Title: Aim: How should the Aztecs and Inca be remembered in history?
1Aim How should the Aztecs and Inca be remembered
in history?
2Recall the Previous Mesoamerican Civilizations
- CIVILIZATION
- The Olmecs c. 1200 BCE 400 BCE
- Teotihuacan 1st-7th centuries CE
- Maya in the Yucatan
- Classical Period 250 900 CE
- ACHIEVEMENT
- Colossal heads
- Planned city
- Many temples
- Planned cities
- Many temples
- Hieroglyphics
3(No Transcript)
4I Who were the Aztecs?
- The Aztecs were nomads from Northern Mexico.
- 1200s CE they moved south to Lake Texcoco and
conquered the natives. They built their capital
city Tenochtitlan on the lake, connected by
bridges and tunnels. -
The Aztec Origin Myth The Gods told the Aztecs
to search for an eagle perched atop a cactus
holding a snake in its beak. Their God
Huitzilopochtli guided them to Lake Texcoco.
5Reconstruction of Tenochtitlan
6The Aztecs Continued
- C) Tenochtitlan formed an alliance with 2 other
cities, Texcoco Tlacopan. Tenochtitlan soon
became the most powerful city of the alliance
this allowed it to become the center of the Aztec
empire. The empire expanded by conquering more
cities. Some became part of the empire, others
were forced to pay tribute (goods and/or
sacrificial victims).
7The Aztecs Continued
- D) The bulk of Aztec armies were made up of
commoners required to serve time in compulsory
military service. Every Aztec male was a warrior
and received basic military training from a young
age, whether trader, craftsman or farmer. In
fact, military achievement, particularly the
taking of prisoners, was the only vehicle for
upward social movement available for commoners.
The Aztecs didnt know how to forge metals so
they constructed weapons out of wood, stone and
Obsidian. Their signature weapon was the atlatl
a spear thrower.
Eagle Jaguar Warriors
8The Aztecs Continued
- E) Like the Mayans, the Aztecs used cacao beans
as currency. There were organized marketplaces.
Despite not having the wheel or using pack
animals, the Aztecs practiced long-distance
trade!
On reaching the market-place... we were
astounded at the great number of people and the
quantities of merchandise, and at the orderliness
and good arrangements that prevailed, for we had
never seen such a thing before. The chieftains
who accompanied us pointed everything out. Every
kind of merchandise was kept separate and had as
fixed place marked for it Bernal Díaz del
Castillo, in The Conquest of New Spain (circa
1568)
The Aztecs mixed chocolate with maize (corn) and
chili peppers. They did not use sugar. The
mixture was drunk.
9The Aztecs Continued
- F) Chinampas were artificial floating islands
anchored to the bottom of the lake. Crops were
transported to market by the canals.
A modern day chinampa!
10The Aztecs Continued
- G) The Aztec religion was polytheistic. Their
pantheon included over 200 gods and goddesses.
Like the Mayans, they believed that the sun
fought darkness every night and needed human
sacrifice to rise in the morning. If a person
died a normal death, his or her soul would have
to pass through the nine lives of the underworld
before reaching Mictlan, the realm of the dead. A
warrior who died in battle or a woman that died
in childbirth would go straight to the sun god in
the sky. Priests sacrificed up to 20,000 people a
year on top of their temples. The victims heart
was cut out while still alive and held up to the
sun. During times of peace, Aztecs had flower
wars in order to obtain sacrificial victims.
Like the Mayans, the Aztces also played the
ritual ball game (historians are still unsure if
the winners or losers were sacrificed).
11The Aztecs Continued
Tlaloc (pronounced Tlá-loc) was the rain god and
one of the most ancient deities in all
Mesoamerica. His origins can be traced back to
Teotihuacan, the Olmec and the Maya. He is
associated with fertility and agriculture. His
shrine on the Templo Mayor was decorated with
blue bands representing rain and water. The
Aztecs believed that the cries and tears of
newborn children were sacred to the god, and,
therefore, many ceremonies for Tlaloc involved
the sacrifice of children.
12The Aztecs Continued
Huitzilopochtli (pronounced Weetz-ee-loh-POCHT-lee
) was the patron god of the Aztecs. He was the
god that, during their migration, indicated them
the place to found their capital Tenochtitlan.
His name means Hummimngbird of the left and he
was the patron of war and sacrifice. His shrine,
on top of the pyramid of the Templo Mayor, was
decorated with skulls and colored in red for
blood.
13The Aztecs Continued
- Tonatiuh (pronounced Toh-nah-tee-uh) was the sun
god. He was a nourishing god who provided warmth
and fertility. In order to do so, he needed
sacrificial blood. He governed the era under
which the Aztec believed to live, the era of the
Fifth Sun.
14The Aztecs Continued
- Quetzalcoatl (pronounced Keh-tzal-coh-atl), the
Feathered Serpent, is probably the most famous
Aztec deity and was known in many other
Mesoamerican cultures such as Teotihuacan and the
Maya. He was patron of knowledge and learning.
The fame of Quetzalcoatl is linked to the idea
that the last Aztec emperor, Moctezuma II,
supposedly believed that the arrival of Cortes
was the fulfilling of a prophecy about the return
of the god. However, many scholar now consider
this myth as a creation of the Franciscan friars
during the post-Conquest period.
15Aztec Pyramid of the Moon
16Aztec Human Sacrifice
17The Aztecs Continued
- H) Similar to the Mayans, the Aztecs had multiple
calendars based on their study of astronomy. They
had 2 main ones - 1. 1st was 365 days. Used to plan farming.
- 2. The 2nd was a sacred calendar that determined
the dates of rituals. - Every 52 years, the 2 calendars would align.
Aztecs feared the world could end. To prevent
disaster, they had a New Fire Festival. - Aztecs invented hieroglyphics for their
language, Nahuatl. Made books of tree bark called
codices. - J) Aztecs built aqueducts to supply their cities
with fresh water.
18The Aztecs Continued
Above is an Aztec sun calendar. Notice the Sun
God Tonatiuh in the center. His tongue is waiting
sacrificial human blood.
An Aztec Codex
19The Aztecs Continued
- K) Aztec society was stratified into classes. At
the very top of Aztec society were the rulers of
the cities and towns. Living in palaces and
wearing distinctive clothing, the rulers ensured
that tribute payments were made at all of the
appropriate levels of the imperial
administration. Just below the rulers were the
nobles which was a hereditary class. Most Aztecs
were commoners who worked the lands of the big
houses and paid tribute to the upper classes.
The big house was a group of families who had
been related by kinship or proximity over a
fairly long period of time. This group was a
land-holding corporation with ritual functions
in other words, the group owned its own land and
worshipped its own gods. The Aztec state
maintained control over the commoners and tribute
was in the form of service labor on public works
and/or as soldiers in the army...
20The Aztecs Continued
- At the bottom of Aztec society were the serfs who
worked on the noble estates. Serfs were menial
laborers and were not allowed to leave the lands
to which they were attached. Some scholars have
estimated that perhaps as many as 30 of the
Aztecs were serfs. About 1/3 of the produce of
the serfs went to the nobles. At the bottom of
Aztec society were slaves (most became slaves due
to debt). Under Aztec law, slaves could not be
sold without their consent. Slaves could choose
their marriage partners and their children were
not slaves. long-distance merchants (pochteca).
They were treated like royalty and reported
directly to the royal palace. These merchants
travelled hundreds of miles into foreign
territories and were able to obtain luxury goods
such as quetzal feathers and amber for the
emperor. Membership in this merchant class was
hereditary. While the long-distance merchants
could become very wealthy, there were
restrictions on them flaunting their wealth
21The Aztecs Continued
- Long distance merchants were a special class!
Being a long-distance merchant was a dangerous
job and many died while travelling. Disease,
accidents, and being killed by unfriendly people
were among the job hazards. To ensure their
safety and wellbeing, the merchants had their own
gods! If they were to die while traveling, the
soul would go directly to the paradise of the Sun
God! - Women often were able to run business out of
their homes, and had a lot of influence in the
family and the raising of children. Polygamy
(multiple wives) was legal, but adultery was
punished by death. In divorce property was
divided equally.
Most Aztec houses (including those of the
commoners) had an attached sauna for steam
bathing!
22Aztecs Cannibalism Confirmed?
- By Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News Jan. 25,
2005 - New finds from an archaeological site near Mexico
City support certain written and pictorial
evidence concerning Aztec human sacrifice that
historians previously doubted because the
accounts seemed too exaggerated to be true
Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés (1485-1547),
whose men conquered the Aztecs in 1519, wrote in
a letter that his soldiers had captured an Aztec
man who had roasted a baby at breakfast time.
While it probably would be impossible to validate
that specific account, the Aztec site at
Ecatepec, north of Mexico City, has just yielded
the remains of eight children whom the Aztecs
likely sacrificed. Archaeologist Nadia Velez
Saldana discovered the remains. She told the
Associated Press, "The sacrifice involved burning
or partially burning victims. We found a burial
pit with the skeletal remains of four children
who were partially burned, and the remains of
four other children that were completely
carbonized."
23Aztecs Cannibalism Confirmed?
- Luis Manuel Gamboa, another archaeologist,
described pictorials showing human body parts
contained in cooking vessels surrounded by
diners Based on the drawn images, historians
believe that the Aztecs conducted some human
sacrifice to appease their god of death. Disease,
warfare, food shortages and other problems meant
that the Aztecs continuously faced reminders of
death. Aztec expert Leonardo Lopez Lujan
recently revealed the results of chemical tests
conducted on the residue found on the stucco
floors of some Aztec temples. The residue
contained iron, albumen, and genetic matter
suggestive of human blood. "We now have the
physical evidence to corroborate the written and
pictorial record," Lopez Lujan said
24Recall the South American Civilizations that
Preceded the Inca!
- CIVILIZATION
- The Chavin c. 900 BCE 200 CE
- The Moche 200 600 CE
-
- ACHIEVMENTS
- Temple complex at Chavin de Huantar
- Skilled artists and potters
25II The Inca 1200 1535 CE
- Geography The Inca empire stretched 2,500 miles
along the Andes mountains in western South
America. Altitudes up to 22,000 feet! The Inca
chewed coca leaves to help acclimate to the lower
oxygen. Lake Titicaca is the highest elevated
lake in the world!
26The Inca Continued
- The legendary founders of the Inca dynasty, Manco
Capac and Mama Ocllo, were sent down to Earth by
the Sun and emerged from the depths of Lake
Titicaca to found their empire.
Today some Incan descendants still live on
floating mats of dried reeds, and fish from boats
also made of the same reeds.
27The Inca Continued
- B) The Incan empire was an absolute monarchy led
by the Sapa Inca whose powers were not limited by
law. The royal council helped him rule and was
made up mostly of royalty or close family
members, high priests and generals. The capital
was Cuzco. The empire was divided into 4 large
districts, each with its own hierarchical
government and bureaucracy (but still under the
control of the Sapa Inca). The government was
highly organized without the benefits of a
writing system! In order to control the
population of such a vast territory laws were
rigidly enforced by appointed officials in each
territory. Crimes against the state were
considered crimes against the Sapa Inca. - C) The Incas conquered a vast territory using
reciprocity or alliances. When the Inca won new
territories they moved
28The Inca Continued
- groups of leaders around to ensure loyalty. A
trusted leader, most likely a close relative of
the Sapa Inca, would be relocated to a newly
conquered territory. The Inca collected taxes
from all its conquered territories. In order to
keep in touch with all the corners of the empire
the Inca Empire had a network of messengers. The
messengers were able to travel quickly due to the
extensive Incan road system. The road system
included 25,000 miles of roads, bridges, tunnels
and causeways. Road construction began in the
mid-fifteenth century when the Inca gained
control over its neighbors and started expanding
its empire it ended abruptly 125 years later
when the Spanish arrived in Peru. As a contrast,
the Roman Empire built twice as many miles of
road, but it took them 600 years. Like the
Aztecs, the Inca did not use the wheel.
29Incan Roads and Bridges
Incan bridges had a pair of stone anchors on each
side of the canyon with cables of woven grass
linking these two pylons together.
30The Inca Continued
- C) The Incan religion (like the Aztecs) had a
pantheon of gods. The Inca also venerated
countless huacas minor spirits that inhabited
places, things and sometimes people. The Inca
considered the royal family to be semi-divine,
descended from the Sun. Of the major gods, Inti,
the Sun God took the form of a man his wife was
the Moon. The Inca Sun god was not destructive or
violent like the Aztec sun god Tonatiuh . He only
showed his wrath when there was an eclipse, at
which point the Inca priests would sacrifice
people and animals to appease him.
Inti, the Incan Sun God
31The Inca Continued
- There were 2 types of Incan mummies
- Emperors were mummified due to the belief that
their soul comes back to the body. These mummies
were paraded around, clothed and even fed! - 2. Young girls were left to die in the Andes as
sacrificial victims. Due to the dry climate, they
became well preserved. - Unfortunately the Spanish conquistadors destroyed
most of the Emperor mummies.
32Final Moments of Incan Child Mummies' Lives
Revealed Jul 29, 2013 by Joseph Castro,
LiveScience
- Three Incan children who were sacrificed 500
years ago were regularly given drugs and alcohol
in their final months to make them more compliant
in the ritual that ultimately killed them, new
research suggests. Archaeologists analyzed hair
samples from the frozen mummies of the three
children, who were discovered in 1999, entombed
within a shrine near the 22,100-foot summit of
the Argentinian volcano Llullaillaco. The samples
revealed that all three children consistently
consumed coca leaves (from which cocaine is
derived) and alcoholic beverages, but the oldest
child, the famed "Maiden," ingested markedly more
of the substances The evidence, combined with
other archaeological and radiological data,
suggests that the Maiden was treated very
differently from the other two children After
being selected for the deadly rite, the Maiden
likely underwent a type of status change,
becoming an important figure to the empire the
other two children may have served as her
attendants In a 2007 study, Wilson and his
colleagues analyzed the child mummies' hair to
understand how their diets changed over time.
They found that the children came from a peasant
background, as their diet consisted mainly of
common vegetables, potatoes in particular. But in
the year leading up to their deaths, they ate
"elite" food, including maize and dried llama
meat, and appeared to have been fattened up in
preparation for the sacrifice. Additionally, the
13-year-old Maiden consumed more of the elite
food than the Llullaillaco Boy and Lightning
Girl, who were both 4 to 5 years old
33The Inca Continued
- D) Unlike the Aztecs, the Inca used llamas and
their extensive roads to facilitate long-distance
trade. - E) Their main cultivated crops were potatoes,
coca leaves, corn (made into an alcoholic
beverage chicha), quinoa (a high protein grain).
Domesticated animals included the alpaca, llama,
and guinea pig. Due to the Andes mountains, the
Inca practiced Terrace farming (cut steps into
the mountains).
Roasted guinea pig is a delicacy!
34The Inca Continued
A modern Incan woman grinding corn into chicha
(an alcoholic beverage).
Incan terrace farming
35The Inca Continued
- F) Incan society was divided in four social
classes. At the top was the Sapa Inca, the most
powerful person in the empire. Below was the
royal family. The third social class included
nobles and priests. At the bottom were the ayllu
(the majority of the population). Incan society
was built around the ayllu. All its members
believed they were descendants of a common
ancestor. Ayllu members were obliged to work and
contribute to the mita or tax. In exchange the
Inca would secure food throughout the year,
provide agricultural products not produced in the
area, education and health care. - G) Once an Incan girl reached puberty she was
declared a woman. She could then go to school to
study domestic skills and Incan theology. She
could then choose to become a Virgin of the Sun
(a servant at a temple), or she could marry.
Marriages were typically based on social class.
One could not expect to marry above ones
station. The only divorces allowed after this
time were of childless women. Once married, a
woman was expected to care for the children,
gather food, cook, tend to
36The Inca Continued
- the animals, go to the market, and weave. Weaving
was an important aspect of Incan economy, and at
one point women were required to weave cloth for
the court and religious purposes. Despite the
patriarchal placement of females in society, they
were highly revered, seen in the Inca religion.
Cooperation between gods and goddesses honored
the importance of females. - H) Quipu were knotted colored strings that were
used as a counting system.
37III Machu Pichu
- Machu Pichu is tangible evidence of the urban
Inca Empire at the peak of its power and
achievementa citadel of cut stone fit together
without mortar so tightly that its cracks still
cant be penetrated by a knife blade. The complex
of palaces and plazas, temples and homes may have
been built as a ceremonial site, a military
stronghold, or a retreat for ruling elitesits
dramatic location is certainly well suited for
any of those purposes. The ruins lie on a high
ridge, surrounded on three sides by the Urubamba
River some 2,000 feet below The Inca had no
written language, so they left no record of why
they built the site or how they used it before it
was abandoned in the early 16th century The
700-plus terraces limited erosion on the steep
slopes The Incas achievements and skills are
all the more impressive in light of the knowledge
they lacked. When Machu Picchu was built some 500
years ago the Inca had no iron, no steel, and no
wheels. Their tremendous effort apparently
benefited relatively few peoplesome experts
maintain that fewer than a thousand individuals
lived here. In 1911 a Peruvian guide led Yale
professor Hiram Bingham up a steep mountainside
and into the history books as the first Western
scholar to lay eyes on the lost city of Machu
Picchu. While indigenous peoples knew of the
site, Perus Spanish conquerors never dida fact
which aided Machu Picchus isolation, and
preservation, over the centuries. - natgeo.com
38(No Transcript)
39(No Transcript)
40HW Questions
- Fill in your Period 3 chart for the Aztecs and
Inca. - Did geography help or hurt the Aztecs and Inca?
- What is the evidence for cannibalism in Aztec
society? - How were Incan mummies similar or different to
ancient Egyptian mummies? - How should we remember the Aztecs and Inca? At
least 2 paragraphs. Use specific evidence.
41Key Vocabulary
- Ayllu
- Aztecs
- Chinampas
- Coca leaves
- Codices
- Cuzco
- Flower wars
- Huacas
- Huitzilopochtli
- Inca
Inti Lake Texcoco Lake Titicaca Machu
Pichu Quetzalcoatl Quipu Sapa Inca Tenochitlan Tla
loc Yucatan