The+Americas

Aztecs · Believed to have been a nomadic tribe that use political anarchy to penetrate agricultural people after fall of Toltecs Summary - After the fall of the Toltec Empire in 1150, many people and cities fought for control of the lakes. Eventually the Aztecs won, and rapidly rose to power and formed an imperial state that was spectacular. By speaking the language of the Toltecs, their rise to power and claim to legitimacy became more acceptable. Aztecs society had changed from being a loose association of clans to a stratified society with a supreme ruler. Aztecs also believed in many gods, both a female and male versions and celebrated year round with festivals and were offered many sacrifices. Not much technology was created during Aztec rule except for agricultural systems. A special merchant class was also created called the pochteca which specialized in long-distance trading.
 * E || * feeding of population of Tenochtitlan/Aztec confederation depended on traditional forms of agriculture and innovations
 * food demanded from people of conquered land
 * each community had periodic markets, every 5 and 13 days new goods were exchanged
 * cacao beans and gold dust used as currency
 * great market at Tlatelolco operated daily and controlled by special merchant class, pochteca
 * tribal payments ||
 * S || * Aztecs divided into seven calpulli
 * much of Aztec life based on calpulli
 * kinship group and residential group
 * in origins of Aztec society, everyone belonged to a calpulli but as Aztec power increased -> social stratification formed
 * social hierarchic formed
 * nobility broke free from calpulli and acquired private land -> new class of workers formed
 * scribes/artisans/healers part of intermediate group -> important in large cities
 * Aztec women worked in fields and home
 * polygamy in nobility and monogamous on peasants
 * P || * Rapid rise to power by Aztecs and formation of imperial state
 * P || * Rapid rise to power by Aztecs and formation of imperial state
 * Loose association of clans -> stratified society under a supreme ruler
 * Cult of human sacrifice and conquest united with political power of ruler and nobility
 * **Huitzilopochtli﻿** -> Aztec tribal patron - central figure of cult
 * prime minister had tremendous power and usually close relative of ruler
 * during Aztec expansion, social + political transformation took place
 * new powerful nobility with near absolute rule emerged
 * cult of military virtues elevated to a supreme position as religion of state
 * empire was never integrated
 * bunch of city-states, left unchanged if they recognized Aztec supremacy ||
 * I || * Toltec Empire destroyed by invaders
 * Aztecs were tough warriors and fanatical followers of their gods -> people valued and feared them
 * many revolts against Aztecs -> were put down ruthlessly
 * R || * Incorporated many features of Mesoamerican belief system
 * Had at least 128 deities
 * gods supported by round of yearly festivals/ceremonies involving feasting/dancing
 * three major themes/cults
 * gods of fertility and agriculture cycle
 * **Tlaloc** - god of rain
 * great gods/goddess who brought universe into being
 * cult of warfare sacrifice
 * bit more on the gods/deities need to be added ||
 * I || * Rewrote history to suit own purposes
 * By speaking Nahuatl, fact that Aztecs came to power was more acceptable
 * human sacrifices long part of Mesoamerican religion and expanded considerably in period of militarism
 * ritual cannibalism
 * Aztec religious art and poetry filled with flowers/birds/song/human hearts and blood
 * T || * built chinampas for agriculture -> artificial floating islands
 * grind corn by hand on stone boards
 * no wheel or suitable animal for power ||
 * grind corn by hand on stone boards
 * no wheel or suitable animal for power ||

Incas

Summmary - At the same time the Aztecs expanded their rule of Mesoamerica, the Inca Empire was beginning in the Andean highlands. The Incas have also incorporated many things previous empires used into theirs. The Inca Empire achieved a level of integrations and domination with its genius for state organization and bureaucratic control over people of different cultures and languages. The Incas extended their control through military alliances and campaigns under Pachacuti and his son and successor Topac Yupanqui. The Incas had adopted the practice of split inheritance, where all political power and titles go to the successor but all the property is given to relatives. The sun was also viewed as the highest god but other local gods were not allowed to be worshiped. The Inca state was able to provide roads, irrigation projects and hard to get goods to the people.
 * E || * Emphasis on self-sufficiency and state-regulation of production and surplus limited trade
 * Based on intensive agriculture organized by a state that accumulated surplus production and redistributed to groups/social classes ||
 * S || * Local rulers allowed to maintain position and maintained position by giving loyalty to inca
 * Mita, labor turns, essential aspect of Inca control
 * Incas required women to weave high-quality cloth for court/religious purposes
 * Roles and obligations were gender-specific and equal and independent
 * Members of Inca nobility = greatly privileged ||
 * P || * Genius for state organization and bureaucratic control over people of different cultures/languages
 * Empire ruled by the inca who ruled from Cuzco
 * Regarded as a god, high priest was usually a close relative
 * State bureaucracy developed and almost all nobles played a role
 * Integration of imperial policy with regional and ethnic diversity = political achievement ||
 * I || * Conquered people enlisted in Inca armies and were rewarded with goods from conquests ||
 * R || * Sun was the highest deity
 * Temple of the Sun in Cuzco = center of state religion
 * Popular belief based on profound animism that endowed many natural phenomena with spiritual power ||
 * I || * Inca Empire incorporated many aspects of previous Andean cultures + fused them
 * Defeated neighbors and under **Pachacuti**, the launched series of military alliances and campaigns that brought them control from Cuzco to Lake Titicaca
 * Adopted practice of **split inheritance**
 * Political power and title of ruler go to successor but palaces/wealth/land/possessions go to relatives
 * Self perpetuating need for expansion created
 * No system of writing but instead used knotted string ||
 * T || * Complex system of roads built with bridges and causeways
 * Tambos, stations, placed a day’s walk in between to serve as reststop
 * Irrigation systems ||



Compare and contrast the social and economic patterns of the Aztecs and the Incas 