Chapter 16 - People and Empires in the Americas

From Oregon to Alaska, the Pacific Northwest was wealthy in resources and home to a significant population. * The sea was the most valuable resource to the Kwakiutl, Nootka, and Haida peoples.
The Southwest's dry, desert landscapes were far harsher than the temperate Pacific coastlands. * The peoples of the Southwest, on the other hand, began farming the soil as early as 1500 B.C.
The Hohokam were among the most successful of these early farmers.
The tribes of the northern forests created a wide range of cultures. * The peoples of the woods frequently battled over territory. * Tribes created political alliances in some locations to safeguard the security of tribal territories.
Trade was a significant influence in bringing the peoples of North America together. * The Chinook people built a bustling marketplace along the Columbia River in Oregon, bringing trade products from all over the West.
Religious views were also a defining element of early Americans. Almost all native North Americans believed in the presence of nature spirits in their surroundings.
For Native Americans, the family served as the foundation for social order. * In most cases, the extended family consisted of parents, children, grandparents, and other close relatives.

Native American Settlement

The Maya city-states were connected by alliances and trade, notwithstanding their independence.
Local items like as salt, flint, feathers, shells, and honey were traded between cities.
Successful farming methods resulted in wealth accumulation and the formation of social classes. * Maya culture was dominated by the noble class, which comprised priests and the most powerful warriors.
Maya gods were worshipped in a variety of ways. They prayed and offered food, flowers, and incense as offerings. * They also punctured and slashed their bodies, offering their blood to the gods in the belief that it would nourish them.
The calendar, mathematics, and astronomy were all developed as a result of Maya religious beliefs. * Time, according to the Maya, was a weight carried on the back of a god. * One deity would lay the load down at the end of the day, month, or year, and another would pick it up.

Ancient Mayan Painting

Teotihuacán, a city-state whose ruins may be found just outside Mexico City, was the first important civilization in central Mexico. * Villagers at this location were planning and building a magnificent city in Oaxaca in the first century A.D., considerably larger than Monte Albán.
For decades after Teotihuacán's demise, no single culture controlled central Mexico. * The Toltecs, a new people, rose to prominence around 900.
From their capital at Tula, the Toltecs dominated over the core of Mexico for the next three centuries.
Military leaders wielded enormous power in Aztec society during the Aztec Empire's heyday.
These military chiefs, along with government officials and clerics, constituted comprised the noble class. * Many nobles possessed huge estates that they governed over as lords, allowing them to live lives of tremendous riches and luxury.
Aztec religion was based on elaborate public rites aimed at communicating with the gods and gaining their favor.
Huitzilopochtli, the sun god, was involved in the most important rituals. * Huitzilopochtli, according to Aztec legend, is the one who causes the sun to rise every day.

Originally, the Incas lived on a high plateau in the Andes.
After years of traveling through the Andes, the Inca found lush grounds in the Cuzco Valley. * They had built their own little kingdom in the valley by the 1200s.
The Inca built many cities in conquered lands to maintain control over their empire. * The architecture of government buildings was uniform throughout the empire, making the government's presence obvious. * All roads led to Cuzco, the capital, much as they did in Rome.
The Incan state had nearly complete control over economic and social life. It was in charge of the majority of economic activities, regulating products production and distribution. * Unlike the Maya and Aztecs, the Inca did not allow much private trade or commerce.
The Incas had a large-scale public works project. The Incan road system was the most impressive project. * This road system was a marvel of engineering that mirrored the Incan state's power.
Despite the complexity of many areas of Incan life, the Incas never created a writing system. * As part of an oral tradition, history and literature were memorized.

South American Culture Areas