2E.++American+Political+Systems+&+Cultural+Patterns

**Art** o Murals o Stone carvings o Effects on culture and politics § Heavily influenced by nature as well as religion in everyday life **Technology** o Architecture § Temples § Pyramids § Palaces § Plazas § Large living quarters o Engineering § Drained swamps § Flattened ridge tops § Created complex water management system for urban areas § Made way for growth of agriculture o Effects on culture and politics § Allowed for populations to grow, in turn making the society more powerful · As the civilization became more powerful in general, separate city-states began to wage war on each other more frequently. § Urban centers had a distinct style that separated the Mayans from other cultures, and the elaborateness of different living spaces separated the common people from the elite

o Mathematics § Idea of zero § Place notation o Writing § Using pictographs and phonetic components § Carved in stone or written on bark paper and deerskin books § Used to record data, religious text and document history o Astronomy § Combined mathematics with observations of skies § Plotted planet cycles § Predicted eclipses § Used to construct calendars o Effects on culture and politics § Created an intelligent society that valued the idea of learning more about themselves and the world around them § The intellectual achievements of the Maya were mostly confined to those in the elite class, such as priests. · Shows the importance of religion in Mayan culture
 * Intellectual**

** Art ** o Portrayed Aztec life, ex: women’s roles o 2-D paintings ** Science ** o l ack of science, heavily relied on religious deity, Huitzilopochtli, sun god o thought the sun needed to be supplemented by human blood and ritual sacrifices o depended on cosmic order

** Technology ** o Canals o Dikes o Causeways o Bridges

** Culture ** o Vast marketplaces, which meant a commercialization of the economy o Slaves for human sacrifice that was central to Aztec religious life o Involved in the militia and warfare

** Politics ** o Ruled by Kings o Motivated by ideology for maintaining cosmic order and avoiding utter disaster from the lack of their sun god o Focused on military capacity and supplied o Conquered peoples and cities were required to regularly deliver many goods and luxuries to Aztec rulers o Local imperial tribute collectors o Formed under a Triple alliances, created units o Aztec empire was united a single political fragment, but the empire was loosely constructed and unstable due

=THE INCAS= · They were expansionist in nature. · Rags to riches story…A small remotely located people very quickly created by military conquest became the largest state in its region. · At the highest point they are thought to have controlled more than 2,000 miles of South American coastline. · Drew upon the traditions of Toltec’s and Teotihuacán. · Incorporated the lands and cultures of earlier Andean civilizations · They controlled a professional army · Had an Established government · Unified Language · Complex road and tunnel systems · Their labor force was all human, not many large animals. · Most of the population was peasants. · There were large surpluses that supported large cities · Surpluses allowed people to specialize in other crafts which lead to higher craftsmanship and a more advanced culture. · Large cities where people could gather, trade, and share ideas
 * The Rise of the Incan Empire**


 * The fall of the Incan Empire**
 * Francisco Pizzaro arrived at a Inca camp at the end of a civil war within the Incan Empire.The civil war was between two brothers Atahuallpa and Huascar.
 * Each thought they had the right to rule
 * Atahuallpa kills his brother and becomes emperor.
 * Conquistadors come to convert Inca
 * Atahuallpa eventually decides that the conquistadors need to leave and threaten them.
 * The conquistadors fear they are going to loose based on numbers, yet Inca’s did not have as advanced weaponry.
 * Pizzaro captures Atahuallpa and thousands of Inca’s killed, many retreated to the hills.
 * Along with advanced weaponry Spaniards also carried germs that the Inca had not been exposed to prior.
 * Approximately 95% of the people were killed by the disease brought by the Spaniards.
 * To gain his freedom, Atahuallpa promised Pizarro enough silver and gold to fill a whole room.
 * Once he did this Atahuallpa was killed and the gold and silver was sent to Spain.
 * The rest of the people became slaves.


 * Political Structure**
 * Had a Bureaucratic empire with many accommodations for local governments.
 * At the top of the structure was Viracocha (descendant of the creator) and Inti (son of the Sun God)
 * In theory they owned all the land and resources
 * The ruler was seen as descended from the sun.
 * Under the Ruler, each of the providences had an Inca governor
 * In each of the central regions subjects were grouped in hierarchal units of 10, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 people, each headed by local officials.
 * Officials were appointed and supervised by the Inca governors or the emperor
 * There was also a separate set of inspectors that had an independent check on the officials.
 * Kind of like todays checks and balances.
 * Limits corruption.


 * Culture**
 * There were efforts at cultural integration.
 * They required conquered peoples to learn Quechua (the language).
 * Language is still spoken all over from Ecuador to Chile.
 * It is the official second language in Peru.
 * Sons were removed and sent to capital for instruction in Inca culture and language.
 * All this was done for the unification of the people so that the empire was not divided by cultural barriers.
 * Incas required subjects to acknowledge the major Inca deities but, people were allowed to carry their own religious traditions as well.
 * Human sacrifice was occasionally practiced but not as much as the Aztecs did.
 * Inca demands the on conquered people were expressed as labor service.
 * Practiced gender parallelism- women and men operate in two separate but equivalent spheres, each gender enjoying autonomy in its own sphere.
 * Ex. Men venerated the sun while women venerated the moon
 * Sapay Inca (the Inca ruler), Coya (his female consort)
 * Women’s roles
 * “Chosen Women”- those who were removed from their homes as young girls, trained in Inca ideology , and set to producing corn beer and cloth at state centers. They were later given as wives to men of distinction or to serve as priestesses in temples (know as wives of the sun).
 * Women were expected to work in fields, weave cloth, and care for the household
 * Could pass property on to their daughters
 * Played a role in religion. Wives of the Sun.
 * Gender parallelism does **__NOT__** mean gender equality.
 * Men rose to power due to the Military
 * Held the top positions in the government
 * Male infidelity was treated less harshly than a woman’s unfaithfulness


 * Art**
 * Inca craftsman were highly respected because of their skills in the arts
 * Due to their respect in the world they were able to trade their art for things they needed to advance their civilization.
 * Inca made pottery and ceramics that featured geometric patterns.
 * Metal workers made ornaments, tools, and weapons out silver, copper, gold, and bronze. They excelled at working metals like silver, copper, and gold
 * They were good at this because these were the metals that were available.
 * This specialization was allowed because there were surpluses of food which allowed people to take time to learn the crafts.

The building of the Temple of the Sun in Cuzco and the Temple of Machu Picchu shows advanced technology and the importance of religion.
 * S****cience and Technology**
 * They were excellent stone cutters, builders and miners. This required a lot of job specialization and new technologies to become more efficient.
 * Many people gathered in large cities which were the centers of technology and commerce
 * There was a very complex system of roads and tunnels
 * This allowed all the land to be connected and culture to spread.
 * This spreading of culture allowed the empire to be unified and less able to be conquered by other civilizations.
 * The roads allowed them to trade with each other and the emperor to be able to watch over the entire empire. It made communication easier.
 * Having advanced technologies such as these allowed them to make large places of worship.
 * This let people gather in a central location.

= COMPARISON TO OTHER CIVILIZATIONS = **Absence of animals capable of domestication in the Americas led to:** · No pastoral societies · No draft animals to be used to pull plows or carts and carry heavy cargo · Africa had the luxury to be neighboring Eurasia where they could gain access to these animals. **Did not possess extensive contact with neighboring civilizations due to geography** · The mountainous terrain limited contact amongst American civilizations · Trade less efficient and effective (goods and the exchanging of ideas and knowledge) · Eurasia had access to the Silk Road, sea roads, and sand roads o Luxury goods native to one region could be obtained by peoples of distant civilizations o Ideas and knowledge traded through contact between Eurasian civilizations led to innovative technological advancements and other complex concepts o Religious beliefs traded (Islam and Christianity)

Works Cited Armstrong, Monty, David Daniel, Abby Kanarek, and Alexandra Freer. // Cracking the AP World History Exam 2011 Edition //. New York: Random House, 2010. Print.Strayer, Robert W. // Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources //. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011. Print.