Chapter 16 - Maya, Aztec, Inca

Maya believed each day was _______________

a living god

_____________ provided the basis of Mayan life.

agriculture

City-states linked through

alliances and trade

Incan treatment of conquered peoples

allowed them to keep their own customs and rulers

Mayas based their calendar on

astronomy

The Maya number system was a

base-20 system

Incan social classes

based on form of cooperation called allyu, divided families into groups and a chief led each group

Aztec social classes

EMPEROR 1) Noble class (military leaders, government officials, priests) 2) Commoners (merchants, artisans, soldiers farmers) 3)Enslaved persons

All Incan roads led to

capital, Cuzco

Aztec religious practices

centered on elaborate pulic ceremonies designed to communicate with gods, priests made offerings to gods and presented dramas songs and dances, held many religious festivals, practiced immense human sacrifice for sun go

obsidian

city's most valuable trade item, green or black volcanic glass found in Valley of Mexico

Mayan writing system

consisted of 800 glyphs

Incan government

controlled almost all economic and social life, allowed LITTLE COMMERCE OR TRADE, main demand of subjects was tribute in the form of labor, may be called a modern welfare state

How Incan controlled empire

divided territory and people into units governed by a bureaucracy

Incan calendars

elaborate calendar system with one for night and one for day, used primarily for religious purposes

Toltecs

extremely warlike people who moved into central Mexico after the Teotihuacan whose empire was based on conquest

Quetzalcoatl

feathered serpent, god

Discord in Incan empire

Huayna Capac (great leader) died after terrible omen, empire split between his sons, one laid claim to whole empire, civil war erupted, weakened empire

largest empire ever seen in the Americas

Inca

Mayan decline

Maya suddenly abandoned their cites and Toltec moved in, Maya were divided into small weak city-states

Valley of Mexico

fertile soil, lakes, resources

Tenochtitlan

founded on a small island in Lake Texcoco, connected with outlying residential districts by streets and broad avenues, Huitzilopochitli told Aztecs to build it, had a main walled complex with the Great Temple

The Inca called their empire

The Land of the Four Quarters

Independent city-states ruled by

god-kings

All city-states featured

huge pyramids, temples, palaces, stone-carvings

Classical Period (Mayans)

lasted from AD 250-900, Mayas built spectacular cities

main agriculture

maize, beans, squash

Aztecs based their power on ________________

military conquest and tribute from conquered subjects

Inca had a powerful ________________ and used force ______________

military, only when necessary

Incan government record-keeping

never developed writing system, had oral tradition, used quipu (set of knotted strings) to record data

Mayan religious practices

prayed and made offerings of food, flowers, and incense, pierced and cut bodies, carried out human sacrifice of captured enemies

The Incan created a _________________ to tie the empire together

road system

Homeland of Mayans

stretched from Southern Mexico into northern central America (highland and lowland)

Incan ruler descended from

sun god, Inti (only had 11 noble lineages)

Inca religious practices

sun-worship services, sacrifice of llamas, exchange of goods

Pachacuti

took Incan throne, conquered all of Peru them kept moving, accomplished conquest through diplomacy and military force

Aztecs

used to be called the Mexica, were a poor nomadic people from the harsh deserts of Northern Mexico, found work as soldiers for hire

Maya developed the most advanced ________________________

writing system

Mayan social classes

KING 1) Noble class (priests and warriors) 2) Merchants and artisans 3) Peasant majority

Inca location

South America, capital was Cuzco in southern Peru, stretched from Ecuador (N) to Chile (S), Valley of Cuzco

Mayan calendars

1) Religious calendar - 260 days, 13 20-day months 2) Solar Calendar - 365 days, 18 20-day months with 5 days at end

Aztec calendars

1) Sacred one - 13 months of 20 days 2) Agricultural or solar one - 18 months of 20 days

Triple Alliance

Aztecs, Texcoco, Tlacopan

original location of Inca

Andes

Ancient civilizations of Peru

Chavin, Moche, Nazca, Huari, Tiahuanaco, Chimu,

Aztec problems

Montezuma crowned emperor, empire began to weaken, more tribute and sacrifice with bigger cities, period of rebellion

___________ influenced most aspects of mayan life

Religion

Great Incan cities

Temple in CUZCO, MACCHU PICHU also had temple

First major civilization of central Mexico

Teotihuacan

Important Mayan city-states

Tikal (major center in northern Guatemala), Copan Palenque, Uxmal, and Chichen Itza

Location of the Aztecs

Valley of Mexico

Incan gods

Viracocha (creator god), Inti (son god)