Transcript The Americas

The Americas
Warm Up
Define “America” in 2-3 sentences.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
WHERE IN THE WORLD?
CLIMATIC GEOGRAPHY
Classical Vs. Post Classical
Societies
Classical 600-900 CE
Post-Classical 900-1450 CE
Population lower
Pop. Density increased/larger
cities/overall population
Land less intensively farmed
Agriculture intensifies
Warfare between groups happens
frequently
Warfare intensified, becomes more
deadly
Small armies; simple forms of
government
Strong, centralized governments
Maya/Teotihuacan
Toltec/Aztec
• Teotihuacan: capital city of the Toltecs
• “The Pyramid of the Sun”
TEOTIHUACAN
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The city of Teotihuacan
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Built in the highlands of Mexico
Colossal pyramids of sun and moon dominated the skyline
Between 400 and 600 C.E., the city had 200,000 inhabitants
Paintings and murals reflect the importance of priests
Teotihuacan society
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Rulers and priests dominated society
Two-thirds of inhabitants worked in fields
Famous for obsidian tools, orange pottery
Professional merchants traded widely
No sign of military organization
Cultural traditions
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Inherited Olmecs' culture
Honored earth god, rain god
Decline of Teotihuacan
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Military pressure from other peoples since 500 C.E.
Began to decline 650 C.E.; Invaders sacked city, mid-8th century
Major Accomplishments:
Master Engineers
• Running water
• Tenochtitlan: main city of the
Aztecs
• Located in the islands of
Lake Texcoco
Chinampas: Floating gardens
Human Sacrifice
Religion
• Polytheistic
• Importance of the sun god and appeasement
• The sacrifice of humans was tied to the sun god’s demand
for ritual offerings, and war was necessary to provide
sacrificial victims.
• (PSEUDO-THEOCRACY) The Aztec ruler eventually
became identified with both secular authority and divine
power, a representative of the gods on earth. In Aztec
theology, human sacrifice and wars of conquest were
combined with the political authority of the ruler as
aspects of a state cult.
Social
Politics
• Aztecs (or “Mexica,” as they called
themselves) established dominance over rival
groups in the Valley of Mexico
• interest in genealogy and militarism
Economics
• Irrigation works
• controlled rural labor
• elaborate series of canals, dams, and
terraces helped to feed the empire
Geography
The Aztecs were located in the middle of the Mexico Valley in the middle of Lake
Texcoco. The valley was very marshy and scattered with islands. The islands were
unwanted and solid ground was needed so the Aztecs began sinking large trees and
then covering them with mud and boulders creating a solid surface. Streams and
mountains surrounded the city. The mountains surrounding the capital city created
great natural barriers. The empire was spread along the Gulf of Mexico and the
Pacific Ocean. The empires land would reach as far south as the boarder of
Guatemala. At the height of the empire, it was around 5 million people. The Aztec
Empire of 1519 was the most powerful Mesoamerican kingdom of all time.