Peoples and Empires of the Americas

Pre-Columbian Societies  Pre-Columbian – before the arrival of Christopher Columbus  Art highly advanced  Gender roles established at birth  Women held various roles including harvesting grain, preparing food or tending animals as well as home and children

The Maya  Earliest civilizations in the region were the Olmecs and Toltecs who were replaced by the Maya  Mayan territory stretched from Southern Mexico to Northern Central America  City- States included Tikal, Copan and Chichen Itza; and were ruled by different god- kings

 Most were peasant farmers, but a small class of skilled craftsmen emerged  Nobles were from a small hereditary class  Cities were the center of trade and religious ceremonies and included large palaces, temples and pyramids  City-states were linked through trade, trading maize, beans and squash

Mayan Empire- Yucatan Peninsula

Chichen Itza Pyramid

Mayan Religion  Polytheistic  Religious practices included human sacrifice  Calendars- 260 day religious calendar and a 365 day solar calendar made by observations of astronomers  Glyphs- 800 symbols for writing  Popol Vuh- Mayans creation story

Mayan Glyphs

Mysterious Mayan Decline  800’s- Mayan cities were abandoned  Evidence now points to environmental factors caused by a prolonged drought causing a disruption of trade and agriculture

Central Mexico/Aztec Empire  Aztec Empire was located in Central Mexico  125,000 people  Pyramid of the Sun at center of the city  Crops were grown on floating gardens in wet marshy lands (Chinampas)  Aztecs aligned their temples based on their astronomical observations of the sun and moon

Mexican Flag

Aztec Society and Trade  Class System  Nobles ( warriors, priests, government officials)  Commoners (Merchants, artisans, soldiers, farmers) \Slaves (captives)  Trade brings wealth to the Aztecs  Tenochtitlan- located on an island  1500 was larger than any European capital  raised roads connected the city to the mainland

Tenochtitlan

Aztec Religion  Polytheistic  Centered around public ceremonies  Human sacrifices were made to ensure that the universe would stay in motion  Sacrifices to the Sun god ensured the sun would rise each day  Sacrifice also encouraged war  Goal of an Aztec warrior was to bring back live prisoners for sacrificial purposes

Aztec Religious Human Sacrifice

Problems in Aztec Empire  Montezuma II called for more tributes and human sacrifices from provinces led to rebellion  Montezuma II reduced the number of government officials  Weakened by civil war the Aztecs were not able to defend themselves from the Spanish

Rise of the Inca  Began as a small kingdom in the Valley of Cuzco in South America  Incan leaders were believed to be descendants from the sun god  Only people from the 11 noble families could be king  Worshipped dead rulers who where preserved as mummies  King Pachacuti- Used military conquest to conquer west coast of South America

Incan Empire

Incan Government  Empire divided for easy management  Standard economic system  Uniformed speaking language (no written language)  Schools  Road system  Mita- labor tribute to Incan leaders  Citizens worked certain days of the year  Government controlled all economic activity  Land was organized in geographic regions  Each producing a different good

Incan Religion  Polytheistic  focused on key nature spirits  Sacrifice of llamas, humans and goods  Temple of the Sun in Cuzco decorated in gold

Temple of the Sun

Decline of Inca  Early 1500’s  height of Incan power  King Huayna Capac dies of disease  Civil war breaks out between his sons at the same time the Spanish arrive