chapter 11- americas, 600-1500

7/31/2019 Chapter 11- Americas, 600-1500

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Peoples and civilizations of the

Americas, 600-1500

Classic-Era Culture andSociety in Mesoamerica,

600-900

The Postclassic Period in

Mesoamerica, 900-1500

Northern Peoples

Andean Civilizations,

600-1500

Classic-Era Culture and Society

in Mesoamerica, 600-900


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Several centuries ofgrowth involvingseveral peoples

speaking differentlanguages

Mesoamericans wereunified by

similarities in

material culture,religious beliefs andpractices, and social

structures

Political andcultural innovationsdid not depend on

new technologies

Increasinglypowerful elites to

organize andcommand growingnumbers of laborers

and soldiers

Teotihuacan

*Teotihuacan was at theheight of its power in

600 CE and verging ondecline

Religious architecturerose above a city center

aligned with nearbysacred mountains and

reflecting themovement of the stars


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Quetzalcoatl, thefeathered serpent, was aculture-god believed to

be the originator of

agriculture and the arts

human sacrifice

The rapid growth inurban population

initially resulted from aseries of volcanic

eruptions that disputedagriculture


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The use of *Chinampas, sometimes called floatinggardens, were narrow artificial islands constructed

along lake shores or in marshes

heaped lake muck and waste material on beds of reedsthat were then anchored to the shore by trees

The productivity of thecitys agriculture made

possible itsaccomplishments in

art, architecture, andtrade

Apartment compounds

Divine approval of anda material basis for theelites increased wealth

and status

Their prestige and wealthwere reflected in their style

of dress and diet

The Teotihuacan did notconcentrate power in the

hands of a single ruler

They enjoyed a relativepeace during its early

development

Used their military toexpand trade relations


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The final decades wereviolent

The city wasoverwhelmed militarily

by a nearby rival city orby nomadic warriors

from the northernfrontier

Conflict within the rulingelite

The Maya The *Maya developed animpressive civilization in the

region that today includesGuatemala, Honduras,

Belize, and southern Mexico

tropical climate and fragilesoils

Rival kingdoms led byhereditary rulers struggled

with each other from regionaldominance

Swidden agriculture produceda high yield

The high population levels ofthe Maya classic period, which

ended about 900 CE

Terraced hillsides and drainingswamps

Impressive religious templesand by creating rituals that

linked the power of the kings tothe gods


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Everything was constructedwithout the aid of wheelsno

pulleys, wheelbarrows, orcarts

The pyramids were sacredmountains reaching to the

heavens. The doorways of thepyramids were portals to the

underworld

Religious Ritualbloodletting, hallucinogenic

trances, piercing

Warfare in particularwas infused withreligious meaning

Fought to securecaptives rather than

territory

Development of theconcept of zero,

hieroglyphicinscriptions

Between 800 and900 CE, thepopulation

expansion led toenvironmental

degradation anddeclining

agriculturalproductivity which

provoked socialconflict and warfare


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The Postclassic Period in

Mesoamerica, 900-1500

Culturalcharacteristics of theclassical period were

carried over to thepostclassic period

The two periods arelinked by similarities

in religious belief,architecture, urban

planning, and socialorganization

The Toltecs and theAztecs are the major

postclassic states

They increased the sizeof their armies anddeveloped political

institutions


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The Toltecs

Little is known about the*Toltecs prior to their arrival

in central Mexico

Originally a satellitepopulation that Teotihuacanhad placed on the northern

frontier

The most important Toltecinnovations were in politics

and military

The Toltecs created the firstconquest state based largely

on military power

Established about 968 CE,the Toltec capital of Tulawas constructed in a grand

style

Sometime after 1000 CE astruggle between elite

groups identified with rivalreligious cults undermined

the Toltec state

Around 1175 CEnorthern invaders

overcame Tula itself

The Aztecs of theValley of Mexico

became the mostimportant of these

late postclassic

peoples


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The Aztecs

The Mexica, morecommonly known as

the *Aztecs, pushed intocentral Mexico in the

wake of the collapse ofTula

They began the

construction of theirtwin capitals

*Tenochtitlan andTlatelolco

Military successes allowedthe Aztecs to seize control ofadditional agricultural land

along the lakeshore

Aztec rulers did not haveabsolute power, and royal

succession was not based onprimogeniture

War was infused withreligious meaning, proving

the ruler with legitimacy

Territorial conquestallowed the warrior elite ofAztec society to seize landand peasant labor as spoils

of war

Clan members also foughttogether as military units

Aztec kings and aristocrats

legitimated theirascendancy by creating

elaborate rituals andceremonies


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Commoners livedin small dwellingsand ate a limited

diet and ledmonogamous lives

The nobility livedin large two-story

houses and ate

expensive foodsand led

polygamous lives

Aztec chinampas contributedmaize, fruits, and vegetables

to the markets ofTenochtitlan

The imposition of a *tributesystem on conquered peoples

also helped relieve thepressure of a growing

population

Commerce was dominatedby lightweight and valuable

products

Aztec commerce wascarried on withoutmoney and credit

Barter was facilitated bythe use of cacao, quillsfilled with gold, and

cotton cloth as standardunits

The island capital wasdesigned in a complex

grid


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The Aztecs worshiped a largenumber of godsmost ofwhich had a dual nature

both male and female

Most gods were associatedwith war

Huitzilopochtli required a dietof human hearts to sustain the

Suns warmth to the world

War captives were thepreferred sacrificial victims

Northern Peoples

Southwestern Desert Cultures

The Hohokam of the Saltand Gila river valleys of

southern Arizona

Strong Mexican influence

By 1000 CE the Hohokamhad constructed an elaborate

irrigation system

The Anasazi to the north leftthe most vivid legacy of

these desert cultures


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*Anasazia Navajo wordmeaning ancient ones to

identify a number ofdispersed desert cultures

located in what is now NewMexico and Colorado

Economy based on maize,beans, and squash

Large villages inunderground buildings

called kivas

Population of c. 15,000

Women shared inagricultural tasks and

were specialist in manycrafts

Chaco Canyon culture,the largest Anasazi

community, originatedas a colonial appendage

of Mesoamerica


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There is no clearevidence of clear class

distinction

The abandonment of themajor sites in ChacoCanyon in the 12thcentury most likelyresulted from a long

drought thatundermined thecultures fragile

agricultural economy

Mound Builders: The

Mississippian Culture

A north American

chiefdom traditionemerged in the

Mississippi river basin

Population of c. 10,000

The hereditary leader wasboth the religious andsecular responsibilities

Urbanized Mississippiansites developed from the

accumulated effects ofsmall increases in

agricultural productivity,bow and arrow, trade

networks

Population growth andsocial stratification

No evidence for the declineand abandonment of major

urban centers


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Andean Civilizations,

600-1500

Much of the regionsmountainous zone is ataltitude that seem too

high for agriculture and

human habitation

Yet the Amerindianpeoples of the Andeanarea produced some of

the most sociallycomplex and politically

advanced societies of theWestern Hemisphere

Cultural Response to

Environmental Challenge

From the time of Chavinall of the great Andeancivilizations succeeded

in connecting thedistinctive resources of

the coastal region

The regions fields wereperiodicallyoverwhelmed by

droughts


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The mountainousinterior presented

some of the greatestenvironmental

challenges

They also discoveredhow to use cold/dryclimate to produce

freeze-driedvegetable and meat

products

Domestication of thellama and alpaca

Record-keeping system

more limited than theone found inMesoamerica

A system of knottedcolored cords, *khipus

was used to aidadministration and

record population counts

The clan, or *ayllu,provided the foundationfor Andean achievement

Members of an ayllu heldland communallynot

related

The *mita was arotational labor draft that

organized members ofayllus to work the fields

and care for the llamaand alpaca herds


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The mita system was an essential

part of the Andean world for more

than a thousand years

Coastal regions produced maize,

fish, and cotton

Mountain valleys contributed

quinoa as well as potatoes

Wool and meat of llama and

alpaca

Amazonian regioncoca and

fruits

Moche

The Moche and the Chimuwho followed them

cultivated maize, quinoa,beans, manioc and sweet

potatoes with the aid ofmassive irrigation works

Coca is high elevations

Complex networks of canalsand aqueducts connectedfields with water sources

Highly stratified andtheocratic

Rich clothing and jewelryconfirmed their divine status

and set them farther apartfrom commoners

headdresses of the elite

gold plates suspended fromtheir noses and large gold

plugs


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The rapid decline of themajor centers coincided

with a succession ofnatural disasters in the

sixth century

Earthquake altered thecourse of the Moche

The political leaders basedtheir authority throughcontrol of the naturalforces through rituals

Tiwanaku and Wari

In the Andean highlands theTiwanaku and Wari culturesparalleled that of Moche of

the coastal regions

*Tiwanaku vast drainageprojects

Intensive cultivation similarto that achieved by the use

of chinampas inMesoamerica

Large stones and quarriedblocks were moved manymiles to construct a largeterraced pyramid, walled

enclosures, and a reservoir

large structures of finely cutstone that required littlemorter to fit the blocks

It is clear that the elitecontrolled a large, disciplinedlabor force in the surrounding

region


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Population of 30,000

It was not a metropolislike the largest

Mesoamerican cities

It was a ceremonial andpolitical center for a large

regional population

*Wari, northwest ofTiwanaku

Shared culture andtechnology of

Tiwanaku

Perhaps as aconsequence of militaryconflict, both Tiwanaku

and Wari declined toinsignificance by about

1000 CE


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chapter 11- americas, 600-1500

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