Early American Societies

1
Early American Societies

• Tlingit Peoples
• The Olmecs
• The Maya
• Zapotec / Mixtec
• The Aztecs
• The Inca

2
The Tlingit Peoples

• One of many North Coast societies
• Origin Myth
• Old Man and Raven
• Historical and archaeological evidence

3
The Tlingit Peoples

• Economics
• Hunter-gatherer societies
• Rich natural resources
• Property
• Communally owned
• Wealth
• Generosity
• The potlatch

4
The Tlingit

• Society
• Many clans
• Two groups
• Raven
• Eagle / Wolf / Not Raven
• Totem poles
• Matrilineal society
• Slavery

5
The Olmecs

• 1,200 300 BCE
• Earliest civilization in Central America
• Agriculture, some trade
• Massive stone sculptures pyramids
• Polytheistic religion
• Human sacrifice
• The ball game
• Influenced all later societies

6
The Maya

• 200 BCE 900 CE
• Socioeconomics
• 14 million people
• Warrior society
• Rural, small settlements
• Slash burn agriculture
• Urban centers religious centers

7
The Maya

• Urban centers religious centers
• Copan
• Tikal
• Chichen Itza
• Monumental architecture
• Palaces
• Pyramids and temples
• Ball courts
• NO wheels, pulleys, carts, or metal tools

8
The Maya

• Religious practices
• Cycles of the universe
• Obsession with time
• Accurate calendar

9
The Maya

• Religious practices
• Cycles of the universe
• Obsession with time
• Accurate calendar
• The ball game

10
The Maya

• Religious practices
• Cycles of the universe
• Obsession with time
• Accurate calendar
• The ball game
• Human sacrifice
• The ceñote

11
The Maya

• Religious practices
• Cycles of the universe
• Obsession with time
• Accurate calendar
• The ball game
• Human sacrifice
• The ceñote
• Codex (codices)
• The popol vuh (Book of the People)

12
The Toltecs

• 900 1200 CE
• Teotihuacán, 100 450 CE
• Drought and invaders
• The Dark Ages of Central America
• Absorbed by the Aztecs

13
Zapotec / Mixtec

• Zapotec
• 900 BCE 1300 CE
• Oaxaca
• Monte Albán
• Mixtec
• 1300 - 1500

14
The Aztecs

• 1250 1521
• Aztlán and the Mexìcâ
• Chapultepec, ca. 1250
• Lake Texcoco
• Tenochtitlan, 1325
• Floating gardens and islands of reeds (chinampas)
• 200,000 (plus another 500,000)

15
The Aztecs

• Blend of Olmec, Maya, Toltec Influences
• Religion
• Quetzalcoatl (the feathered serpent)
• Huitzilopochtli (sun god, god of war)
• Human sacrifice

16
The Aztecs

• Warrior culture
• Tribute
• Downfall
• Hernán Cortés
• Tlaxcalan allies
• La Malinche
• Moctezuma I
• 1519 (One Reed)
• 1521

17
The Incas

• Tawantin Suyu (The Four Provinces), in Quechua
• 1200 1533
• Sapa Inca Pachacuti, 1438
• Cuzco

18
The Incas

• 1200 1533
• Cuzco
• Monumental Architecture
• Roads

19
The Incas

• 1200 1533
• Cuzco
• Monumental Architecture
• Roads
• Ceremonial cities
• Machu Pichu, 1440-1532

20
The Incas

• 1200 1533
• Cuzco
• Monumental Architecture
• Roads
• Ceremonial cities
• Machu Pichu, 1440-1532
• NO written language
• The quipu
• Few domesticated animals

21
The Incas

• Downfall
• Francisco Pizarro, 1526
• Atahualpa and Huascar
• Cajamarca, 1533
• Internal dissent
• Smallpox
• Flight to the interior