Worlds Apart Chapter 21: Americas & Oceania
Feb 23, 2016
Worlds Apart
Chapter 21: Americas & Oceania
Mesoamerican cultures
• Societies to rememberoMexica/Aztecso IncaoBuilder
societies• Pueblo• Mound• Longhouses
The Toltecs• Constant war• Migrated in 8th
centuryo Irrigationo Agricultural
cultivationo Stone homes &
citieso Capital: Tula
Mexica - Aztecs• C. 1345 began
Tenochtitlan• Chinampas
Aztec society• Rigidly hierarchical
o Males (noble) – warriorso Women – household dutieso Priests – read omens,
sacrifices
• Calpulli = clano Cultivation
• Artisans• Merchants
Mexica Religion• Human blood sacrifice
essential for productivity
• Why would productivity be particularly important for the Mexica?
• Who got sacrificed?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laMZlaTT1LU
North American Societies
• Pueblo & Navajo
• Iroquois• Mound
Builderso Cahokia
Inca• Cuzco• Extensive road system
o Runner system• Quechua language• Sun Worship• Centralized
government• What political entity
does this remind you of? Why?
Inca Society• State controlled trade• Rulers• Aristocrats
o Mummification of royaltyo Bureaucratic classo Used quipu
• Priestso Celibate aeceticism
• Commonerso Lived in ayllu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knpzNN258_0
Inca Religion• Inti – sun god
oAgricultural sacrifices
o Sino Life after deathoConfession &
pennance
Oceania• Aboriginal foraging
communities• Small exchange
between groups, but no trade routes
• Religion centered around the local environment
Pacific Island Societies• Inter-island contact &
trade• 400 – 700 C.E. spread
of the sweet potato• Tahiti & Hawaii
interactions (fishhooks)
• Dense populations sometimes resulted in migration
Entre’ Europe• Established exchange
and communications networks were not dramatically affected because of infrequent European reconnaissance in the Pacific Ocean
Not exactly a triangle trade
The Americas & Disease
• Millions of indigenous people may have died prior to the onslaught of European expansionism into N. & S. America. Historians theorize that as many as 1 to 18 million N. Americans and similar amounts of S. Americans died before 1492 when Columbus arrived.o If the hypotheses are correct and millions had already perished, what
potential effects would this have had on native societies?o Why would the Aztec’s and Incas in particular not use their numerical
superiority to overwhelm the Conquistadors?o What epidemic is blamed as the most likely culprit for catastrophic
population decline? Why is that particular disease blamed?