Early Human MigrationsEarly Human Migrations
Major Pre-Columbian CivilizationsMajor Pre-Columbian Civilizations
Lands of the Maya
Political Characteristics Never form a unified
political system Do create a unified
culture Larger city-states
dominated smaller city-states
Large city-states built elaborate commercial and religious centers Chichen-Itza
El Castillo at Chichen Itza
Maya Economy
• Cultivated maize, cotton, and cacao– Increased agricultural production by draining
swamps, terraced fields, and irrigation ditches – Led to environmental degradation
• Hereditary nobility controlled most of the land• Maya merchants came from ruling class– Traded primarily in luxury products
Maya Religion
• Polytheistic• Cosmos consisted of three layers: the
heavens, the human world, and the underworld– Priests could communicate with residents of both
supernatural worlds• Mayan developments: calendar, writing
system, and mathematics – Used to determine religious holidays
Maya sacrifice• Had to please the gods via sacrifice– Piercing of bodies with needle– Human Sacrifice• Sacrificed prisoners of war, slaves, and children
Mayan Bloodletting
Mayan Ball Game
Mayan Calendar
Maya Decline
• Maya city-states were abandoned or destroyed between 800-900 CE
• Causes for decline include:– The disruption of trade after the decline of
Teotihuacan in Central Mexico– Environmental degradation caused by overpopulation– Epidemic disease
Rise of the Aztecs
• Aztecs (Mexica) migrate to Lake Texcoco in central Mexico c. 1325
• Founded city of Tenochtitlan in 1325
• Empire started in 1434• Aztec kings represented
civil power and served as a representative of the gods on Earth
Aztec Government
• City-states ruled by a speaker chosen from the nobility
• The Great Speaker, ruler of Tenochtitlan, was in effect an emperor– Increasingly considered a living god
• Conquered peoples maintained some autonomy if they paid tribute
Human Sacrifice
• Human sacrifice was a typical part of Mesoamerican religion– Aztec expand practice
into a cult where military supplied war captives for sacrifice
• Why?– Political purposes– Population control– Cannibal kingdom
Human Sacrifice
Tenochtitlan “The Venice of the Americas
Chinampas
Aztec Society
• Women’s primary role was the household– Women spent six hours a day grinding corn;
restricted women’s rights• Marriages were arranged• Polygamy existed amongst the nobility• Women could inherit property
The Inca
Inca Economy
• Unlike Aztecs, not a lot of trade– Tried to be self-sufficient
• Primarily agricultural– Terrace farming & complex irrigation– Over 200 types of potatoes
• Inca Socialism• Used forced labor for massive projects
Terrace Farming
Inca Technology
• Built a complex system of roads and bridges– 2500 miles of roads– Used a system of runners to carry messages
throughout the empire• Beautiful pottery, cloth, and metalworking• Quipu• Masonry
Bridges and Roads
Quipu
Inca Metalworking