Transcript Latin America 1300-1492

Latin America 1300-1492
Aztecs
• The Aztecs came to the valley of
Mexico in the 1200s and
established their capital,
Tenochtitlan, in 1325. They built
an empire that extended
throughout southern Mexico.
• Dredging of Lake Texcoco to
build city
• · Royalty - Emperor, his wives,
members of the royal family.
The emperor was selected from
among the extended royal
family and ruled the Aztec
Empire.
• · Nobility included high priests,
top military officers, and
government leaders. Nobility
advised the emperor and carried
out his orders.
•
Warriors - common soldiers who
succeeded in taking prisoners during
battle. If they distinguished themselves
in battle, warriors could rise to the
status of nobility.
•
Commoners and slaves composed
the lower classes and had little political
power. Commoners included farmers,
laborers, servants, vendors, artisans,
and merchants. Though it was
probably rare, commoners could rise
to noble status through the priesthood
or the military. Slaves included nonAztec Indians who were captured in
war and were sometimes destined for
human sacrifice. Other slaves were
Aztec citizens enslaved as punishment
for a crime or as payment for a debt.
•
Wars with Tlaxcala
Omens
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Arrival of Quetzalcoatl
fire falling from the sky
fire consuming the temple of Huitzilopochtli,
a lightning bolt destroying the straw temple of Xiuhtecuhtli,
the appearance of streaking fire across the oceans,
the “boiling,” and later flooding, of a lake nearby Tenochtitlan,
a woman weeping in the middle of the night for them to flee while
they could
• a two headed man running through the streets
• Montezuma saw images of fighting men in a mirror on his bird's
head
Inca
• C. 1230 Inca move in
as one of many
groups around lake
Titicaca.
• Potato and use of
Alpaca and Llama as
pack animals
• By 1438 Pashacuti
controls most of
coastal South
America
Summary Questions
1) What was the Myth of Quetzalcoatl?
2) In Aztec Feudalism what is the difference
between Royalty and Nobility?
3) What pack animals were used by the
Inca?