Chapter 21 Flashcards
In November 1519, what did a small Spanish people do?
They entered Tenochitlan in search of gold as they had heard many reports about the wealth of the Empiire.
Who was the Spanish explorer that wrote about that Aztec Empire
Bernal Diaz del Castillo
What did Castillo write about teh city
It sat on the water of Lake Texcoco, connected to the surrounding land by three broad causeways and as in venice, canoes went into many other parts of the cities.
What were the two most impressive signts to Diaz.
The markets and temples of the city. The markets because of their size and the variety of goofd, and there was gold
How did the temples strick Bernal Diaz?
THe saw the rituals involving human sacrifice. It was hard for other foreigners to look at
During the 8th century, what was Mesoamerica in?
An era of war and conquest in the eight century CE.
Where was the great wealth?
It had accumuated in Teotihuacan. That was the largest early city in MesoAmerica
Attacks on Teotihuacan opened what?
A long era of militarization and empire building in Mesoamerica that lasted until Spanish forces conquered the region in the sixteenth century
During the 9th and 10th centuies after the collapse of Teotihuacan, what was the political map like?
Several regional states dominated portions of th ehigh central valley of Mexico.
Although successor states and their societies shared the religious and cultural traditions of Teotihuacan, what did they do?
They fought relentlessly among themselves
With the emergence of the __ and the later Mexica, much of the central region came under what?
Toltecs, Control
Where did the Toltecs come from?
They came from the arid land of mnorthewestern Mexico and settled mostly at Tula, about 50 km northwest of modern MExico City
How did the Toltecs survive in such unfertile land
They tapped the waters of the nearbyt River Tula to irrigate crops of maize, beans, peppers, tomatos, chiles, andcoton. At i
When was the Toltec’s high point, and what population did it support?
The toltec’s higjh point was between 950-1150. IT supported a population of about 60 thousand
What did the Toltecs maintain?
A powerful army that campaigned periodically throughout central Mexico. They built a compact regional state that maintained fortresses for some time
What did residents of the Toltec empire live in?
In stone, adobe, or mud, on spacious houses
The city of Tula became an important center for what
weaving, pottery, obsidian work and residents imported large quantities of jade, turquuoise, animal skins, exotic bird fethers and other luxury goods from elsewhere
Who did the toltecs maintain close relations with ?
With the Maya city of Chichen Irza
When did the Toltec empire start to face difficulties?
In 1125
Howwas the toltec empire aving difficulties?
It was conflicts between the ethnic groups and nomadic incursion that hurt it
When did the Toltec state collapse
1175
ARhaeological evidence suggests what about the Toltec state?
That Tula was destroyed by a fire about the same time.
What was one group of migrants that were drawn to Central MExico?
The mexica
What did the Mexica build?
THey built the Aztec empire