Unit 1: Topic 4 - State Building in the Americas Flashcards
Cahokia
The city of Cahokia was located on the banks of the Mississippi River, near modern-day St. Louis, and was characterized by unique architecture and large mounds. Cahokia was the largest urban concentration of Native Americans north of Mexico. Before it was abandoned circa 1400 A.D., some 40,000 people were estimated to have lived there. Cahokia developed a ranked society with a chief and elite class that lived atop the mounds controlling workers in the lower classes. Since there was no money in this society, it was heavily trading-based.
What civilization was the largest in the pre-Columbian American world?
The largest civilization in the pre-Columbian world was the Aztec civilization, which rose to power in Mexico around 1300. The Aztecs were warlike and expanded their power through nearly constant fighting with neighboring civilizations. Captured warriors provided many of the human sacrifices that were hallmarks of Aztec civilization.
Describe the Aztec religion.
The Aztec religion was polytheistic and centered around large pyramids that served as temples.
The most important god was the sun god Huitzilopochtli, and the Aztecs believed that their devotion to him ensured the reappearance of the sun every day. The sun god could only be appeased by blood, leading to large-scale human sacrifice of up to 20,000 persons per year. Also important was the god Quetzalcoatl (worshipped by several Mesoamerican civilizations), who variously appeared as a serpent or a light-skinned bearded man.
Chinampas
Chinampas were invented by the Aztecs and contained beds of aquatic weeds and mud to create floating islands. This was their system of irrigated agriculture. Chinampas dramatically increased the Aztecs’ corn yields with up to 7 harvests a year.
What was the Aztec social structure like?
The Aztecs followed a strict social hierarchy in which individuals were identified as nobles, commoners, serfs, or slaves. The noble class consisted of government and military leaders, high-level priests, and lords. The commoner class consisted of farmers, artisans, merchants, and low-level priests. The Aztecs additionally had landless serfs and slaves. Serfs worked land that was owned by nobles. Individuals became slaves for a variety of reasons: as a form of punishment for certain crimes or for failure to pay tribute, as prisoners of war who were not used as human sacrifices, and to pay back a debt.
Calpulli
A Calpulli is a clan in Aztec society based on family ties and location. There were several hundred Calpullis in Aztec society, and the more respected Calpullis were ruling families or people who lived with nobility. As the Aztec Empire became more powerful, the Calpullis acted as obstructions to social mobility.
How were women treated in Aztec society?
Women’s rights were recognized in economic life, as they were allowed to inherit and own property. Additionally, women were tasked with raising children, preparing meals, and providing clothing for their families. Some women were also artisans that would sell their work on the markets that helped the Aztec economy thrive. However, in social and political life, women remained subordinate to men and unable to claim high leadership roles.
How did the Aztecs treat their neighboring city-states?
The Aztecs demanded tribute (payments) in the form of humans for live sacrifice and important resources such as food. When tribute states refused to pay, the Aztecs would resort to violence to punish such insolence.
How did the Aztec tributary system contribute to the demise of the Empire?
The tributary system weakened the Aztec Empire in the long run because it led to resentment from local city-states. These city-states would, in turn, help the Spanish during their invasion of the Aztec Empire in the early 1500s.
Which civilization emerged in the Andes in the 1300s?
In the 1300s, the Incas built a large empire that stretched along the Andes Mountains. Large Incan cities, such as Machu Picchu and Cuzco, were connected by an elaborate road network.
Ayllus
Ayllus are households in Andean society that were organized around family.
Twantinsuyu
The Twantinsuyu was land under the control of the Incan Empire. It encompassed most of the Pacific coast of South America. At its peak, the total population of the Incan Empire is estimated by historians to be around 10 to 12 million people.
Split Inheritance
When an Incan ruler died, split inheritance meant that all political power went to the successor; but all the late king’s physical property (including royal palaces) stayed with his family. The family would often use the remains of the dead Incan ruler for mummification, to glorify his life and celebrate him.
What was the language of the Inca people?
The Quechua language was the major language of the Incan empire. The Incan government purposefully tried to spread their language as a way to unite the 4 major provinces of the Twantinsuyu. When conquering a new area, the Incan government would purposefully force Incan families to move into the newly conquered area to speak the language.
Tambos
Tambos were resting points for Incan runners who existed solely for the purpose of relaying messages. Because horses didn’t exist–and because they hadn’t discovered the wheel, Incans relied on runners who would run several miles per day to relay messages. Historians estimate that the Incan empire had over 10,000 Tambos by 1450.
