Amerindian Civilizations

For use with GSPRITE ChartMaya Aztec Inca North America

Geography

Social

Political

Religious

Intellectual

Technological

Economic

Background Human populations migrated over the Bering Land

Bridge anywhere from 40,000 to 15,000 years ago Evidence: archaeology, physical anthropology, DNA

analysis, & linguistics Debated: timing, place of origin, & people Roughly uniform techno-complex pattern – Clovis – appears

in North & Central American sites from 13,500 years ago onwards

Established civilizations in North America, Central America, and South America Olmec (Mexico) Chavin (Andes) Moche (Andes) Wari (Andes

Mayan Civilization Located in southern Mexico & northern Central America Evolved from the Olmec Flourishing civilization by 250CE Classic Period 250-900

Built cities [Tikal, Copán, Palenque, Chichén Itza] Independent city-states ruled by god-kings Centers for religious ceremonies & trade Pyramids, temples, & carvings dedicated to gods and rulers

City-states linked by trade & alliances Social Hierarchy: King > Nobles, Priests, & Warriors > Merchants & Artisans >

Peasants & Slaves Grew maize, beans, and squash, possibly with slash-and-burn agriculture

Also had hillside terraces Raised beds above swamps

Polytheistic religion Gods represented nature Prayer, offerings, piercing, body-cutting, & human sacrifice

Intellectual achievements Beliefs led to calendar, mathematics, and astronomy Most advanced written language of ancient Americas Popul Vuh – creation story of the Maya

Decline – cities abandoned in late 800s Warfare? Famine & disease?

Aztec Civilization Mexica arrived c.1200CE

Poor, nomadic people from the deserts Adapted to local ways in small cities in the valley Worked as mercenary soldiers

Founded Tenochtitlan in 1325CE Joined with Texcoco and Tlacopan in 1428 to become leading power in Valley of

Mexico Divided into 38 provinces 5-15M population

Power based on military conquest & tribute from subjects Let local rulers govern regions Demanded tribute – gold, maize, cotton, jade, etc. Destroy village if failed to pay tribute

Social hierarchy: Emperor > Nobles, Military Rulers, Priests > Merchants, soldiers, artisans, landowners > Slaves

Polytheistic religion – offerings, rituals, songs, dances, & festivals for gods Sacrificed slaves, criminals, prisoners of war, and tribute

Problems in the empire + Spanish = decline 1502 – Moctezuma II emperor Greater population called for greater tribute & sacrifice, but spawned unrest & rebellion Spanish arrived 1519 Defeated 1521

Incan Empire Built upon older empires Settled fertile Valley of Cuzco with a firm kingdom by 1200s

Traditions & beliefs to unify empire Only men from 11 noble lineages with ties to the Sun God Inti could be rulers Pachacuti (r.1438) conquered all of modern Peru Land of the Four Quarters w/80

provinces Used combination of diplomacy and military force for conquest Used military sparingly Offer honorable surrender to enemy before attack Keep customs & rulers in exchange for loyalty to Incan state Territory divided into manageable units governed by central bureaucracy Demanded tribute, usually mit’a (labor)

Achievements Efficient economic system Extensive road network Single official language (Quechua) Schools founded Public works projects

Religion Fewer gods than Aztecs Focused on nature spirits Priests led services, assisted by “virgins of the sun”

Discord & Decline Empire split between sons of Huayna Capac - Atahualpa & Huascar Atahualpa won civil war, but tore empire apart Spanish arrived & took advantage of weakness Executed Atahualpa in 1532

North American Civilizations Less developed than South & Mesoamerican groups

No great empires Few ruins

Engaged in long-distance trade Economic & Cultural connections between tribes Traded along rivers Nearly all believed in natural spirits

Some polytheistic Others had supreme being Respected the land & nature

Family was basis for social organization Extended family Organized into clans Totem – natural object with which an individual, clan, or group

identifies itself Symbol of unit Helps define behaviors & social relationships

North American Civilizations Western Cultures – Pacific Northwest

Rich in resources = large population Wealth created social classes Accomplished builders

Southwestern Cultures – Anasazi Four Corners region Cliff dwellings & pueblos Pueblos abandoned around 1200CE Continued by Hopi and Zuni

Mound Builders Hopewell culture built large, plentiful burial mounds around

200BCE Mississippian built thriving villages on farming & trade from

800CE-1500s along Mississippi & Ohio Rivers Northeastern Alliance – Iroquois Confederacy

Variety of cultures in eastern woodlands clashed over lands 5 tribes of upper New York formed alliance in late 1500s

(Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, & Seneca)

Challenge: How many North American Native groups can you

name?

Remember:

Amerindian groups shared similar social patterns and religious beliefs, and they interacted with each other in trade

It is believed Amerindians had no contact with European, Asian, or African groups until the Age of Exploration

These peoples had their own customs, beliefs, traditions, diets, virtues, and ways of life that were different from Europeans

The Age of Exploration will spark a “clash of civilizations”

National Geographic Articles

Choose one:“Climate Change Killed off the Maya

Civilization”“Why the Maya Fell”“Researchers Divided Over Whether Anasazi

Were Cannibals”“Textile Fragments Provide Details of Ancient

Lives”Answer questions on separate paper in

complete sentencesFinish for homework