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EARLY SOCIETIES OF MESOAMERICA
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TEOTIHUACAN The city of Teotihuacan Teotihuacan society
Built in the highlands of Mexico Colossal pyramids of sun and moon dominated the skyline Between 400 and 600 C.E., the city had 200,000 inhabitants Paintings and murals reflect the importance of priests Teotihuacan society Rulers and priests dominated society Two-thirds of inhabitants worked in fields Famous for obsidian tools, orange pottery Professional merchants traded widely No sign of military organization Cultural traditions Inherited Olmecs' culture Honored earth god, rain god Decline of Teotihuacan Military pressure from other peoples since 500 C.E. Began to decline 650 C.E.; Invaders sacked city, mid-8th century
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TEOTIHUACAN THE CITY
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Teotihuacan and Tula among the Maya
Mayan Origins Original home: southern Mexico, Yucatan, Central America Tikal: CE expanded from Belize into Yucatan, Mexico Evidence that a group, its ideas (Teotihuacan?) migrated into area to establish states Toltec Origins Several lineages such as Cocom, Xiu, Itza were called dzulob or foreigners Chronicles of Chilam Balam kept by villages indicate this origin Founders had special knowledge that gave them right to establish a state Many leaders recorded in Mayan records for 700 years but had Nahua names Popul Vu and Chronicles of Cakchiquels Show migration as common in region and in founding of cities in area Indicate Nahua or Tolan connections Teotihuacan Influences Use of aspects of Teotihuacan writing and phraseology suddenly appear in Mayan In 378 CE in Mayan Long Count, Tikal conquered Uaxacatun A stella erected to commemorate the event: its iconography is from Teotihuacan After that the iconography occurs in other Mayan stella Chichen Itza Early founders are clearly Toltec Could have been an indication of Toltec invasion of the area
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EARLY GEOGRAPHY
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The Mayans
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THE MAYA The Maya Tikal Maya warfare Chichén Itzá Maya decline
Earliest heir of the Olmecs, lived in highlands of Guatemala Kaminaljuyú, a ceremonial center, but not a full-fledged city Teotihuacan became dominant during the 4th century C.E. After the 4th century, society flourished in lowlands Besides maize, also cultivated cotton and cacao Tikal Most important Maya political center, 300 to 900 C.E. A bustling city of 40,000 people Enormous plazas, scores of temples, pyramids, palaces Maya warfare Victorious warriors won enormous prestige War captives became slaves or sacrificial victims to gods Chichén Itzá Rose as a power by the 9th century Organized a loose empire in the northern Yucatan Maya decline Began in 800 C.E., the Mayas (except in Chichén Itzá) deserted their cities Causes of decline remain unclear
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MAYAN SOCIETY Maya society The Maya calendar Maya writing
Kings, priests, and hereditary nobility at the top Merchants were from the ruling class, served also as ambassadors Professional architects and artisans were important Peasants and slaves were majority of population The Maya calendar Maya priests understood planetary cycles and could predict eclipses Besides the solar year, also had a ritual year of 260 days and 20 months Combined attributes of two calendars determined the fortune of activities Maya writing Contained both ideographic elements and symbols for syllables Maya scribes used writing extensively Only four books survived the destruction by Spanish conquerors The Maya ballgame Played by two individuals or two teams Very popular, every ceremonial center had stone-paved courts
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MAYAN RELIGION Religious thought Gods maintained agricultural cycles
Popol Vuh, a Maya creation myth Gods created humans out of maize and water Gods maintained agricultural cycles Gods placated Exchanged for honors and sacrifices Priests interpreted calendars Bloodletting rituals Most important rituals, to honor the gods for rains Sacrificing captives let to many wars for victims Also voluntary bloodshedding
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MAYAN TRADE Mayan Weaving
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The Mythical Migration of Roots
Aztecs or Mexica Migration of the Aztecs from the north towards Mexico valley Began c CE; reached Central Valley c CE Glorifying their Chichimec ancestry The Aztec rulers chose a member of the Colhua royal family, Acamapichtli He became their first emperor (tlatoani) after the foundation of Tenochtitlan The Aztecs Circular Migration Sometimes it starts in Basin of Mexico at Colhuacan Means the “Place of the Owners of Grandfathers” Often disguised as Teo- (true) Colhuacan Aztlan Situated on an island in a lake like Lake Texcoco Duran, Spanish Chronicler records Mexica account Moteuczoma sent envoys to locate Chicomoztoc, Colhuacan His accounts indicate a primitive, idyllic version of Tenochtitlan Account indicates Aztecs could not go back after “fall from grace”
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EARLY AZTECS The Mexica The Aztec empire Tribute and trade
Known as Aztecs, arrived in central Mexico about mid-13th century Tough people, wandering, fighting for century in central Mexico Settled at Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City) about 1345 Plentiful food supplies and chinampas by Lake Texcoco The Aztec empire Military campaigns against neighboring societies, mid-15th century Conquered and colonized Oaxaco in southwestern Mexico Made alliance with Texcoco and Tlacopan Empire ruled 12 million people and most of Mesoamerica Tribute and trade Tribute obligations were very oppressive Empire had no bureaucracy or administration Allies did not have standing army Tribute from 489 subject territories Tribute flowed into Tenochtitlan
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AZTEC WORLD
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MEXICA SOCIETY Warriors Mexica women Priests Cultivators and slaves
Military elite at top of rigid social hierarchy Mostly from the Mexica aristocracy Enjoyed great wealth, honor, and privileges Mexica women No public role, but enjoyed high honor as mothers of warriors Honor of bearing children was equal to that of capturing enemies in battle Priests Ranked among the Mexica elite; specialized in calendrical and ritual lore Advisers to Mexica rulers, occasionally, became supreme rulers themselves Cultivators and slaves Cultivators worked on chinampas (small plots of reclaimed land) Often worked on aristocrats‘ land Paid tribute and provided labor service for public works Large number of slaves, worked as domestic servants Craftsmen and merchants Skilled craftsmen enjoyed some prestige Tenuous position of merchants: Supplied exotic goods and military intelligence Under suspicion as greedy profiteers
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MEXICA RELIGION Mexica gods
Tezcatlipoca: giver/taker of life, patron deity of warriors Quetzalcóatl: supporter of arts, crafts, and agriculture Ritual bloodletting: common to all Mesoamericans Huitzilopochtli: the war god Human sacrifice encouraged by devotion to Huitzilopochtli Large temple at the center of Tenochtitlan Hundreds of thousands sacrificed to this war god Rivalry between Huitzilpochtli, Quetzalcoatl Quetzalcoatl protector of humans Tricked by some gods, fall from grace Driven into exile with promise to return
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Caribbean Migrations The Saladoids Arawak and Carib Indians Arawak
Migrated c BCE to islands Known by the style of the pottery they made Ancestors of the Taino Arawak and Carib Indians Arawak Migrated from north coast of South America c CE Settled the islands of the Caribbean Largely peaceful, traded with other islands, mainland Carib Originated in the Orinoco Area Language indicate they migrated from interior of Brazil Master boat builders, sailors Traded goods for gold, silver of mainland Very warlike and aggressive
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COMING OF THE INCA After Chavin and Moche Chucuito Chimu
Several regional states dominated Andean South America All built upon previous accomplishments, civilizations Chucuito Chucuito dominated highlands around Lake Titicaca Cultivation of potatoes, herding llamas and alpacas Traded with lower valleys, chewed coca leaves Chimu Powerful kingdom in lowlands of Peru Arose prior to mid-15th century Extensive Irrigation networks Cultivation of maize and sweet potatoes Capital city at Chanchan, massive brick buildings
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THE INCA The Inca empire Cuzco and Machu Picchu Inca roads
Settled first around Lake Titicaca among other peoples Ruler Pachacuti launched campaigns against neighbors, 1438 Built a huge empire stretching 4000 kilometers from north to south Ruled the empire with military and administrative elite Inca bureaucrats relied on quipu Mnemonic aid made of an array of small cords to keep track of information Cuzco and Machu Picchu Capital of the Inca: had 300,000 people in the late 15th century Machu Picchu hidden in mountain, jungles: last retreat of Inca Inca roads Two major roads linked the south and north Runners carried messages across empire Paved with stone, shaded by trees Supported centralized government, facilitated spread of Quechua
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INCA MAP
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INCA SOCIETY Trade The chief ruler Aristocrats and priests Peasants
No large merchant class Incas bartered agricultural surplus locally Not much specialization The chief ruler Chief ruler was viewed as descended from the sun In theory, the god-king owned everything on earth After death, mummified rulers became intermediaries with gods Aristocrats and priests Aristocrats enjoyed fine food, embroidered clothes, and wore ear spools Priests led celibate and ascetic lives, very influential figures Peasants Delivered portion of their products to bureaucrats Besides supporting ruling classes, revenue also used for famine relief Provided heavy labor (mita) for public works Society ruled as a socialist type centralized state
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INCA RELIGION Inca gods: Inti and Viracocha Moral thought
Venerated sun god called Inti Considered other natural forces divine Also honored the creator god, Viracocha Sacrifices of animals, agricultural products, not humans Moral thought Concept of sin Violation of established order Concept of after-death Punishment and reward Rituals of absolving sins Through confession, penance
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The Inca Emergence, c. 1200 CE Wide-ranging Expansion, 1438 CE
Emerged in the area of Cuzco Originated as city-state, small population Wide-ranging Expansion, 1438 CE Significance of Conquest, Expansion Each Inca had to conquer land, goods Booty became treasury for mortuary temple No conquest, no treasure, lousy temple to gods Movements Transportation Empire was linked by roads and royal runners Roads used to transport goods to and from capital, store houses Social Movement Local nobles educated in capital and returned to lands to rule Local nobles sent tribute to Inca’s capital Labor Movement Mita: each village owed specific number of laborers, days to Inca Workers moved to work on projects for the Inca Mita also provided soldiers to the Incas armies to expand the state
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Ayllu & Mitmaq as Colonies
All Inca divided into social groups Kinship groups spread across geography Each Ayllu Claimed land at different elevations This insured a variety of produce Grazing land within ayllu held in common Farming land given to families based on size Conquered peoples had their own ayllus similarly structured Mitmaq Inca colonies Each ayllu contributed people Relocated to new territories Each new mitmaq required to bring lands under cultivation Each mitmaq served as a garrison to control new lands Each mitmaq spoke Quechua, Amyara, the Incan languages
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