The aztecs and the incas in 1500

2. Empires of the Sun The aztecs and the incas in 1500

3. The Americas had two complex civilizations at the time of the arrival of the Europeans • Why are they called “Pre-Columbian”? • Aztecs in Mesoamerica (modern day Mexico) • Incas in Andean region (modern day Chile & Peru) Pre-columbianamericas

4. A Reign of Blood The Aztec Empire

5. Founded in 1325 by Mexica • Aggressively militaristic • Rapid expansion • Had large empire in less than a century • 5-6 million subjects • Conquest state • Lots of rebellions Aztec Empire: Foundations

6. Legend of Tenochtitlan The gods told the Aztecs to search for an eagle holding a snake in its beak perched atop a cactus. This is where they were to build their capital city. The Aztecs saw this sign on a swampy island in lake Texcoco.

7. Legend of Tenochtitlan

8. The Aztecs lived in what is known as the Valley of Mexico in central Mexico.

10. Capital city of empire • Built in middle of Lake Texcoco • Had canals, bridges, causeways • Pyramids almost 200 feet high • Chinampas • Compensated for environment • Maize was main crop Aztec Empire: Tenochtitlan

11. Aztec Empire: Tenochtitlan

13. Mostly left subjects alone • EXCEPT for periodic tribute • Conquered peoples and cities had to periodically give lots of goods (clothing, weapons, food, jewelry, slaves) OR ELSE Aztec empire: Tribute

14. Size of empire and rapid population growth encouraged development of markets and crafted goods • Professional merchants (“pochteca”) had legal rights of commoners, but could use their money to get more power • Major “commodity” that they traded was slaves • Why were slaves so valuable? Aztec Empire: Markets & Goods

15. Aztecs were polytheistic • Huitzilopochtli was the main Aztec god. (weets se lo poch tlee) • The Aztecs built massive temples and pyramids dedicated to their gods

16. Apocalyptic worldview • World was about to die • Gods needed blood to survive and keep the world from dying • Life force of blood kept gods alive • Aztec worldview reflected instability of their environment • Water was always in scarce supply • Reflected in beliefs? Aztec Empire: Sacrifice

17. Aztec Empire saw its duty to get the gods blood • Declared war to get POWs for sacrifice • Greatest number of sacrifices at one time (in 4 days) was 80,400 • Included women & children • Huge sacrifices like that showed off power of priests AND rulers • How? Aztec Empire: Sacrifice

19. Children of the Sun The Inca Empire

20. Began empire in 1438 • Established through conquest • 2500 miles long • 10 million subjects • Located in the Andes (mountain range) Inca Empire: Foundations

21. What is a bureaucracy? • A system in which nonelected officials are organized into departments and make the most important decisions in the government • Helps ensure that thousands of people work together in compatible ways by defining everyone’s roles within a ranked system Inca Empire: Bureaucracy

22. How did the Incas’ bureaucracy work? • Government owned all land and resources • Emperor with divine lineage at the top of society • But bureaucrats basically ran it • Bureaucracy was designed to accommodate local circumstances • Why would this be useful? • 80 provinces, each had governor • Governors appointed officials to supervise subjects • Imperial “inspectors” monitored the governors and kept records (births, deaths, marriages, etc.) on quipus Inca Empire: Bureaucracy

23. Draw a diagram showing • How the bureaucracy of the • Inca Empire worked (Who was • in charge, what it could do)

24. Bureaucracy did much more than keep records • Helped to control most parts of peoples’ lives Inca Empire: Bureaucracy

25. But wait…there’s MORE • Conquered people were forced to resettle in several new areas • Leaders of conquered people had to learn Incas’ language • Why? • Occasional human sacrifice (often of children), no bigs compared to Aztecs Inca Empire: Bureaucracy

26. Required mita (forced labor) of every household • People didn’t have to give up their things • But everyone had to work for the empire periodically • Farming, herding, construction, crafting, military • Some women chosen for high position as priestesses (“wives of the Sun”) • In return for this service, Inca Empire had to provide large feasts for people Inca Empire: Bureaucracy

27. Infrastructure • large-scale public systems of a society that are necessary for economic activity • Ex: Water sources, roads, sanitation, communication • Inca were located in mountains, and infrastructure reflects this • Cities • Roads/Bridges Inca Empire: Infrastructure

31. Gender Parallelism • Men and women had separate duties, but those duties were equally valued in their own respects • Both involved in different religious rituals that were important but separated by gender • Both had some political authority in different areas (but men had more) • However, as empires grew through conquest, a male-centered view came to dominate society • Why? Gender in Pre-Columbian Americas

32. For this project you will be assigned either the Aztec or the Incan Empire and one of our Historical ThemesYou will need to answer the questions about your theme using the book and your tablet.After you have answered the questions draw a visual displaying your theme on the other side of your paper.