Latin America
Done by Roberto Preza
Political
- Mayan States: usually governed by simple chiefdoms. Leaders legitimized their authority through their political connections and their divine lineages. Individuals who disobeyed their rulers faced severe punishment because the Maya people believed that obedience to their leader was critical to maintaining the harmony of the Maya universe. Human sacrifice had begun prior to the Classic Period, and was used as a tool of social and religious control to demonstrate the power of the ruler and the gods.
- Aztec States: empire was made up of a series of city-states known as altepetl. Each altepetl was ruled by a supreme leader (tlatoani) and a supreme judge and administrator (cihuacoatl).
- Inca States: had eighty provinces, all ruled by a governor, bureaucratic empire. Subjects in the Inca Empire were put into groups of ten, fifty, one hundred, five hundred,etc.
Economy
- Inca: had extensive economic networks. Conquered people would do mita, a service in which people would produce goods which were then traded. Those who were part of mita were divided into groups, each group had different skills. There were no merchants.
- Aztec: the largest market place in the Aztec Empire was located in The city of Tlatelolco, near Tenochtitlan. Most villages and towns in the Aztec Empire had a marketplace. These marketplaces mostly had handmade crafts that were made by the people. There were no merchants.
Religion
- Aztec: Had many gods incorporated into their culture. Huitzilopochtli is known to be the patron god of the Aztecs. His name means“Hummimngbird of the left” and he is the patron of war and sacrifice. His shrine, on top of the pyramid of the Templo Mayor, was decorated with skulls and colored in red for blood. Aztecs would sacrifice people mostly prisoners of war in order to please and keep the gods happy.
Society
- Mayan: Maya society was divided into four social classes; nobles, commoners, serfs, and slaves. The noble class was complex and specialized. The elite status and prestigious occupations were passed through family lineage. Nobles served as rulers, government officials, tribute collectors, military leaders, high priests, local administrators, cacao plantation managers, and trade expedition leaders. Nobles were among the few literate and really wealthy. They typically lived in the central areas of Maya cities.Commoners worked as farmers, laborers, and servants. Upward mobility was allowed between classes and it was possible for commoners to climb the social ladder through two ways. Some commoners became quite wealthy through their work as artisans and merchants. Others were moved up through service in the military.The lowest classes were made up of a system of serfdom and slavery. Serfs typically worked the lands that belonged to rulers or local town leaders. There was an active slave trade in the Maya region. Commoners and elites were both permitted to own slaves. Individuals became slaves as a form of punishment for certain crimes and for failing to pay back their debts.
- Aztec: The Aztec people had a strict social hierarchy. the hierarchy classifications were divided into either nobles (pipiltin), commoners (macehualtin), serfs, or slaves. The noble class was made of government and military leaders, high priests, and lords (tecuhtli). Within the noble class, priests had their own internal class system. They were expected to be celibate and to refrain from alcohol and failure to do so would result in severe punishment or death. The lords (tecuhtli) were landowners, judges, and military commanders.
Innovation
- Aztec: the Aztecs were able to make an intricate and accurate calendar with a total of 365 days, not including leap years.They also came up with the concept of the zero and had a number system based on 20, the numbers could be distinguished by dots or lines.
Arts and Architecture
- Aztec: would build temples on top of pyramids that were used to worship gods. The Aztecs would build large but not very tall pyramids with stepped sides. Only priests were able to go up these hard to get to temples, each pyramid was made to worship certain deities. These pyramids were usually made from stone.
Near Geographic
- Aztec: Their reign started when they settled near lake Texcoco and spread throughout Central Mexico.
- Inca: Built their empire near the Andes Mts. And what is present day Peru, Chile, and parts of Agentina
- Maya: Located in what is now present day El Salvador, Guatemala, and the Southern Tip of Mexico.
Scources
http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/exhibits/aztec/maya_social.html
http://archaeology.about.com/od/aztecarchaeology/tp/Aztec-Gods.htm
Strayer, Robert. Ways of the World. 2nd ed. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. Print.
http://www.library.umaine.edu/hudson/palmer/maya/society.asp
http://www.webestates.biz/maya-architecture/
http://0.tqn.com/d/archaeology/1/0/0/b/1/Huitzilopochtli.jpghttps://cunyonline.digication.com/DeniseDurrant/Welcome/published
https://www.classzone.com/net_explorations/U4/U4_article1.cfm
http://archaeology.about.com/od/aztecarchaeology/tp/Aztec-Gods.htm
Strayer, Robert. Ways of the World. 2nd ed. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. Print.
http://www.library.umaine.edu/hudson/palmer/maya/society.asp
http://www.webestates.biz/maya-architecture/
http://0.tqn.com/d/archaeology/1/0/0/b/1/Huitzilopochtli.jpghttps://cunyonline.digication.com/DeniseDurrant/Welcome/published
https://www.classzone.com/net_explorations/U4/U4_article1.cfm