Aztecs, Incas, and Toltecs

The Americas on the Eve of Invasion I. Introduction A. By 1500, Americas densely populated by Indians misnomer Columbus/Indies 1. marge has meaning only when used to apply to non-Indians B. Mesoamerica and Andean heartland 1. Imperial states in place when Europe arrives 2. Few aras influenced by two main centers 3. Areas that developed independently II. Postclassic Mesoamerica A. Introduction 1. Toltecs/Aztecs replace Mayas of 8th century CE a. By 15th century Aztecs created extensive empire war, religion, agrarian 2. Downfall of Mayans Teotihuacan a. Nomads from North come tear . Toltec Culture 968 established capital Tula 1. Sedentary/agrarian peoples with militaristic ethic 2. Cult of sacrifice/war 3. Aztecs saw Toltecs as givers of civilizationB. The Toltec Heritage 1. drawing card Topilitzin followed Quetzalcoatl plumed serpent 2. Empire spread over much of primordial Mexico 3. 1000 Conquered Chichen Itza Mayans under control of Toltecs 4. Toltec influence northward a. Trade turquoise with American southwest b. How far to Mississippi/Ohio debatable evidence 1. Stepped temples Monks Mound 2. Ritual sacrifice 3. pottery 4. Social stratification . Large city Cahokia could wish 30,000 people C. The Aztec Rise to Power eagle with serpent on cactus 1. Geography aquatic environ handst chinampas a. Aztecs/Mexicas won control of lake b. Nomadic tribes or agri furyural burnish 2. Political structure centralized city with tributary city-states 3. Military tough warriors/fanatic followers of religion 4. 1428 emerged as independent power D. The Aztec Social rent 1. Subject peoples a. Pay tribute, surrender lands, military service b. King civil power/god on earth 2. Stratified society a. Histories rewritten 3.Human sacrifice cult of military class supplying war captives as sacrifices E. Religion and the Ideology of Conquest 1. Incorporated features from past Mesoamerican religions a. Little distinction between valet of gods and natural world b. Deities fire, rain, water, corn, sky, sun pantheon 1. Gods of fertility/agriculture 2. Creator deities 3. Warfare and sacrifice c. Fe young-begetting(prenominal) form for all gods 2. Yearly festivals/ceremonies a. Expansive calendar 3. throw to energize the sun god needed nourishment of human blood a. Types and frequency/degree changed with Aztecs borrowed from Toltec . religious conviction vs. political control 4. Religious questions after lifetime, devout life, do gods exist 5. Art has flowers/birds/song and blood F. Tenochtitlan The Foundation of Heaven 1. Metropois central zone of palaces/whitewashed temples 2. Adobe brick residential districts 3. Larger houses for nobility 4. Zoos, gardens for force 5. Geographically connected to island by four causeways 6. Calpulli ruled neighborhoods G. Feeding the People The Economy of the Empire 1. Mass population needed to be fed a. tribute b. Irrigated agriculture chinampas floating islands 1. 20,000 acres 2.High crop yiel ds 4 times a year corn/maize 2. Trade a. Regular intervals to market b. Barter or cacao beans/gold for currency c. Pochteca long distance trade 3. State controlled distribution of tribute a. Primarily redistributed to nobility III. Aztec Society in rebirth A. Widening Social Gulf 1. Life based on calpulli (neighborhood) groups a. Governed by council of family heads 2. Nobility came from heads of calpullis 3. Military leading based on success in winning captives a. Ritual warfare uniforms 4. As society grew, widening tender disparity no longer egalitarian (hmmmwhere have I seen this pattern before? a. Scribes, artisans, healers between peasants and nobility 5. Butcompetition not between social classes, but between corporate groups B. Overcoming Technological Constraints 1. Role of women relatively equal, but subordinate to men a. Peasant women fields, child-rearing b. Revered as weavers c. Polygamy among nobility, monogamy among poor d. Could inherit property 2. Limits of technology a. Women six hours a day grinding corn/maize 1. Couldnt be freed from 30-40 hours of preparing food 3. Controlled vast number of people amazingly 1. 5 million to 25 million C.A Tribute Empire 1. Most power in hands of Aztec ruler and chief advisor a. elected from best siblings of royal family 2. As time passed, ritual sacrifice/military dominated all elements of life 3. City-states as long as they made tribute they could have autonomy 4. Weaknesses a. Rise of nobles altered dynamics b. Society based on system of consternation 5. By 1500, Aztec society was in the down, military period height far earlier IV. Twantinsuyu World of the Incas A. Inca Empire Twantinsuyu highly centralized 1. Integrated various heathenish groups 2. Irrigated agriculture 3.Incorporated elements of previous civilizations agriculture/religion/metallurgy 4. Introduction a. Genius for state organization/bureaucratic control b. When central authority broke down, regional leaders alikek over i. war between rival chiefdoms B. The Inca Rise to Power 1. Inca ruler military alliances and campaigns to take over 2. Subsequent rulers with names youll never remember grow and consolidated land a. Between 9 and 13 million people under rule C. Conquest and Religion 1. Reason for conquest a. economic evolve b. political power 2. religion cult of ancestors a. deceased rulers mummified . split inheritance a. leaders power goes to successor b. leaders property goes to male family 4. political and social life related to religion a. holy shrines stones, mountains, rivers, caves, tombs huacas 1. Prayers/human sacrifices b. Temple of the Sun center of state religion D. The Techniques of Inca Imperial Rule 1. Leader/inca considered a god 2. Court also temple 3. Four provinces ruled by governor, power then divided further a. Local rulers could remain self-directed if they were loyal 4. All nobles played role in state bureaucracy a. Nobles gained privileges, had a lot to lose b.Could wear large ear spools orejones gee thank 5. Spread language unified 6. System of roads with way stations tambos one day apart 7. For labor, people benefited from large, expensive work projects only central govt can provide a. State-sponsored irrigation made cultivation possible 8. Instead of tribute, they wanted labor 9. Relation between men and wome a. Needed to stay belt up b. Women link to the moon 10. Downfall a. Marriage alliances created rivals for the throne ahhhthat whole succession problem rears its ugly head E. Inca Cultural Achievements 1. Art built on styles of antecedent peoples . Metallurgy gold/silver/bronze, copper b. Pottery/cloth 2. ButNo system of writingNo wheel 2. Math a. Knotted strings quipo to believe 3. Infrastructure greatest achievement a. land/water management b. extensive road systems c. Architecture and public buildings d. Terraced farming on steep slopes F. Comparing Incas and Aztecs aka if you occlude everything else, remember this 1. B ut first, before we get startedlook at the quarrel used in this section a. No reallylook at the words used b. They start with words like although, or both c. Its just beautiful how the reader can make connections . In fact, my eyes are filling a little misty a. This is one of the best Comparative Analysis Essays Ive ever seen in your Stearns book, and after 14 chapters of taking notes, Im starting to i. feel like Stearns is like a brother, an older brother, but a brother ii. butI digresslets get back to it 3. Similarities a. Represented military and imperial organization success b. Controlled circulation of goods c. Agricultural based with a food surplus d. Nobles became more(prenominal) important than topical anaesthetic leaders e. Allowed for diversity as long as authority f. Empires acquired by conquest of sedentary peoples . Belief systems, cosmology similar roots h. Both couldnt survive shock of conquest i. Your book says they do survive the conquest, but I beg to differ, th ey were split up into small little regions ii. But, I allow accept that they carried on the culture 4. However We cannot overlook the great DIFFERENCES a. Aztecs have better trade and markets b. First, in that location quite similar, variations of same system c. Metallurgy, writing systems, power structure i. Ummmbookcould you give us some specifics d. Overallthis section does a horrible job discussing disparitys V. Other Indians A.How to differentiate based on degree of social order/material culture/political structure 1. Diversity based on geographical factors 2. Not all agriculture based B. How many Indians? 1. If you guessed 14,375,421, you were defile 2. Between 8. 4 million and 112 million Gee thanksthats real close i. Numbers changed due to a. Understanding of impact of disease b. archaeologic studies c. improved estimates of agricultural techniques 3. Europe about the same size as the Americas population wise C. Differing Cultural Patterns 1. Basicallyits hard to say there is just one type of Indian . Some hunted, some gathered, some farmed, some did a mixture ii. Some had huge class divisions, some were more egalitarian iii. Most lived in small kin-ship based groups 2. North America extremely diverse i. Some lived in cliffs, towns or teepees ii. Agricultural unless farming too tough, then hunter gatherers 3. Similar to Europe/Asia i. Kin based societies ii. Communal owning of property iii. Women subordinate, but some had high positions 4. Part of ecological system, not arrogant it You think you own whatever land you land onearth is just a dead thing you can claim, but I tell apartD. American Indian Diversity in World Context 1. Paradox wealthy/accomplished civilizations, but primitive to Europe 2. Buthow much is the difference based on lack of i. wheel ii. large pack animals iii. metal tools iv. written language 3. They developed, just differently E. Global Connections 1. Isolation prevented diffusion of ideas its not bad, just the reality 2. Lacks world religions, large domesticated animals (yesthey had guinea pigs) 3. Not immune to diseases 4. Lacked ironworking F. Im tired, and Im going to fundament