World History: Americas & Exploration Unit—Maya, Aztec, Inca Graphic Organizer SSWH8 Describe the diverse characteristics of societies in Central and South America. a. Explain the rise and fall of the Mayan, Aztec, and Inca Empires. b. Compare and contrast the Mayan, Aztec, and Incan societies, include: religion, culture, economics, politics, and technology.
Maya Aztec Inca
Location Modern Day countries of: Guatemala, Mexico, Google Search “Inca Empire location” to find Belize, Honduras, El Salvador modern day nation. . . Peru Valley of Mexico; near modern day Mexico City
Rise/Fall 250 to 900 AD is considered the Golden Age 1200 AD. Aztecs arrive in the valley of Inca tribe founded the city of Cuzco in 1200 (When/Why) of Maya city-states; major Mayan civilization Mexico; Conquered by the Spaniard Cortes in A.D. led by Capac; conquered by the Spanish collapses & major city-states are abandoned 1521 under Pizarro in 1533 for unknown reasons; possible overpopulation, invasion, revolts, trade problems, environmental disaster, disease, climate change
Government & Kingdoms included cities & surrounding Made up of several city-states ruled by an Led by an emperor called Sapa Inca; viceroy- Politics lands/towns ruled by a king; also councils emperor (believed to be appointed by the closest advisor to the emperor; High priest made of nobles who ran the government gods); city-states were independent as long was powerful in government because of as they paid tribute to the emperor; a second religious influence; empire divided into 4 in command to the emperor ran the government with thousands of officials/civil quarters each ruled by a governor; councils of servants; council of 4 advised the emperor the Realm-nobles who advised the emperor; inspectors made sure people paid taxes & followed laws; other officials included priests, military officers, judges, and tax collectors.
Religion Polytheistic; nature gods; kings were Worshiped the sun; polytheistic; main god Emperor was part god; gods lived in three intermediaries between gods & people; was Huiztilopochtli; also Tlaloc, Quetzalcoatl, realms: sky, inner earth, outer earth; most priests performed rituals to appease gods etc.; priests performed rituals like human important god Inti (god of the sun); built such as human sacrifice sacrifice to please the gods; how you died temples lined with gold to worship gods; determined if you ended up in heaven or the mummified bodies for the afterlife; sacrificed underworld to “huacas” (places/objects they believed were inhabited by spirits); heaven divided into 4 parts: those who lived a good life would go to the parts with sun, food, water; those with bad lives went to the underworld with only rocks to eat Economy Agricultural with raised fields, terrace Agricultural; highly skilled in water Agricultural: grew potatoes, maize, squash, farming, canals for irrigation; corn; sunflower management for irrigation; use of chinampas; trees; cashless society without marketplaces: seeds, cotton; trade maize, beans, mangoes, papayas, avocados; food, tools, supplies, clothing, etc. were traded produce, gold, silver, stone, feathers, distributed from government storehouses; cotton, textiles, jade, turquoise taxes paid in labor to receive necessities
Culture/Arts Pyramids were built for religious purposes; Clan groups called “calpulli” owned land Groups of families called allyu worked palaces built for kings; pottery; murals, stone jointly; 3 classes: royalty, commoners, serfs; together to cultivate a piece of land; carving; writing in the form of hieroglyphs; clothing showed social rank; ritual ball games metalwork in gold, silver, copper; ceramics; books called codices textile-dyed cloth
Technology Base 20 & base 5 numbering systems; Tools made from bone, stone, obsidian; Paved road & bridge system; communication concept of “0”; accurate 365 day calendar writing with glyphs or pictographs; solar & by runners on roads; kept records with with a 260 religious calendar ritual calendar similar to Mayas; chinampas; quipus or a series of knots; built stone & used aqueducts carried water into Tenochtitlan; iron tools; used irrigation & water storage to prescribed a variety of herbs & steam baths grow crops in mountains & deserts; watched as cures for sickness the sun & stars to calculate their calendar (12 months with 3 weeks of 10 days each); aqueducts; used coca leaf for medicine