Gallery

AP World History

Home

Textbook notes

Class

Resources

Explore

2. Varieties of Civilizations

Civilizations of the Americas

two major, long-established centers of civilization

Mesoamerica

Andes

little if any direct contact with each other

Environment

enormous range of microclimates

great ecological, biological diversity

rugged, mountainous

arid coastal environments

steamy lowland rainforests

cold and windy highland plateaus with numerous mountains and valleys

Mesoamerica

central Mexico to northern Central America

distinct region with common culture

intensive agriculture technology

maize

beans

chili peppers

squash

economies based on market exchange

religion

pantheon of male and female deities

time is a common cycle of creation and destruction

practiced

human sacrifice⁠

⁠

constructed monumental ceremonial centers

common ritual calendar

common hieroglyphic writing

first civilization: Olmec, 1200 BCE

civilizations regularly emerged, flourished, declined

Maya civilization

modern-day Guatemala and Yucatán region of Mexico

250-900 CE

collapsed with completeness and finality rare in world history

Accomplishments

substantial urban centers with

pyramids

temples

palaces

public plazas

painted murals

stone carvings

most elaborate writing system in Americas

both pictographs and phonetic/syllabic elements

mathematical system

concept of 0

place notation, making complex calculations possible

Political system

highly fragmented

city-states

local lords

regional kingdoms

no central authority

frequent warfare

Aztec Empire

1345-1528

last and largest of Mesoamerican states before Spanish conquered the region in early 16th

Formation

Mexica (meh-SHEEH-kah) people

semi-nomadic

from northern Mexico

migrated southward, established on small island in Lake Texcoco by 1325

developed military capacity

served as mercenaries for more powerful people

negotiated elite marriage alliances

built up capital city of

Tenochtitlán⁠

(te-nawch-tee-tlahn)

1428: Triple Alliance

Mexica and two nearby city-states

launched highly aggressive military conquest program

in less than 100 years: brought more of Mesoamerica together into single political framework than ever before

Aztec authorities now claimed descent from earlier Mesoamerican peoples

eager to shed undistinguished past

emphasized continuity of Mesoamerican civilization

Structure

loosely structured

unstable conquest state

population: 5-6 million people

frequent rebellions by its subjects

conquered peoples/cities required

provide labor for Aztec projects

deliver stuff to Aztec rulers

textiles and clothing

military supplies

jewelry and other luxuries

various foodstuffs

animal products

building materials

rubber balls

paper

overseen by local imperial tribute collectors

sent required goods to Tenochtilán where they were meticulously recorded

Capital: Tenochtilán

150-200,000 people

numerous canals, dikes, causeways, bridges

central walled area of palaces, temples

included pyramid nearly 200ft tall

surrounding city: floating gardens

artificial islands

created from swamplands called chinampas

supported highly productive agriculture

vast marketplaces

Religion (human sacrifice)

Both: gender parallelism

Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.

Try clicking the ⋯ next to your doc name or using a keyboard shortcut (

CtrlP

) instead.