day Mexico City

Valley of Mexico, 7500 feet above sea level

Mountain-ringed basin, spring-fed lakes

Resources-obsidian (volcanic glass)

Aztec: government

Began as small city-state

Collection of semi-independent territories governed by local lords

Form alliances and expanded empire through conquest

Some local control of conquered peoples (gold, cacao, cotton, jade)

One emperor, absolute ruler - warrior king

Major city: Tenochtitlan - “place of the stone and prickly pear cactus”

Aztec: religion and society

Polytheistic with many gods

Blood and human sacrifice

Adopted gods of neighbors

Large temple in cities

Believed the Fifth Sun would end with catastrophic earthquakes (and human sacrifice might appease the Gods)

Men	Women
Males were warriors and did the hunting	Most worked from home, weaving textiles and raising children Could inherit property and enter into contracts Some were trained as priestesses

Aztec: economy

Tribute from conquered peoples

Agriculture: avocado, beans, chiles, corn, squash, tomatoes

Trade within empire, active traders

Aztec: Technology

Chinampas: floating gardens take place of fields

Calendar: based on Mayan, one religious and one solar

Pictograph writing

Aztec: decline

Rebellion from provinces over tributes and sacrificial victims

Arrival of Spanish 1519, led by Hernando Cortez, seeking gold who brought germs, guns, steel, and horses

Incan Civilization Dates

1200-1533

Aztec Civilization Dates

1400-1521

Inca: Geography

Modern-day Peru and Chile

Mountainous, high elevation

Valley of Cuzco

Resources: gold, stone for building

Inca: government

Cuzco, the capital city

Emperor with total economic, social, political control and thought to be descended from the Sun God

Controlled trade, high taxation

Empire divided into provinces

Inca: religion and society

Polytheistic, nature based on gods

Temples and sacrifices, although not typically human

Child tributes, girls chosen as wives for emperor, boys for labor or killed

Forced labor in order to build building and monuments

Men	Women
All young men required to serve in military	Expected to care for children and weave cloth Some chosen as priestesses	Required to select a marriage partner form within their immediate tribal groups

Machu Picchu

Believed was used as a royal retreat for emperors

Believed it may also have religious significance in honoring the landscape, with emphasis on the mountains, sun, and nearby river

Inca: economy

Socialist state: all work for government, receive care and food

Agriculture: potatoes, llamas, maize

No currency, no free trade or merchant class

Inca: technology

Language: Quechua, that was standardized across empire

Terrace farming

Road system - 14,000 miles of roads and bridges

Extensive trade networks for long distance trade. Organized by government officials and not by independent merchants.

Quipu-knotted strings for record keeping.

Astronomical calendar

Inca: decline

Civil war between emperors

1522 Francisco Pizarro arrives with army and guns, germs, and steel

1533 Cuzco falls to Spanish