Chapter

AP* Sixth Edition

World Civilizations The Global Experience

Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

World Civilizations: The Global Experience, AP* Sixth Edition Stearns • Adas • Schwartz • Gilbert

The Americas before invasion in 1492

Corresponds with Ch 11

8

I. Big Picture Mesoamerica

Key - Understand basics of each culture + compare and contrast each

1. Agriculture Based - Maize

2. Religion - Polytheistic Nature basis

3. No large animals = slavery

4. Wheel!? - Not utilized

5. Mostly City-States

Similarities?

II. The Aztec Rise to Power

• Aztecs (Mexica) rise over time 1300 & dominate region by 1420s

– Aztec - tough, fanatically sacrificial, societal outcasts, disliked by many

III. Aztec Religion

1. Polytheistic- Hundreds of Gods - Nature Basis

2. Sacrificial based - Why? A. Religious Necessity - Gods required it B. External Expansion - need more! C. Internal Control - don’t be next!

3. Leadership - Rulers Gods on Earth (Like China)

4. Continuous Rituals - year-round sacrifices to 128 gods

IV. Aztec Ag and Economy

• Agriculture – Chinampas, man-made floating islands

! High yield - 7 yearly harvests!!!

• Markets • All markets and ag regulated by state for

redistribution - very centralized (Byzantine!)

V. Social Divide

Stratified (Separated) classes (Caste-like) develop -(India!)

-1. Great Leader -2. Military/Religious Class -3. Merchant Class (Important Status) -4. Peasants -5. Slaves/Outsiders

Montezuma - Great Leader

VI. Expansion & Control - Tribute

Based

Tenochtitlan

Give - Tribute - taxes, slaves, to-be sacrificed, & technology

Get - local control, do not have to change culture

Aztec Roads Like Romans....

Trade/Connection for tax and tribute

VII. 5 points of Aztecs

1. Sophistication! Education for all, laws, agriculture, architecture.

2. Religion & Military Ties - military existed to support religion to exact tribute.

3. Conquered Autonomy - Conquered to retain local customs - UNcentralized

4. Network - Roads throughout empire for trade and commerce

5. Popularity - disliked by numerous groups near them.

VIII. 5 Points of the Incas

• A. Religion - Sun God reigns supreme ! Represented by Inca on earth ! Cuzco - Capitol

– Little sacrifice – Religion less of a focal pt than Aztecs – Short-lived….rose to power early 1400s!

Sun God

B. Split Inheritance

Problem!

Inca - KingSplit Inheritance

Land & wealth conquered stays in dead Inca’s family for tribute to his afterlife

Political power to next Inca - oldest son

1. Forces perpetual expansion More wealth and land gained in a life makes better afterlife

2. Creates families controlling regions next to each other having rivalry & hatred….

Conquer, Expand, Include - (Opposite of Aztecs)

-Mita - conquered peoples worked for Inca several months of year - not tribute, but part of inclusion and control process

-Incan Socialism - be self-sufficient locally, if surplus, Incas take for “self-redistribution”

More Assimilation!- become apart of us - Sons of conquered peoples sent

to Capitol for “training”

C. Incan Inclusion

D. Inca and Gender

• Some Gender cooperation - better than most • less technology creates more work for women

– 5 to 1 - 5 hours in America, 1 hour in Europe

E. Inca Cultural

AchievementsKnotted strings - quipu – Accounting for taxation

• Organized! - Grouping people for taxes, enlistments, work details

Trails & Bridges & tambos - stop stations w/ food and places for army to sleep

Machu Picchu is an Incan city at 8000 feet.

IX. Aztecs v. Incas• 4 Similarities

– 1. Hierarchy Society - Haves/Nots – 2. Sedentary Ag basis – 3. Redistributive Economies – 4. Road builders

• 4 Differences – 1. Incas more centralized government – 2. Expanded for differing reasons

! Aztecs for tribute/slavery ! Incas- Split Inheritance & mita

– 3. Written Language Aztec - Y Inca - N – 4. Integration into Society - Aztec - N Inca - Y

10. 4 Global Comparisons

– Americas vs. Rest of World ! A. Mummies, pyramids - Incas and Ancient Egyptian

- SIM ! B. No LARGE animals - NO Horse!! - DIFF ! C. Technologically inferior to rest of world (haunts

future...) weapons, use of wheel - DIFF ! D. Many more people now believed in Mesoamerica

before 1492…hard to gauge with death rates!