Mayan Calendar

Astronomy

Availability of resources led to trade between villages in the Yucatan Peninsula (ECONOMIC)

Trade led to wealth, sharing of resources & exchange of ideas (ECONOMIC)

Group of city-states each with its own king who claimed to be from the sun god (POLITICAL)

Center of city-state was a ceremonial center including temples, palaces, rulers/nobles, ball courts & markets (POLITICAL)

Small villages surrounded the ceremonial center (POLITICAL)

Kings expected people to serve him (POLITICAL) Royal women married into royal families from other

city states (INCREASED TRADE AND ALLIANCES FORMED) (POLITICAL)

Mayan Political & Economic Structure

Mayan Civilization

Social Structure: •Ruler & Family•Nobles & Priests•Craftsman, merchants, traders•Farmers, hunters•Slaves

Religion:• Polytheistic•Temple structure for human sacrifices-games where losers were sacrificed, POWs also sacrificed

Achievements: •Architecture•Astronomy•Calendar•Paper•Mathematics•Temples

Several Theories

Over-farming created a drop in food production

Attack from enemies Fighting among city-states Rebellion of peasants that

overthrew king and priests Drought

Developed: On an island in Lake Texcoco Aztecs conquered neighboring city-states to gain control of resourcesPolitical Structure: Empire ruled by an emperor (who was believed to have descended from the gods) Council of priests, nobles & warriors City-states were ruled by local leaders who answered to the Emperor City-states paid tributes to the EmperorEconomics: Agricultural Development of specialized labor Trade grows as artisans & craftsman sell goods Wealth from trade & tributes paid by conquered peoples supported by the empire

Aztec Political & Economic Structure

Social Structure: Emperor Nobles, warriors, & Priests Commoners-craftsmen, merchants, traders, farmers Unskilled Workers-farm laborers SlavesReligion: Polytheistic Temples Human sacrifices (believed this was necessary to

prevent gods from destroying the world)Achievements: Chinampas Architecture Jewelry Writing Calendar Arrows & the use of poison

Small pox weakened the empire Technology in warfare gave the Spanish the upper hand

Tribute states joined forces with Spanish explorers by Cortes to overthrow the Aztec emperor

Developed: Began in Cuzco, high in the Andes Mountains

Pachacuti expanded the Empire

Political Structure: Emperor (descendent from sun god) Land was divided into 4 provinces Tributes were paid in the form of labor tax Lands were conquered and divided then distributed

(Emperor, people, & sun god) Captured people were made to learn & use the

official language (Quechua) Children of local leaders were educated in Cuzco

and then returned to their villages

Economic Structure: People grew & created what they needed. Extra was

collected by the government & stored in case of disaster

Storehouses were along the highways Everyone worked for the government & their own

family Labor tax-Everyone worked for the government a few

weeks each year No trade (because government collected &

redistributed it) Command economy- no money, no credit-only small

amounts of local bartering  

Incan Civilization Political & Economic Structure Cont’d

Social Structure: Emperor Head Priest & Head of Army Regional Army leaders Temple priests, local army leaders, & skilled workers Farmers, herders, soldiers SlavesReligion: Polytheistic Mummification Sacrifices-llamas, cloth, food, occasionally peopleAchievements: Roads Temples Suspension bridges Quipu (a type of calculation-never invented a writing system) Jewelry Calendar Terrace Farming Medicine Domestication/use of llamas

Spanish explorers came to conquer lands

Interaction between Atahualpa & Pizzaro

Incan swords were no match for Spanish guns