Chapter 16:
People and Empires in the Americas
500 - 1500
Chapter 16 Overview
Chapter 16:
People and
Empires in the
Americas
Section 1:
North American
Societies
Section 2:
Maya Kings
and Cities
Section 3:
The Aztecs
Control
Central America
Section 4:
The Inca
Create a
Mountain
Empire
Section 1:
North American Societies


No. Amer. natives didn’t create the
“grand empires” of regions farther
south, but did have rich cultures and
great trade amongst groups
Culture varied greatly depending upon
region (and thus, climate and
vegetation), but some similarities:

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Most had a Great Spirit and worshiped
nature spirits
Land was sacred—not to be bought/sold
Families were basis of social relationships
Totems used (symbol for clan/group)
No. Amer. Culture Areas c. 1400
Remember,
NOBODY has
horses yet.
Regional Variances: Permanent Houses

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NW: Fish; wood canoes and
houses; potlatch; lived with
clans/lg. families
SW: Irrigation; adobe; 3 Sisters:
corn, beans, squash; Anasazi—
Mesa Verde
SE: “Five Civilized Tribes”; 3
Sisters; Matriarchal systems
Mound Builders: Midwest River
Valleys; Lg. burial mounds;
evidence of trade with Mesoamerica
NE: Woodlands; long houses;
political alliances (Iroquois
League)
Regional Variances: Nomadic Groups

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Great Plains: tipis (tepee); lg. game, esp.
bison; hunter/gatherer; tribes
Far North: moved based on season; lg.
game + sea life; skins and hides essential
Great Basin: tipis, reed houses, or stick
lean-tos; lg. game, esp. elk, deer;
hunter/gatherer; bands or tribes
Trade Connected Groups

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Trade goods traveled by water, but
also land
Could cross the mountains
Food items, plus prized trade items
Pipestone from Minnesota (used for
pipes and effigies) found throughout
Midwest, Georgia, Rocky Mountains
Section 2:
Maya Kings and Cities

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Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Belize,
Honduras
Built upon Olmec culture
Approx. 250 – 900 A.D.: “Classic Period”
(height of size and culture)
City-states


Tikal, Palenque, Chichén Itzá, many others
City, religious and trade center
Often quarreled/war
 Trade
 Common culture, including religion, writing
(glyphs), etc.

Tikal
Temple is on top
(pyramid is what a
temple stands on)
Temple I
160 ft. tall
stelae
Rather Rigid Social Pyramid
Nobles
(including
Priests,
Warriors)
“Middle Class”
Merchants, skilled artisans,
scribes
Peasants
(farmers…farmers…farmers…)
Religion is pivotal to daily life!

Many gods, needing almost constant
appeasement

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Some good, some bad—many moody and “humanlike” (think Greek gods)
Associated with 4 directions, death, birth, rain, war,
foods, etc.
Developed several accurate calendars to keep
up with when to worship/ sacrifice to which
gods
Based on astronomical observations
 Several different calendars…
Oh, and that 2012 date? When all 3 calendars hit their
end and have to be restarted

Worship 101

Sacrifice of food, flowers, incense,
people (cenotes), precious jewels, blood



Royals offered blood on
behalf of the people
Called “blood-letting”
Lg. ceremonies at
Various times of year
Associated with ag,
solstices/equinoxes
* Play ball!

Hieroglyphics

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Over 800 glyphs
Many still not
deciphered
Written on codices
(codex)


Only 3 survived–
Spanish conquerors
burned the rest
Only “recently”
deciphered (in last 40
years)
History Mystery

Theories abound as to what happened to
the Mayas

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Warfare
Disease
Deforestation
Drought
Famine
Over-farming
Etc.
By time Spanish arrived, the Mayans
were living in small villages in the forests
Section 3:
The Aztecs Control Central Mexico

(Central) Valley of Mexico

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Higher elevation
But hot, dry
Built upon predecessors (who had built
upon Olmecs and Zapotecs)

Teotihuacán “City of the Gods”
Lg. city, apt. living
 Lg. pyramids, inc. Pyramid of the Sun
 Estab. trade network, esp. of obsidian
 Yet another mysterious decline

Toltecs

Toltecs

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
Ctrl Mexico
Pyramids, temples;
warriors; lots of sacrifice
God: Quetzalcoatl
(Feathered Serpent)
 Was exiled from the land
 A “naughty god”
 Rumored to return in the
year of 1 Reed (1519)
 Contributed to at least
one ruler being exiled as
well
When the
Aztecs worship
me, they
sometimes
picture me as
a pale man
with a beard!
Aztecs Emerge

1200 A.D. in Valley of Mexico



Prophecy told them to find an eagle, on a
cactus, with an snake in its mouth
In the middle of Lake Texcoco! 1325
Triple Alliance with neighbors


Gained control of vast empire
Across central Mex.
38 provinces
 5 – 15 million people

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Military tribute (expensive!)
Brutal force to make you pay
Very Rigid Social Pyramid
Ha ha!
I love my
absolute
power!
Emperor
Nobles:
Gov’t officials,
Generals,
Religious Leaders
At the top
of this
particular
class
Commoners:
Merchants, craftspeople,
soldiers, farmers who owned land
We HATE working
on the chinampas!
Enslaved Persons
Tenochtitlán: City Planning at its finest!
200,000 –
400,000
population
at its
height
Lg.
avenues in
town, and
then 3
main
causeways
across the
lake to
surrounding
“suburbs”
Religion Rules Daily Life

1,000 (or so) gods!

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Elaborate public ceremonies

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That’s a lot to keep happy!
Many were gods of previous civilizations,
although sometimes they were “different”
Offerings by priests
Ritual dramas, dances, songs
Sun god Huitzilopochtli most important?


He needed lots of human blood  sacrifices
Thousands killed each year on the altar on
top of Great Temple
Montezuma II Comes to Power

Years of high taxes and a growing
population of Aztecs made neighbors
angry


Rebellion and unrest


Hee
hee

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Neighbors really irritated with always
“contributing sacrifices” (a religious issue)
Decreased size of gov’t.
Didn’t help
Monty saw bad omens in everything
Many predictions for demise of empire
The year???? 1 Reed…………….
Section 4:
The Inca Create a Mountain Empire

South America in Andes!

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Cuzco (Peru)—main capital
 Quito and Santiago—regional capitals
Eventually, 2,500 miles long
 16 mil. people?
Built upon previous cultures: Chavin, Moche, Nazca
1200s in valley by Cuzco
Ruler is descended from
sun god (Inti)
 Only 11 lineages could
be Inca (emperor)
* Worshipped even after death—
Is that a problem?!
Pachacuti

Got empire to largest size

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
c. 1391 – c. 1473
Used diplomacy before conquering
Treated new subjects with respect
Divided territory into smaller units
Governor and local capital
 “Government architecture”
 Excellent masons!
 No mortar needed!
 Mita required (forced tribute of labor)
 Population divided into ayllu
(extended family groups)
SOMEWHAT LIKE SOCIALISM! --a welfare state

Daily Life

Single language

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No written language
Kept records on quipus
Schools taught culture
Road system
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14,000 mile long network
Rope bridges, etc.
Guesthouses
Pony express runners
Incan Religion
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Fewer gods, but emperor worship, too
Not as rigid
Reinforced gov’t.
Key nature spirits
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Creator god of Viracocha
Sun god Inti
Young men/women drafted into religious
service (for life)
Temple of the Sun in Cuzco

Decorated with gold, the “sweat of the sun”
Civil War

1520’s, emperor Huayna Capac died


Smallpox maybe? It would precede the Spanish
conquest
Empire split btwn sons

Atahualpa and Huascar
Got
Ecuador


Got everything
else (4/5th of
empire)
Civil War
 Atahualpa won, but war tore apart empire
As did small pox!
Just in time for some visitors from Spain…