EARLY AMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS & THE AGE OF EXPLORATION

EARLY AMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS & THE AGE OF EXPLORATION EARLY AMERICAMAYAN CIVILIZATION300 900 A.D.Located in Southern Mexico and parts of Central AmericaBroken into city-statesEach city-state had a ruling chiefPriests were very powerfulMayans were farmers and tradersWomen had important religious, political, and household dutiesReligious BeliefsPolytheisticHuman sacrificesHeld ceremonies for harvests and warContributionsWriting systemCalendar AstronomyPyramids

EARLY AMERICAAZTEC EMPIRE1325-1521 A.D.Located in Central MexicoBuilt an empire through conquestCollected tributeSingle Ruler (Example: Montezuma)Nobles served as officials, judges, and governorsCapital City Tenochtitlan Aztecs were farmers, warriors and tradersReligious BeliefsPolytheisticSun God was the most importantHuman sacrificesConquered by the Spanish in 1521

EARLY AMERICASINCAN EMPIRELocated in present day Peru, South AmericaLocated in the Andes MountainsRuled by a god-kingProvinces ruled by chiefs and noblesIncans were farmers and metalworkersDepended on the llama for food, clothing, and transportArranged marriagesBuilt an extensive road systemCuzco city that was centrally located in the empire and center of the governmentReligious BeliefsPolytheisticSun god was most important

WHAT MADE IT POSSIBLE?Cartographer a person who makes mapThe Astrolabe Sailors used this portable navigation device to help them find their way. By measuring distance of the sun and the stars above the horizon, the astrolabe helped determine latitude.Circumnavigate to travel around the worldCaravels These large ships employed significantly larger sails and could hold supplies for longer journeys in their large cargo rooms

THE CARAVEL SHIP

WHO EXPLORED?Spain and Portugal led the way during the Age of Exploration

The Iberian Peninsula was strategically located on the Atlantic coast

THE ENCOUNTERConquistador - ConquerorHernando CortezConquered the Aztec Empire in MexicoFrancisco PizarroConquered the Incan Empire in PeruHow?Both men faked friendship towards the Native Americans before conquering their empire

Francisco PizarroHernando CortezHOW DID THE EUROPEANS CONQUER THE NATIVE AMERICANS?Superior military technologyDivision among the Native AmericansIndians believed the end of the world was nearDisease among the Native AmericansThe Native American population went from 20 million in 1520 to fewer than 2 million in 1580

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE AZTEC & INCAN EMPIRES

THE SPANISH EMPIREGovernmentViceroyCouncil of Indies

The ChurchPracticed Christianity in the New WorldEuropeans tried to force the Native Americans to Christianity

Harsh TreatmentEuropeans treated the Native Americans as inhumaneThey tortured, beat, killed, and raped the Native Americans

THE SPANISH EMPIREImpact of AfricansThe need for labor in the Americas resulted in the importation of Africans

Africans were used as slaves

West African slave trade

Middle Passage

AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE

PENINSULARES: Latin Americans born in Spain. Held the most wealth and almost all the power. They were the dominant class!CREOLES: Latin Americans of pure Spanish descent (Both parents were born in Spain). Held major wealth but little power in the government MESTIZOS: mostly peasants farmers of mixed Native American & Spanish descent who held few rights. MULATTOES: Latin Americans of mixed African & Spanish descent who held few rights

SLAVES: mostly people of Native American or African descent who were forced to work and who had basically no rightsENCOMIENDA SYSTEMThis system provided the peninsulares with land and a specified number of native laborersIn return, the peninsulares were expected to protect the natives and convert them to ChristianitySome Christian missionaries were shocked at the treatment of some of the natives and appealed to the viceroys, emperor, and the Catholic ChurchSolution bring in new workers for the hardest jobs (Africans)Both the natives and Africans were at the bottom of the social structure and received no rights

A FAIR DEAL FOR THE COLONISTS?During colonial times, European manufacturers paid for raw materials (such as cotton) from the colonies. At the same time, the colonists were expected to purchase all of their finished goods (such as clothing) from Europe.

What types of prices do you think European manufacturers paid for raw materials?What types of prices do you think the colonists paid for finished goods?Do you think this was a fair relationship?What was this theory known as?WHAT IS MERCANTILISM?An economic system in which the government controls tradeExported goods are of greater than value than imported goods

COLONY

Produces raw materials for the mother countrys industry and buys the manufactured goods the mother country producesCOLONY MOTHER COUNTRY RELATIONSHIPMOTHER COUNTRY

Uses raw materials from the colonies to make manufactured goods and then sells them to the coloniesMANUFACTURED GOODS

RAW MATERIALS

MONEY

21THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGEThe exchange of goods between Europe and the AmericasInvolved European countries located on the Atlantic coast such as Portugal, Spain, England and France

COMMERCIAL REVOLUTIONEurope made the transition from a feudal economy to a new economy where goods were traded worldwide (mostly along waterways)Involved several factors:Mercantilism: economic system benefitting mother countriesColonies: owned by a mother country; responsible for selling less costly raw materials to the mother country and would buy finished, manufactured goods at a more expensive price