Early American Cultures

Three Main Cultures

Aztecs

Maya

Inca

Aztec Empire

Aztecs Central to Southern Mexico Late Classical Period of Meso-American

History 14th – 16th Centuries

Who they were: Warriors Architects Artists Very Religious

Aztec Warriors

"Go where the cactus grows, on which the eagle sits happily…there you shall wait, there you shall meet a number of tribes and with your arrow or with your shield you shall conquer them.“

-- Aztec prophecy

Flag of Modern Mexico

Coat of Arms of Mexico

Aztec ArtSong and poetry were highly regarded; there

were presentations and poetry contests at most of the Aztec festivals. There were also dramatic presentations that included players, musicians and acrobats.

A remarkable amount of this poetry survives, having been collected during the era of the conquest. In some cases poetry is attributed to individual authors, such as Nezahualcoyotl, tlatoani of Texcoco, and Cuacuauhtzin, Lord of Tepechpan, but whether these attributions reflect actual authorship is a matter of opinion. Miguel León-Portilla, a well-respected Aztec scholar of Mexico, has stated that it is in this poetry where we can find the real thought of the Aztecs, independent of "official" Aztec ideology.

Aztec Art

"Poetry" was in xochitl in cuicatl a dual term meaning "the flower and the song" and was divided into different genres. Yaocuicatl was devoted to war and the god(s) of war, Teocuicatl to the gods and creation myths and to adoration of said figures, xochicuicatl to flowers (a symbol of poetry itself and indicative of the highly metaphorical nature of a poetry that often utilized duality to convey multiple layers of meaning). "Prose" was tlahtolli, also with its different categories and divisions (Garganigo et al.).

Jewelry

Masks and Headwear

Sculpture and

Pottery

Religious and

Warrior Art

Aztec Religion

Polytheistic Society Many different Gods

Shamanism The ability to walk through and communicate

with the Spirit World Animism

The belief that souls are found not only in humans, but also animals, plants, and rocks

Religion was part of all levels of Aztec society. On the state level, religion was controlled by the Tlatoani and the high priests governing the main temples in the ceremonial precinct of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.

This level involved the large monthly festivals and a number of specific rituals centered around the ruler dynasty and attempting to stabilize both the political and cosmic systems, these rituals were the ones that involved sacrifice of humans.

Aztec Religion

Aztec Sacrifice

To the Aztecs, death was instrumental in the perpetuation of creation and gods and humans alike had the responsibility of sacrificing themselves in order to allow life to continue. This worldview is, best described in the myth of the Five suns which is recorded in the Codex Chimalpopoca - here it is recounted how Quetzalcoatl stole the bones of the previous generation in the underworld, and how later the gods created four successive worlds or "suns" for their subjects to live in, all of which were destroyed. Then by an act of self-sacrifice one of the gods, Nanahuatzin, "the pimpled one", caused a fifth and final sun to rise and the first humans, made out of maize dough could live, thanks to his sacrifice - and they, the humans, were responsible for its continued revival. Human sacrifice among the Aztecs and in Mesoamerica in general must be seen in this context - sacrifice and death is necessary for the continued existence of the world.

Human sacrifice as shown in the Codex Magliabechiano.

The Maya Area occupied

Southeastern Mexico most of Guatemala Western Honduras Belize Western El Salvador

Maya Time Line Pre-Classic

2500 BCE – 300 CE Classic

300 – 900 CE Post-Classic

900 – 1500 CE Modern

1500 CE - Present

Classic Mayan Civilization 300 – 900 CE Primarily a “Stone – Age” society

No metal No use of the wheel Very peaceful Advances in

Architecture Sculpture Painting Mathematics Astronomy

Classic Mayan Architecture

Temple at Tikal in Guatemala

Classic Mayan Sculpture

Portrait of K'inich Janaab Pakal I, (603-683 CE), Palenque king, stucco, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City.

Bonampak paintings. Located in temples in Chiapas, Mexico

Classic Mayan Painting

The Maya used a base 20 and base 5 numbering system. Inscriptions show them on occasion working with sums up to the hundreds of millions and dates so large it would take several lines just to represent it.

Mayan Number System

Classic Mayan Mathematics

The Dresden Codex contains astronomical tables of outstanding accuracy. It is most famous for its Lunar Series and Venus table. Contained in the codex are almanacs, astronomical and astrological tables, and religious references. The Codex contains predictions for agriculturally-favorable timing. It has information on rainy seasons, floods, illness and medicine. It also seems to show conjunctions of constellations, planets and the Moon.

Dresden Codex, written during the 11th – 12th centuries CE

Classic Mayan Astronomy

Social and Political Organization The Lord

God-King of City Nobles

Gathered taxes, supplies, & labor for construction sites Priests

Maintained favor with the Gods, led rituals, were the astronomers Merchants & Artisans

Traders, sculptors, painters, etc. Peasants

Men worked the fields, women in the homes Slaves

Surplus children, war prisoners, criminals

Post Classical MayaShortly after their first expeditions to the region, the Spanish initiated a number of attempts to subjugate the Maya who were hostile towards the Spanish crown and establish a colonial presence in the Maya territories of the Yucatán Peninsula and the Guatemalan highlands. This campaign, sometimes termed "The Spanish Conquest of Yucatán," would prove to be a lengthy and dangerous exercise for the conquistadores from the outset, and it would take some 170 years and tens of thousands of Indian auxiliaries before the Spanish established substantive control over all Maya lands.

Unlike the Aztec and Inca Empires, there was no single Maya political center that, once overthrown, would hasten the end of collective resistance from the indigenous peoples. Instead, the conquistador forces needed to subdue the numerous independent Maya polities almost one by one, many of which kept up a fierce resistance. The Spanish Church and government officials destroyed Maya texts and with them the knowledge of Maya writing, but by chance three of the pre-Columbian books dated to the post classic period have been preserved. The last Maya states, the Itza polity of Tayasal and the Ko'woj city of Zacpeten, were continuously occupied and remained independent of the Spanish until late in the 17th century. They were finally subdued by the Spanish in 1697.

The IncasThe Incas

• Located in Modern Peru

• 1200 – 1533 CE

• Destroyed by Francisco Pizzaro

Inca Political SystemInca Political System

• Empire split into 4 sections– Each with it’s own Governor– Called a “Apu-cuna”

• Each Governor reported to the King– Called the “Sapa Inca”

• Political, economic, and religious capital located at Cuzco

Inca ReligionInca Religion

• Tolerated religions of conquered or assimilated cultures

• However, The Incan Empire was a Theocracy: The Sapa Inca was a direct descendent of Inti, the Sun God and all members of the Incan Empire were required to worship Him

Incan ArchitectureIncan Architecture

• Machu Picchu– Prime example of Incan Architecture– Built in 1450 CE & abandoned in 1572 CE– 8040 feet above sea level

Machu PicchuMachu Picchu

Machu PicchuMachu Picchu

Machu Machu PicchuPicchu

Incan MilitaryIncan Military

Every male under Incan rule capable of military service was subject to draft for either the purpose of a single campaign or permanent service. Strict discipline offered punishment in the form of whipping or execution for abuse of civilians by the army while on the march.

Officers consisted of two classes: the higher ranked officers were members of the ruling Inca caste, given position and exempt from tribute while lower ranked officers who commanded at most 50 men were natives promoted by higher ranking Inca and not exempt from service

Incan MilitaryIncan Military

The armor used by the Incas included:• Helmets made of wood, cane or animal skin• Round shields made of palm and cotton• Cotton cloaks and metal plates above the breast and shoulders• Armor for protection from darts and arrows

Weapons included:• Bronze or bone-tipped spears or lances • Knobbed Clubs • Two-handed wooden swords with serrated edges • Clubs with stone and spiked metal heads • Wooden slings and stones • Stone or copper headed battle-axes • Bolas

Incan AgricultureIncan Agriculture

• Used a terrace system due to being a mountainous culture

• Produce grown– Maize– Squash– Tomatoes– Chili peppers– Melons– Cotton– Potatoes– Peanuts