Peoples and Civilizations of the Americas, 200 1500 C.E.
Peoples and Civilizations of the Americas, 200 1500
C.E.Classic-Era Culture and Society in Mesoamerica, 200 900 A.
Teotihuacan 1. Located about 30 miles northeast of modern day
Mexico City, Teotihuacan was one of Mesoamericas most important
classic-period civilizations. 2. The height of its power was
between 450 to 600 C.E. and had a population of about 125,000 to
200,000 people.Teotihuacn
3. The classic period civilizations like that of Teotihuacan
were built on the political foundations of the Olmecs. 4. The
people of the Teotihuacan recognized and worshiped many gods and
lesser spirits such as the Sun, Moon, and a storm-god. 5. One such
god was Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent. Quetzalcoatl devouring
a man
6. The people of Teotihuacan did not concentrate power in the
hands of a single ruler. 7. This is evident by the fact that there
are no representations of rulers within their public art like other
Mesoamerican societies. 8. Some scholars suggest that the city was
ruled by alliances of elite families suggesting an oligarchy. B.
The Maya 1. South of Teotihuacan, the Maya developed an impressive
civilization in the region that today includes Guatemala, Honduras,
Belize, and southern Mexico. 2. The Maya were never unified
politically but instead struggled for regional dominance like that
of the early Greeks.The Maya
3. Rulers of Mayan city-states served both religious and
political functions. 4. Based on surviving frescoes and painted
pottery, kings communicated directly with the supernatural through
bloodletting rituals and hallucinogenic drugs. 5. During warfare,
elites from the opposing side were captured and used for human
sacrifice. 6. Mayan society was patrilineal but there is some
evidence that some rulers also used female lines to legitimate
their rule. 7. Only two women are known to have ruled Maya
kingdoms. 8. Less is known about the lower classes, but scholars
believe that women played a central role in the household economy,
maintaining garden plots, weaving, and the managing of family
life.The Postclassic Period in Mesoamerica, 900 1500 A. The Toltecs
1. Toltecs borrowed from the cultural legacy of Teotihuacan in what
scholars refer to as the post-classical period of Mesoamerica. 2.
They created the first conquest state based largely on military
power. 3. Tula was the capital of the Toltecs and it dominated
central Mexico. 4. Two kings ruled the Toltec state together and
evidence suggests this was the reason for its decline. 5. According
to tradition, a ruler named Topiltzin and a priest of Quetzalcoatl
were exiled east beyond the sea. 6. After this, the Toltec state
began to decline around 1156 C.E. B. The Aztecs 1. After the
collapse of Tula northern peoples migrated into central Mexico. 2.
One such group was the Mexica, who are commonly known as the
Aztecs. 3. They built their twin capitals of Tenochtitlan and
Tlatelolco near the shore of Lake Texcoco.Tenochtitlan
4. Rulers were selected among male members of the ruling
lineage. 5. War was essential in establishing the legitimacy of the
new ruler as well as increasing the prestige of successful
warriors. 6. Incessant warfare allowed for the warrior elites to
seize land and peasants as spoils of war. 7. Like other
Mesoamerican cultures, the Aztecs were polytheistic. 8. The major
contribution of the Aztecs to Mesoamerica was the cult of
Huitzilopochtli, or southern hummingbird. 9. The Aztecs believed
that Huitzilopochtli required a diet of human hearts to sustain him
in his daily struggle to bring the Suns warmth to the
world.Northern Peoples A. Southwestern Desert Cultures 1. It is
estimated that around 300 B.C.E. agriculture based on irrigation
arrived in present-day Arizona. 2. The most vivid example of these
desert peoples are the Anasazi Navajo for ancient ones that
occupied the four corners of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and
Utah.Anasazi
Mesa Verde Cliff Dwelling (7K)
3. The Anasazi had developed an economy based on maize, beans,
and squash. 4. Cultural life centered in underground dwellings
called kivas, which were used for pottery and weaving. 5. Men
hunted, traded, and maintained irrigation works; women shared in
agricultural tasks, were specialists in crafts, and were
responsible for food preparation and childcare.Kivas
B. Mound Builders: The Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian
Cultures 1. Moving east along modern day USA, one of the first and
oldest civilizations to emerge are the Adena people of the Ohio
River Valley. 1000 B.C.E. 200 B.C.E. 2. The Adena were known for
their elaborate mounds which were sometimes used as burial sites.
3. These grave sites indicate a hierarchical society with elites at
the tope who had access to mica and copper. Grave Creek Mound
4. Around 100 C.E. the Adena culture blended into a successor
culture now called the Hopewell. 5. They were dependent on hunting
and gathering with a limited use of agriculture inherited from the
Adena. 6. Hopewell is the earliest example of a North American
chiefdom territory that had a population of as much as 10,000 and
was ruled by a chief, a hereditary leader with both religious and
secular responsibilities.Hopewell
7. The Mississippian cultures were the direct results of
increases in agricultural production, the adoption of the bow and
arrow, and the expansion of trade networks. (700 1500 C.E.) 8. This
lead to the building of cities and a more complex social
stratification. 9. The greatest of the these urban centers was
Cahokia, located near the modern city of East St. Louis.Mississippi
Culture
Andean Civilization 200 1500 C.E. A. Cultural Response to
Environmental Challenge 1. Human labor was the essential element
that allowed Amerindian peoples of eastern South America to
overcome many challenges. 2. Their system of record keeping was
called khipus system of knotting colored cords to keep information.
3. The basis of Andean life centered on undertaking tasks
collectively. Khipu
4. This collective nature of the Andean people can be
demonstrated with the basis of Andean life, the ayllu or clan. 5.
Members of the same ayllu held land communally and thought of each
other as brothers and sisters. 6. By 1000 B.C.E., a system called
mita arose which required members of the ayllu to provide labor for
specific tasks.