History Inca and Aztec.

Quetzalcoatl.

"the Feathered Serpent"-a god of the Toltecs and other Mesoamerican Peoples.

Quipu.

- Accounting device - A set of knotted strings used to record data.

Pachacuti.

- Ambitious ruler of the Incas in 1438 - He conquered all of Peru and then moved onto the lands surrounding them.

Ayllu

- Extended family group that completed tasks too big for a single family - They built irrigation canals and farming terraces - They stored food and supplies for harsh times - Families were divided into groups of 10, 100, 1,000, and 10,000 - A chief led each group

Atahualpa.

- Son of Huayna Capac - Received 1/5 of empire after his father's death and his brother got the rest - He beat his brother in a civil war winning the empire but weakening it - Got captured by Francisco Pizarro after surprise attack by Spanish conquistadors

How did the Incan system of government help to unify and strengthen the empire? Was it effective?

- The rulers divided their territory into smaller manageable units - Governed by a central bureaucracy - Created an efficient economic system - Extensive road system - Single language (Quechua) - Founded schools to teach Incan ways - Certain social groups were dictated by clothing patterns - Extremely effective controlled over economic and social life

Quechua.

-single official language -Inca also founded schools to teach others their traditions

List three ways in which the Incan government involved itself in people's lives.

1) Mita- Everyone in conquered territory was required to pay tribute by working a few days every year. 2) Trade- The government controlled the production and distribution of trade goods and didn't allow or encourage trade. 3) Cities- The government built cities in conquered territories to show their control and power.

Teotihuacan.

A city-state whose ruins lie just outside of Mexico.

Obsidian.

A hard, glassy volcanic rock used by early peoples to make sharp weapons.

Valley of Mexico.

A mountain basin about 7,500 feet above sea level which served as the home base of several powerful cultures.

Toltecs.

A warlike people who rose to power around 900 after the fall of Teotihuacan.

Montezuma II.

An Aztec emperor crowned in 1502, the empire began to weaken under his rule.

Tenochtitlan.

An urban center in the Aztec empire with a population of 200,000 to 400,000 people. It was built on an island and connected to the mainland with 3 bridges.

Aztec.

Aztec

Sacrifice.

Blood offerings were made to the Sun God to nourish him so he could fight the forces of evil at night; they carved out thousands of hearts annually

Compare the religious beliefs of the Aztec and Inca. How were they similar? Different?

Both of the Aztec and the Inca were polytheistic, but the Aztec worshiped approximately 1,000 gods. The Inca, however, focused on key nature spirits such as the moon, the stars, and thunder. Their religious practices were different as well. The Incans utilized sacrifice much more than the Aztec, but the Aztec preformed more ceremonies. At these ceremonies, priests made offerings to the gods and presented ritual dramas, songs, and dances featuring masked performers.

Cuzco.

Cuzco - Capital city of the Inca - Religious capital - "All roads lead to Cuzco." - The Temple of the Sun - Good streets - Stone houses - Heart of Cuzco

Huitzilopochtli.

God of the sun and warfare who told the Aztecs to found their own city, a place where an eagle perched on a cactus, holding a snake in its mouth

Huascar.

Huascar - Brother of Atahualpa - Split the empire after his father, Huayna Capac, died of smallpox - Huascar got most of the empire - After a while, Atahualpa wanted to rule all of empire and this started a civil war - Atahualpa won the war

Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu -A city that included: -sun temple -public buildings -a central plaza -some people considered it a religious center -or an estate of Pachacuti more_vert

How did the Incan religion reinforce the power of the state?

Religion was important to the Inca. They focused on key nature spirits and worshiped fewer gods than the Aztecs. The Chief of the Incan gods was Viracocha and the sun god, Inti, was also incredibly important to them.

Why do you think the Aztecs allowed some conquered peoples to govern themselves with relatively little interference?

The Aztec allowed some conquered people to govern their own land because it could reduce the chances of rebellion and lower the resentment towards them.

Atec Calendar.

The Aztec system may have been derived from the Maya system. They followed to main calendars; a sacred on with 13 months of 20 days, and an agricultural and solar one with 18 months of 20 days . The then had a period of 5 unlucky days.

Aztec Decline.

The Aztecs declined due to the invasion of the Spanish. In 1519 Hernando Cortes landed in Mexico, although it's not clearly known what Montezuma II did. Some sources suggest that Montezuma thought Cortes was a god. It is also believed that took control with little resistance.

Why do you think the Inca used the ayllu system as the basis for governing the empire?

The Inca used the ayllu system as the basis for governing the empire because the ayllu did tasks too big for small families. They built irrigation canals or cut agricultural terraces into steep hillsides. They would also store food for needed times. The ayllu were useful to the empire because they were useful during times of famine and could do the tasks others could not preform for the empire.

What motivated the Incan rulers to conquer new territories? Why?

The Incas had motivations to conquer new territories because they wanted to make a more powerful states. They developed traditions and beliefs that would motivate them to expand their territory and become the most powerful empire. They had a powerful military that conquered all the lands.

Public works.

The public works of the Inca were a very important part of why they are considered such an important civilization. Some of the important and well known public works of the Inca include: -the road system -engineering -roads and bridges -guesthouses -chasquis (runners) One of the greatest public works was the Inca Road System. This was very important because it was a way to symbolize the power of the Inca. This road system had many benefits. This system was a 14,000 miles long of roads and bridges. This could have been helpful for many purposes.

Mita.

Tribute in the form of labor.

What problems led to the decline of the Aztec Empire?

When Montezuma ll increased the amount of tribute and victims for sacrifice from the provinces of his empire, it caused a period of unrest and rebellion to develop. The arrival of the Spanish also caused the decline of the civilization.

How did the Aztec need for victims for sacrifice lead to problems controlling the empire?

With the population of the Aztecs reached new heights, Montezuma II ordered even more sacrifices than before. Due to this increased demand, some provinces rose up in revolt against Aztec oppression, leading to a period of unrest and rebellion, which the military struggled to put down.