THE PEOPLE’S OF ANCIENT AMERICA

I. Postclassic Mesoamerica, 1000-1500 C.E.

II. Aztec Society in Transition

III. Twantinsuyu: World of the Incas

IV. The Other Peoples of the Americas

I. Postclassic Mesoamerica, 1000-1500 C.E. TeotihuacanCollapses, 700s

ToltecsEmpire in central MexicoCapital at Tula, c. 968

A. The Toltec HeritageRule extended to Yucatan, Maya lands, c. 1000Commercial influence to American Southwest

Possibly Mississippi, Ohio valleys

B. The Aztec Rise to PowerToltec collapse, c. 1150

Caused by northern nomads?

Center moves to Mexico valleyLakes used for fishing, farming, transportation

Aztecs in, early 14th centuryBegin as mercenaries, allies1325, found TenochtitlanDominate by 1434

Central Mexico and Lake Texcoco

I. Postclassic Mesoamerica, 1000-1500 C.E.

C. The Aztec Social ContractTransformation to hierarchical society

Service of gods pre-eminentSacrifice increasedSource of political power

Moctezuma IIHead of state and religion

I. Postclassic Mesoamerica, 1000-1500 C.E.

D. Religion and the Ideology of Conquest

Spiritual and natural world seamlessHundreds of deitiesThree groups

Fertility, agriculture, waterCreator godsWarfare, sacrifice

e.g. HuitzilopochtliAztec tribal godIdentified with sun god

SacrificeMotivated by religion or terror?

Cyclical view of history

I. Postclassic Mesoamerica, 1000-1500 C.E.

E. Feeding the People: The Economy of the EmpireAgricultureChinampas, man-made floating islands

High yieldFarming organized by clans

MarketsDaily market at Tlatelolco

Controlled by pochteca, merchant class

Regulated by state

II. Aztec Society in TransitionSociety increasingly hierarchical

A. Widening Social Gulf

CalpulliTransformed from clans to groupings by residenceDistribute land, laborMaintain temples, schoolsBasis of military organization

Noble class develops from some calpulliMilitary virtues give them statusSerf-like workers on their lands

Social gaps widenImperial family at head of pipiltin

Calpulli of merchants

II. Aztec Society in Transition

B. Overcoming Technological Constraints

Women have various rolesCan own propertyNo public roles

Elite polygamyMost monogamous

C. A Tribute Empire

SpeakerOne rules each city-state

Great SpeakerRules TenochtitlanPrime Minister powerful

Subjugated states could remain autonomousOwe tribute, labor

III. Twantinsuyu: World of the IncasTihuanaco, Huari (c. 550-1000 C.E.)

After 1000, smaller regional states Chimor (900-1465)

North coast of Peru

A. The Inca Rise to Power

Cuzco areaQuechua-speaking clans (ayllus) HuariControl regions by 1438, under

Pachacuti

Topac YupanquiSon of PachacutiConquered ChimorRule extended to Ecuador, Chile

Huayna CapacFurthers conquests of Topac

Yupanqui1527, death

Twantinsuyu (empire)From Colombia to ChileTo Bolivia, Argentina

Inca Expansion

III. Twantinsuyu: World of the Incas

B. Conquest and Religion

"Split inheritance"Power to successorWealth, land to male descendantsResult is continual conquest

ReligionSun god supreme

Represented by ruler (Inca)Temple of the Sun at Cuzco

Local gods surviveHuacas

III. Twantinsuyu: World of the Incas

C. The Techniques of Inca Imperial RuleInca

Rules from CuzcoGovernors of four provincesBureaucracyLocal rulers (curacas)

Unification QuechuaForced transfers

MilitarySystem of roads, way stations

(tambos), storehouses

StateRedistributive economyBuilding, irrigation projects

Gender cooperationIdeology of complementarity of sexesAlso seen in cosmology

Inca's senior wife links state to moon

The Ancient Cities of Peru

III. Twantinsuyu: World of the Incas

D. Inca Cultural AchievementsMetallurgyKnotted strings (quipu)

AccountingMonumental architecture

E. Comparing Incas and Aztecs

SimilaritiesBuilt on earlier empiresExcellent organizersIntensive agriculture under state controlRedistributive economyKinship transformed to hierarchyEthnic groups allowed to survive

DifferencesAztecs have better developed trade, markets

IV. The Other Peoples of the AmericasGreat variety elsewhere

Not all in the Neolithic patternSome use irrigation for agriculture

Formed no states

A. How Many People? Larger densities in Mesoamerica, Andes

B. Differing Cultural PatternsCaribbean islands

Some similar to Polynesian societies

c. 1500200 languages in North AmericaMississipian mounds abandonedAnasazi descendants along Rio Grande

C. American Indian Diversity in World ContextTwo great imperial systems by 1500

Mesoamerica and the Andesweakened

Technologically behind Europeans

World Population, c. 1500