Chapter 15

The Aztec and Inca Empires

The Aztec Empire

Section 1

First Aztecs were farmers from Northern Mexico

Migrated south in the 1100s but all of the good farmland was taken

To survive, the Aztecs hired themselves out as skilled fighters

The Aztecs

Build an Empire

Aztec Warriors conquered many towns

Also, made alliances or partnerships with other tribes In the 1420s, formed a secret

alliance with two other cities on Lake Texcoco and defeated the other towns around the lake

War, Tribute, &

Trade

The Aztecs made people they conquered pay tribute: a payment to a more powerful ruler or country

Had to pay for goods such as cotton, gold, or food.

Controlled a huge trade network

Most towns had a market where local farmers and artisans brought their goods to trade.

War, Tribute, &

Trade

The Aztec capital city Located on an island in

the middle of Lake Texcoco

Built three causeways: raised roads across water or wet ground, to connect the island to the shore.

Made of rocks covered in dirt.

Although surrounded by water, the water was undrinkable

The Aztecs built a stone aqueduct to bring fresh water to the city.

Tenochtitlan

Limited land available for farming

Built “floating gardens” called chinampas.

Made by putting soil on rafts anchored to trees in the water.

Became the greatest city in the Americas

Had huge temples, a busy market, clean streets, and a magnificent palace.

At its height, Tenochtitlan had 200,000 people.

Tenochtitlan

Conquistadors: Spanish explores who arrived in the Americas in the late 1400s in search of new lands, gold, and to spread their Catholic religion.

Hernan Cortes: Conquistador who reached Mexico in 1519 looking for gold.

Moctezuma II: believed Cortes was the Aztec god, Quetzalcoatl, who was supposed to return to Mexico in 1519.

Cortes Conquers

the Aztecs

Moctezuma sent Cortes gifts, including gold.

Cortes marched on Tenochtitlan and captured Moctezuma and the city.

The Aztecs attacked and drove the Spanish out.

Moctezuma was killed.Cortes came back in 1521

with many Indian allies and conquered Tenochtitlan

Cortes Conquers the

Aztecs

AlliancesThe Spanish forces made allies with tribes who did not like the Aztecs

Malintzin: Malinche, guide and interpreter for Cortes.

Causes of the Defeat

of the Aztecs

Better WeaponsGuns, armor, and horsesGeographyBlocked Tenochtitlan’s

causeways, bridges, and waterways.

Cut off drinking water and supplies.

Thousands of Aztecs died from starvation.

Causes of the

Defeat of the Aztecs

DiseaseSpanish had brought

diseases such as smallpox to the Americas

These were new diseases to the Aztecs and swept through Aztec communities, killing thousands.

Causes of the Defeat

of the Aztecs

Why were neighboring tribes willing to fight with the Spaniards against the Aztecs?

How did the Spaniards use the local geography to defeat the city?

Do you think Moctezuma was too trusting of Cortes and his men? Explain your answer.

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They did not like losing battles and paying tribute to the Aztecs.

The Spaniards blocked causeways, bridges, and waterways; cut off drinking water and other supplies.

Possible Answer—If Moctezuma had been less trusting, the empire would have been less vulnerable.

Bell Work Answers

Aztec Life & Society

Section 2

Aztec people had clearly defined roles

Aztec society organized into groups called calpullis: a community of families that shared land, schools, a temple, and an elected leader.

Aztec Society

King was the most important person in Aztec society Lived in a palace that

had gardens, a zoo, and an aviary.

Some 3,000 servants attended his every need

Was in charge of law, trade and tribute, warfare Kings &

Nobles

Aztec Nobles, such as tax collectors and judges, helped manage for the king.

Noble positions were passed down from fathers to their sons.

Young nobles went to schools to learn the responsibilities they would face as government officials, military leaders, or priests.

Kings & Nobles

Priests had a great influence over Aztecs’ lives.Kept calendars and

decided when to plant crops or perform ceremonies.

Passed down Aztec history and stories

Performed various religious ceremonies, including human sacrifice.

Priests & Warriors

Aztec Warriors fought to capture victims for religious sacrifices.Respected for the

wealth they brought to the empire

Priests & Warriors

Merchants gathered goods from all over Mesoamerica and sold them in the main market

Became very richBuilt large, impressive

houses and sent their sons to special schools

Artisans were also rich and important

Made goods like feather headdresses and gold jewelry.

Merchants & Artisans

The lower class of Aztec society

Most people were farmers who grew corn, beans, and other crops

Did not own their land and were very poor.

Had to pay so much in tribute that they often found it tough to survive.

Slaves had been captured in battle or couldn’t pay their debts.

Sold as laborers to nobles or merchants.

Farmers & Slaves

Job or Task Ruled the Empire and lived in

luxury

Person who performed the Job

Kings

Aztec Life & Society

• Served as important officials, such as tax collectors and judges.

• Nobles

• Performed many important duties, such as keeping calendars. • Priests

• Fought to conquer other peoples and capture victims for sacrifice.

• Warriors

• Traded goods like food, clothing, and tools.

• Merchants

• Skilled workers who made a wide variety of goods that people needed.

• Artisans

• Most Aztecs, who lived in simple huts. • Farmers• Prisoners of war, who were forced to work or

were sacrificed. • Slaves

Believed gods ruled all parts of life

Believed sacrifices were necessary to keep the gods strong and the world safe.

Sacrifices would be performed on warriors captured in battle.

Aztec priests sacrificed as many as 10,000 victims a year in religious ceremonies

10,000 victims/365 days in a year = about 27 people a day!!!

Aztec Religion

Took many of their achievements from the people they conquered.

Created a calendar much like the Maya one.

Workers built bridges and lined canals with stone

Used gold and feather to make jewelry

Made books, or codex, made of barks or animal skins, used to keep records.

Science, Art, &

Language

The Inca EmpireChapter 15 Section 3

Around 900 BC, complex civilizations began to develop in what is now Peru (the Chavin, the Nazca, the Moche and the Chimu)

Advancements in farming such as terraces and irrigation.

The Rise of the Inca Empire

Capital city was CuzcoRuler Pachacuti led the

Incas to expand their territory through agreements with other tribes and conquest.

By the early 1500s, the Inca Empire was huge, it stretched from what is now northern Ecuador to central Chile and included coastal deserts, snowy mountains, fertile valleys, and thick forests.

Around 12 million people lived in the Inca Empire.

The Early Incas

Made the leaders of conquered areas move out of their villages.

Then they brought in new leaders who were loyal to the Inca government.

Also made the children of conquered leaders travel to the capital to learn about Inca government and religion.After a while, the

children went back to rule their villages, where they taught people the Inca way of life.

Central Government and

Language

Established an official language: Quechua

No written language, but kept records with cords called quipus.Knots in the cords

represented numbers, different colors stood for information about crops, land, and other important topics.

Central Government and

Language

Incas had to “pay” their government in labor instead of taxes. Mita

Most Incas were farmers who grew corn, peanuts, and potatoes and raised llamas for meat and wool.

Farmers worked on government-owned farms in addition to their own farms.

Villages produced cloth and grain for the army.

Others worked in mines, served in the army, or built roads to pay their labor tax.

Economy

There were no merchants or markets in the Inca EmpireInstead, government

officials would distribute goods collected through mita..

Economy

A civil war began in the Inca Empire around 1530The Inca ruler died and

his two sons, Atahualpa and Huascar fought to become the new ruler.

Atahualpa won the war, but fierce fighting had weakened the Inca army

Pizarro Conquers the Incas

On his way to be crowned, Atahualpa heard that the Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro had arrived.

Atahualpa agreed to meet Pizarro

At the meeting, the Spanish told Pizarro to convert to Christianity, he refused and they attacked.

Atahualpa was captured and thousands of Inca soldiers were killed.

Pizarro Conquers the Incas

To win his freedom, Atahualpa asked his people to fill a room with gold and silver for Pizarro.

The people rushed to bring jewelry, statues, and other objects, melted down; the precious metals may have totaled 24 tons!!

However, the Spanish killed Atahualpa anyway.

In 1537, the Spanish defeated the last of the Incas and gained control over the entire region.

Spanish Control

Fall of the Inca similar to fall of the AztecsBoth had internal

problems when the Spanish arrived

Cortes and Pizarro captured the leaders of the each empire

Guns and horses gave the Spanish a great military advantage

Disease weakened native peoples.

Spanish Control

Why do you think farmers created terraces in the mountains?

Who was the Inca ruler when Pizarro arrived in the empire?

Why do you think the Spaniards attacked when Atahualpa would not convert to Christianity?

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When did the Spaniards defeat the last of the Inca?

How were the conquests of the Inca and Aztec Empires similar?

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Inca Life and SocietyChapter 15 Section 4

Two ClassesIncas from Cuzco = Upper Class

Conquered peoples = Lower Class

Society & Daily Life

The King, priests, and government officials made up the Inca Upper Class.

Sons of upper class families went to school in Cuzco.They studied Quechua,

religion, history, and law to prepare for their lives as government or religious officials.

Daily Life for the Upper Class

Lived in stone houses and wore the best clothes.

They didn’t have to pay the labor tax, and often had servants

Daily Life for the Upper

Class

Most Incas were farmers, artisans, or servants.

There were no slaves in Inca society

Farmed on government lands, served in the army, worked in mines, and built roads.

Most children did not go to school, but some young girls did go to school to learn weaving, cooking, and religion.

Lived outside of Cuzco in small houses.

By law, they had to wear plain clothes, also, they couldn’t own more goods then they needed.

Daily Life of the Lower Class

Had an official religion which was taught to all conquered peoples.

But the people could still worship their own gods too.

The sun god was the most important in the Inca religion.Kings were believed to

be related to the sun god.

Religion

Priests brought mummies of former kings to many ceremonies.People gave these

mummies food and gifts.

- Ceremonies often included sacrifice, but not humans, usually llamas, cloth, or food.

Religion

Massive buildings and forts made of huge, stone blocks.

Workers cut the blocks so precisely that they didn’t have to use cement to hold them together. Even today, nearly impossible

to fit a knife blade between the stones.

Also, built a system of very good roads Had two major highways that

ran the length of the empire

Building, Art, and Oral

Literature

Made gold and silver jewelry

Best textiles in the Americas

Art

No written records

All stories passed down orally through stories and songs.

Oral Literature

Take out a pencil or pen, binder paper, and your progress reports

Put everything else away and wait for instruction from Mr. Baptista.

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Take out any progress reports not turned in yet.

Wait to be told when to begin your projects by Mr. Baptista

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