Chapter 20 Worlds Apart: The Americas and Oceania 1
States and Empires in Mesoamerica and North America n Societies had limited or no contact with Africa, Asia, Europe q Brief presence of Scandinavians in Newfoundland, Canada q Some Asian contact with Australia n Mesoamerica in period of war and conquest, eighth century C.E. 2
The Toltecs n Regional states in central Mexican valley q Religious and cultural influence of collapsed Teotihuacan q Intense warfare n Toltecs migrate from northwest Mexico, settle at Tula (near modern Mexico city) q High point of civilization: 950-1150 C.E. q Urban population of 60,000; another 60,000 in surrounding area q Subjugation of surrounding peoples n Civilization destroyed by internal strife, nomadic incursions, 1175 C.E. 3
The Mexica n One of several groups of migrants, mid-thirteenth century C.E. n Tradition of kidnapping women, seizing cultivated lands n Settled ca. 1345 C.E. in Tenochtitlan (later becomes Mexico City) n Dredged soil from lake bottom to create fertile plots of land q Chinampas, up to seven crops per year 4
The Aztec Empire n Mexica develop tributary empire by fifteenth century n Itzcóatl (1428-1440), Motecuzoma I (Montezuma, 1440-1469) n Joined with Texcoco and Tlacopan to create Aztec empire 5
The Toltec and Aztec Empires, 950-1520 C.E. 6
Mexica Society n Hierarchical social structure n High stature for soldiers q Mainly drawn from aristocratic class q Land grants, food privileges q Sumptuary privileges, personal adornment 7
Mexica Women n Patriarchal structure n Emphasis on child-bearing q Especially future soldiers q Mothers of warriors especially lauded 8
Priests n Masters of complex agricultural/ritual calendars n Ritual functions n Read omens, advised rulers n Occasionally became rulers as well 9
Cultivators and Slaves n Communal groups: calpulli q Originally kin-based q Management of communal lands q Work obligation on aristocratic lands n Slave class q Debtors q Children sold into slavery 10
Mexica Religion n Influenced by indigenous traditions from the Olmec period n Ritual ball game n Solar calendar (365 days) and ritual calendar (260 days) q Not as elaborate as Maya calendar 11
Mexica Gods n Tezcatlipoca ( the Smoking Mirror ) q Powerful god of life and death q Patron god of warriors n Quetzalcóatl ( the Feathered Serpent ) q Arts, crafts, agriculture n Huitzilopochtli q Fourteenth-century popularity, patron of Mexica q Emphasis on blood sacrifices 12
Ritual Bloodletting n More emphasis on human sacrifice than predecessor cultures n Sacrificial victims had tips of fingers torn off before death, ritual wounds q Victims: Mexica criminals, captured enemy soldiers n Personal rituals: piercing of penis, earlobes 13
Aztec Human Sacrifice 14
Peoples and Societies of the North n Pueblo and Navajo societies q American southwest q Maize farming 80% of diet q By 700 C.E., construction of permanent stone or adobe dwellings; 125 sites discovered n Iroquois peoples q Settled communities in woodlands east of Mississippi n Mound-building peoples q Ceremonial platforms, homes, burial grounds q Cahokia large mound near east St. Louis, 900-1250 C.E. 15
Trade n No written documents survive regarding northern cultures n Archaeological evidence indicates widespread trade n River routes exploited 16
States and Empires in South America n No writing before arrival of Spaniards, sixteenth century C.E. q Unlike Mesoamerican cultures, writing from fifth century C.E. n Archaeological evidence reveals Andean society from first millennium B.C.E. n Development of cities 1000-1500 C.E. 17
Before the Coming of the Incas n After displacement of Chavín, Moche societies n Development of autonomous regional states in Andean South America n Kingdom of Chucuito q Lake Titicaca (border of Peru and Bolivia) q Potato cultivation, herding of llamas, alpacas n Kingdom of Chimu (Chimor) q Peruvian coast q Capital Chanchan 18
The Inca Empire n From valley of Cuzco n Refers to people who spoke Quechua language n Settlement around Lake Titicaca mid-thirteenth century n Ruler Pachacuti (r. 1438-1471) expands territory q Modern Peru, parts of Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina q Population 11.5 million 19
The Inca Empire, 1471-1532 C.E. 20
Inca Administration and Quipu n Incas ruled by holding hostages, colonization n No writing; used system of cords and knots called quipu n Mnemonic aid 21
Cuzco n Capital of Inca empire n Residents high nobility, priests, hostages n Gold facades on buildings 22
Inca Roads n Massive road-building system n Two north-south roads, approximately 10,000 miles q Mountain route q Coastal route n Paved, shaded, wide roads n Courier and messenger services n Limited long-distance trade, held by government monopoly 23
Inca Society and Religion n Social elites dominated by infallible king q Claimed descent from the sun n Worship of ancestors q Remains preserved in mummified form q Regularly consulted q Sacrifices offered q Paraded on festive occasions 24
Aristocrats, Priests, and Peasants n Aristocrats receive special privileges q Earlobe spools as adornment n Priestly class ascetic, celibate n Peasants organized into community groups called ayllu q Land, tools held communally q Mandatory work details on land of aristocrats q Public works 25
Inca Religion n Inti sun god n Viracocha creator god n Temples as pilgrimage sites n Peasant sacrifices usually produce and animals (not humans) n Sin understood as disruption of divine order 26
The Societies of Oceania n Nomadic foragers of Australia q Virtually static culture n No agriculture n New Guinea q Swine herding, root cultivation ca. 5000 B.C.E. n Small-scale trade of surplus food, some goods q Pearly oyster shells, spears, boomerangs 27
Aborigine with Boomerang 28
Cultural and Religious Traditions n Loosely tied to environment n Myths, stories about geological features n Rituals to ensure continuing food supply 29
The Societies of Oceania 30
The Development of Pacific Island Societies n Established in almost all islands in early centuries B.C.E. n Trade between island groups n Long-distance voyaging on intermittent basis q Brought sweet potatoes from South America ca. 300 C.E. q Voyages preserved in oral traditions 31
Population Growth n Extensive cultivation n Fishing innovations q Fishponds allow small fish through, trap larger fish n Population density leads to social strife, economic degradation n Fierce fighting, cannibalism, ca. 1500 C.E. 32
Development of Social Classes n Complexity of population leads to articulation of distinct classes q High chiefs, lesser chiefs, commoners, artisans, peasants n Small multi-island empires form q Limited before nineteenth century q Yet controlled land allocation, labor and military conscription 33
Polynesian Religion n Priests as intermediaries to divine n Gods of war, agriculture most prominent n Ceremonial precinct or temple: marae (heiau in Hawaiian) 34