LT 3: I CAN explain about the culture of the three southern empires (Aztec, Inca, Maya) and what caused them to fall.

Transcription

1 LT 3: I CAN explain about the culture of the three southern empires (Aztec, Inca, Maya) and what caused them to fall. The Downfall of the Incas and Aztecs Painting Analysis Examine the picture on the board and answer the following questions: 1.) What do you see? Begin by writing down general observations regarding this mural. (This might include shapes, colors, symbols, etc. 2.) What do you think is happening? 3.) Can you identify any of the figures in the painting? 4.) Whose perspective in this painting is represented? Why? 5.) What title would you give this painting? 6.) How do you think this painting relates to our Exploration Unit?

2 How did Pizzaro defeat the Incas? Read each chunk of text and answer the questions below that chunk Chunk #1 Pizarro, like all other Europeans, had the distinct advantage of firearms over the indigenous population he sought to subjugate. The Inca hadn't been exposed to gunpowder until the rifles and cannons of the Spaniards were trained on them. And in addition to the actual advantages the gun offered over the spear or the arrow, it also gave the Spaniards a psychological advantage. As in Mexico, psychology played a part in the Andes. Montezuma originally mistook Cortés as a returning god. Atahualpa, who had assumed power as the Inca emperor, believed Pizarro and his men were demigods. It was through this initial trust that Pizarro was able to gain Atahualpa's confidence. He soon captured the ruler and held him for ransom. 1.) What types of an advantage did Pizzaro have over the Incas? 2.) Explain how psychology played a role in Pizzaro taking over the Incas. Chunk #2 After he was paid, Pizarro retained the ruler rather than release him. He attempted to use him as a puppet dictator, carrying out the Spaniard's will through the Incan emperor's decrees. But Pizarro found this tactic useless; Atahualpa was executed at the hands of his captor. The blood of thousands more loyal to the Incan ruler was shed soon after. The brutality of the Spaniards had become apparent to the Inca. Revolts and battles became normal, and to quash these skirmishes, Pizarro used another Cortés tactic: collusion*. The conquistador identified tribes who were enemies of the Inca or unhappy with Inca rule, and established alliances with them. Superior weaponry, psychological warfare, a perfectly timed arrival and native allies certainly helped Pizarro. But remember the Spaniard arrived in the Andes with fewer than 200 men. Even with these advantages, he wouldn't have been successful had it not been for another weapon, unexpected by both sides. * collusion: secret or illegal cooperation in order to deceive others. 1.) Since Pizarro could not use Atahualpa as a puppet dictator, what did he do? 2.) What is collusion and how did Pizarro use it against the Incas?

3 Chunk #3 Biological warfare in the form of smallpox allowed Pizarro to conquer the Inca. Smallpox spread quickly through the Americas prior to Pizarro's arrival. Having lived alongside livestock for millennia gave much of Europe immunity to the worst ravages of smallpox. But the indigenous tribes of the Americas had no such advantage. Smallpox unexpectedly killed Incan emperor Huayna Cupac, leaving the empire in civil unrest and war. The disease decimated the Incan population, paving the way for Pizarro's paltry troops to conquer a once-vast nation. "So complete was the chaos that Francisco Pizarro was able to seize an empire the size of Spain and Italy combined with a force of 168 men," writes Charles Mann in "1491". Ultimately, the diseases the Europeans brought with them did more damage than guns or greed. Within the 130 years following Columbus an estimated 95 percent of the Americas' inhabitants died. 1.) What was the unexpected advantage that Pizzaro had over the Incas? 2,) The quote, "So complete was the chaos that Francisco Pizarro was able to seize an empire the size of Spain and Italy combined with a force of 168 men. How does this quote relate to Chunks 1, 2, and 3?

4 Cortes and the Aztecs Read the excerpt and analyze the picture and answer the question on the next page. Aztec Religion and Cortes Montezuma s belief that Cortez was the god Quetzalcoatl begin with the god s promise to return after he died in a pyre or sailed off in a boat traveling east. Physically, Quetzalcoatl was described in two forms; one a flying feathered serpent and the other a white -skinned man with a beard. Cortez fit into two of the four descriptions; he sailed from the east and was white-skinned with a beard. Quetzalcoatl had a Jesus Christ persona; a loving and beneficent god. He was considered the creator of the 5th world, the present one, and the organizer of the cosmos. He is associated with the planet Venus, the wind and the rain, knowledge and learning. He was also believed to have created civilization. He taught the Mesoamericans how to farm corn. He was believed to have invented writing, books, astronomy and calendars. He forbade human sacrifice, promoting the sacrifice of birds, butterflies, snakes and grasshoppers instead. He warned the Amerindians that he would return to punish them if they continued to sacrifice humans. Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, beginning in 1509, Montezuma believed that there were eight omens predicting the end of the Aztec civilization, the end of the world. The last of the eight omens in 1517 reported to Montezuma, was the sighting of men with two heads. They were the horse-back riding men of Juan de Grijalva s expedition. Coinciding with the arrival of Cortez, which was on the traditional birthday of Quetzalcoatl and during the year of the end of the 52 year cycle of the Aztec calendar, could have added to the legend. Montezuma may have been confused by all these events. Then again, there may have been confusion on the part of the Spanish; the possibility of the misinterpretation of the Nahuatl language for the greeting and/or the fact that the meaning of politeness to the Aztecs represented superiority to whoever was being polite.

5 After analyzing both the excerpt and the picture, explain how the Aztecs could have mistaken Cortes to be their god, Quetzalcoatl. Be sure to use evidence from both the excerpt and the picture. (You must have at least a paragraph explanation, which means 5 to 7 sentences. You can write more to explain your answer.)