the earth and its peoples 3 rd edition chapter 12 peoples and civilizations of the americas,...

The Earth and Its Peoples

3rd edition

Chapter 12

Peoples and Civilizations of the

Americas,200-1500

Cover Slide

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Aztec youthAs shown in this codex, Aztec society had basic learning requirements for each age (indicated by dots) of childhood and youth. In the upper panel, boys of age 13 gather firewood and collect reeds and herbs in a boat, while girls learn to make tortillas on a terra-cotta grill. At the age of 14 (lower panel), boys learn to fish from a boat, and girls are taught to weave. (The Bodleian Library, Oxford)

Aztec youth


BallgameMesoamerican people used rubber for many, varied purposes, and codex drawings depict rubber offering balls in the hands of gods and officiating priests. The ritual ballgame, too, has strong religious connotations and was practiced by various Mesoamerican societies. In this rolled-out version of a Maya cylinder vessel, two elaborately outfitted players are captured in mid-volley in this extraordinary ballgame scene. To the right of the first player is a feathered shield, probably a movable ballcourt marker. (Chrysler Museum of Art/Justin Kerr)

Ballgame


Goddess TlazolteotlThe Aztecs controlled much of central Mexico in 1519. Religion was the dynamic factor that transformed other aspects of their culture, and they had many gods. The Aztecs believed that Tlazolteotl (sometimes called "Mother of the Gods") consumed the sins of humankind by eating refuse. As the goddess of childbirth, Tlazolteotl was extensively worshipped. Notice the squatting position for childbirth, then common all over the world. (Dumbarton Oaks, Pre-Columbian Collection, Washington, D.C.)

Goddess Tlazolteotl


Great Plaza at TikalStill visible in the ruins of Tikal, in modern Guatemala, are the impressive architectural and artistic achievements of the classic-era Maya. Maya centers provided a dramatic setting for the rituals that dominated public life. Construction of Tikal began before 150 B.C.E.; the city was abandoned about 900 C.E. A ball court and residences for the elite were part of the Great Plaza. (Martha Cooper/Peter Arnold, Inc.)

Great Plaza at Tikal


Great Serpent MoundThe mound-building cultures began around 1300 B.C.E. The Ohio and Mississippi Valleys contain the richest concentration of mounds, which differ in shape, size, and purpose. This 1,254-foot-long mound, near the town of Adena, Ohio, was probably built between 600 B.C.E. and 200 C.E. Known as the Great Serpent Mound, it was in the form of a writhing snake with its "head" at the highest point, suggesting an open mouth ready to swallow a huge egg formed by a heap of stones. (Georg Gerster/Photo Researchers, Inc.)

Great Serpent Mound


Inca tunicLike the Aztecs, the Incas were a small militaristic group that established one of the most extraordinary empires in the world. Gradually, Inca culture spread throughout Peru; roads built by the Incas linked most of the Andean region. Weavers in this region produced beautiful textiles from cotton and from the wool of llamas and alpacas. The Inca inherited this rich craft tradition and produced some of the world's most remarkable textiles. The quality and design of each garment indicated the weaver's rank and power in this society. This tunic was an outer garment for a powerful male. (From The Textile Art of Peru. Collection created and directed by Jose Antonio de Lavalle and Jose Alejandro Gonzalez Garcia (L.L. Editores, 1989))

Inca tunic


Machu PicchuIn May 1536 Inca Mancu Yupanque led a massive revolt against the Spanish and then led his people to Machu Picchu, deep in the Valcahamba range of the Andes. The citadel of Machu Picchu, surrounded by mountains in the clouds, clings to a spectacular crag in upland Peru. It was discovered in 1911 by the young American explorer Hiram Bingham. Its origin and the reason for its abandonment remain unknown. (W. McIntyre/Photo Researchers, Inc.)

Machu Picchu


Mesa Verde cliff dwellingLocated in southern Colorado, the Anasazi cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde hosted a population of about 7,000 in 1250. The construction of housing complexes and religious buildings in the area's large caves was probably prompted by increased warfare in the region. (David Muench Photography)

Mesa Verde cliff dwelling


Mochica earringElites of the Moche period (ca. 200 B.C.E.- 500 C.E.) on the northern coast of Peru commissioned vast quantities of jewelry. This gold and turquoise earring depicts a warrior-priest wearing an owl-head necklace, holding a removable war club (right hand) and shield (left hand), and flanked by attendants. Peanuts had recently been domesticated in the area, and the peanut beading around the edge suggests the leader's power over natural fertility in an agriculturally marginal region. The reverse side is of silver. (Photograph by Susan Einstein, courtesy of UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History)

Mochica earring


Pachacuti Inca, from de AyalaIn this drawing from Nueva Coronica y Buen Gobierno, by Guaman Poma de Ayala, we see Pachacuti Inca at the height of his powers. Revered as a great conqueror and lawgiver, Pachacuti Inca here wears the sacred fringed headband symbolizing his royal authority, and the large earrings of the oregones (nobility). (Institut d'Ethnologie, Paris (c) Musee de l'Homme)

Pachacuti Inca, from de Ayala


Palace doorway lintel, MayaAt the peak of their civilization (ca. 600-699), the Maya attained a level of intellectual and artistic development equaled by no other Amerindian people. They developed a sophisticated system of writing; invented a calendar more accurate than the European Gregorian calendar; and made advances in mathematics that Europeans did not match for several centuries. Archaeologists have uncovered several Maya sites in Mexico and modern Guatemala. A bas-relief on a palace doorway lintel at Yaxchilan, Mexico, depicts Lady Xoc, principal wife of King Shield-Jaguar (who holds a torch over her), pulling a thorn-lined rope through her tongue to sanctify the birth of a younger wife's child with her blood. This scene reflects the importance of blood sacrifice in Maya culture. The elaborate headdresses and clothes of the couple show their royal status. ((c) Justin Kerr 1985)

Palace doorway lintel, Maya


TenochtitlanThe great Mexican archaeologist Ignacio Marquina designed this reconstruction of the central plaza of the Mexican city of Tenochtitlan as it looked in 1519. The temple precinct, an area about 500 square yards, contained more than eighty structures, pyramids, pools, and homes of gods and of the men and women who served them. Accustomed to the clutter and filth of Spanish cities, the Spaniards were amazed at the elegance and cleanliness of Tenochtitlan when they entered the city (which they called Mexico City) in November of 1519. (Enrique Franco-Torrijos)

Tenochtitlan


Map: Andean Civilizations, 200 B.C.E. - 1532

Andean Civilizations, 200 B.C.E. - 1532In response to environmental challenges posed by an arid coastal plain and high interior mountain ranges, Andean peoples made complex social and technological adaptations. Irrigation systems, the domestication of the llama, metallurgy, and shared labor obligations helped provide a firm economic foundation for powerful, centralized states. In 1532 the Inca Empire's vast territory stretched from modern Chile in the south to Columbia in the north. (Copyright (c) Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.)


Map: Culture Areas of North America

Culture Areas of North AmericaIn each of the large ecological regions of North America, native peoples evolved distinctive cultures and technologies. Here the Anasazi of the arid southwest and the mound-building cultures of the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys are highlighted. (Copyright (c) Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.)


Map: Major Mesoamerican Civilizations, 1000 B.C.E.-1519

Major Mesoamerican Civilizations, 1000 B.C.E.-1519From their island capital of Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs militarily and commercially dominated a large region. Aztec achievements were built on the legacy of earlier civilizations such as the Olmecs and Maya. (Copyright (c) Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.)


Map: The Maya World, 300-900

The Maya World, 300-900Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of dozens of Maya city-states. Only the largest of them are shown here. Called the "Greeks of the New World," the Maya perfected the only written language in the Western Hemisphere, developed a sophisticated political system and a flourishing trade network, and created elegant art. (Copyright (c) Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.)


Map: Mound Building Cultures

Mound Building CulturesMound-building peoples, while concentrated in the Ohio Valley, had extensive trading contacts with peoples in the Great Plains, the Northeast, the Southeast, and the Caribbean regions. (Copyright (c) Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.)


the earth and its peoples 3 rd edition chapter 12 peoples and civilizations of the americas,...

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