WK 2 LEC 1
WEEK 2 LECTURE 1
EMPIRES & ALTERNATIVES IN THE AMERICAS
WOH 2023: The Modern World to 1815
TODAY’S PLAN
New World Geographies
Shamanism
Mesoamerica
The "Mexica" (Or were they “Aztec”? Let’s talk terminology)
Expansion and Decline
How We Know about the Mexica
Intermission: First In-Class Essay
IMPORTANT TERMS
Shamanism: A religious system based on the visions and healing practices of individuals (shamans) in contact with the spirit world.
Chinampa: A form of Mesoamerican agriculture involving small, rectangular areas of fertile arable land created from the lake beds of the Valley of Mexico.
Tribute: Tax paid to an empire, usually in the form of agricultural produce, crafts, or human labor.
Autosacrifice: A ritual practice where individuals offer their own blood as a form of sacrifice to the gods.
NEW WORLD GEOGRAPHIES
Overview
Eckert II Projection, 1906: A cartographic representation of geographic areas.
Reference to Jared Diamond's book, "Guns, Germs, and Steel," emphasizes the geographical and environmental factors influencing societal development.
MAIN SETTLEMENT AREAS IN THE AMERICAS (c. 1492)
Major Geographic Features:
North America: Rocky Mountains, Missouri River, Appalachian Mountains, Gulf of Mexico.
Mesoamerica: Including the Tropic of Cancer and associated regions.
South America: Notable rivers such as the Amazon and Paraná River.
Principal Crops:
Amaranth, Beans, Cacao, Cotton, Maize, Potatoes, Quinoa, and many others.
SHAMANISM IN THE AMERICAS
Overview
Definition: A pre-1492 widespread religious system characterized by shamans, who also served as historians and healers.
Labelled derogatorily by European explorers as „witch doctors".
Notable example depicted: Xipe-Totec shaman, painted basalt rock, 1400-1521.
MESOAMERICA
Geographic Region
Comprises present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras.
Around 1300, consisted of independent city-states.
Language: Nahuatl (NAH-watt) - an oral and symbolic language preserving foundational narratives seen in Codex Mendoza (1541).
“AZTEC” INVADERS
Historical Context
Origin: Invaders from the northwest deserts referred to themselves as Mexica from Aztlán, settling at Lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico.
Capital Established: Tenochtitlan, a significant urban center formed by the Mexica.
TERMINOLOGY
Understanding Terms
Aztec vs. Mexica vs. Nahua:
The term “Aztec” is not commonly used in scholarly contexts as it was not self-referential.
The Spanish referred to these people as Culhua or Mexica, which are somewhat inaccurate labels.
The cultural identity is better described using Nahua, representing the speakers of Nahuatl within distinct political groups.
Modern Terminology: Emphasis on Mexica for clarity in understanding the society that centered on Tenochtitlan and the surrounding island community of Tlatelolco.
Quote from scholars Stuart Schwartz and Tatiana Seijas provides historical context and nuances.
MEXICA SOCIETY
Social Hierarchies and Terminology
Distinctions based on geography and political affiliations:
Areas along Lake Texcoco referred to as Aztec were termed Mexica.
Nahua describes the broader cultural group.
'AZTEC' Cultural Representation
Publication titled "New book about the Mexica" based on Nahuatl sources emphasizes the cultural richness of Mexico.
Reference to "Aztec" as a useful communication tool in academic discourse.
MAPS AND GEOGRAPHICAL ANLAYSES
Lake Texcoco:
Depicts the causeways and chinampas which were essential for urban development and agriculture.
Tenochtitlan (Capital City of the Mexica):
Prominent features include marshes, chinampas, and trade routes.
Aztec Empire Timeline (1325-1521):
Maps outlining territorial expansion and administrative geography at various points:
By 1440, 1481, and ultimately in 1521.
MOCTEZUMA II
Historical figure serving as the ninth ruler of Tenochtitlan, known for dramatically expanding the Mexica Empire during his reign (1502-1520).
TRIBUTE SYSTEM
Definitions & Implications
Tribute: Seen as the tax to the empire often comprising agricultural goods and occasionally humans, used to demonstrate power and control over conquered regions.
The tributes could also include items meant to humiliate tributary subjects.
Visual representation by María del Carmen Solanes Carraro and Enrique Vela Ramírez.
TLAXCALA RELATIONS
Tlaxcala: A significant Nahua city-state in opposition to Mexica, engaging in skirmishes for warrior capture for sacrificial rituals.
RELIGION OF THE MEXICA
Similarities to Western Christianity
Practices: Ritualistic executions interweaving spiritual and secular elements.
Differences from Western Christianity
Key feature includes the emphasis on sacrifices of war captives and the practice of personal bloodletting known as autosacrifice.
Polytheistic belief system: Centralized around a complex cosmology involving earth, the underworld, and the sky.
LIFE UNDER THE MEXICA
Social Structure
Society characterized by strict social stratification and hierarchy, where attire and privileges were tightly controlled.
Cocoa: Exclusive to elites, symbolizing status.
Women experienced significant burdens with respect to manual labor roles.
SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE MEXICA
Archaeological Evidence: Provides insights into the cultural and social dynamics.
European Accounts: Histories recorded in Spanish and Latin during the mid-sixteenth century.
Chronicles in Nahuatl: Document histories and provide perspectives not captured by European authors.
CONCLUSIONS
Recognition of the immense ecological diversity of the New World and the widespread presence of shamanism across varying societies.
Clear identification of two major imperial centers, highlighting central Mesoamerica's Mexica (formerly referred to as Aztec) centered around Lake Texcoco.
Notable characteristics of the Mexica include a highly militarized society with recent expansions contextualizing their place in history.
KEY TERMS
Shamanism
Chinampa
Tribute
Autosacrifice