2. Ancient America Pre-Conquest
• Bering Strait, less than 40,000 yrs. Ago
• Nomadic groups of hunters and food gatherers
to the elaborate empires of the Aztecs and the
Inca and the Mayan states.
• Farming allowed for the growth of the three
empires while division of labor allowed
oranization.
3. continued
• Maya:
– Distinguished by impressive achievement sin writing,
calendrical science, mathematics, and architecture.
• Aztec:
– Mighty warriors, and a distinctive feature of their
religion was large-scale human sacrifice.
• Inca:
– Greatest empire builders of ancient America, and they
made a serious and largely successful effort to unify
their empire through language and culture.
4. 1. Aztec Warfare
• Huitzilopochtli
– deity of war, sun, human sacrifice and the patron
of the city of Tenochtitlan.
• Theocracy: No division of state and church.
• War of the Flowers
– Diego Durán states that the Flower wars were instigated by the Aztec
Cihuacoatl, Tlacaelel, because of a great famine that occurred during
the reign of Moctezuma I, which could only be assuaged through the
means of human sacrifice. As a result, a treaty was signed between
Tenochtitlan (the Aztec capital), Texcoco, Tlaxcala, and Huejotzingo, to
engage in ritual battles which would provide fresh victims.
5. continued
• Sacrifice was a vital part of Aztec culture.
• The constant war-like state and culture of the
Aztec empire caused resentment among its
subjects and nearby neighbors.
6. The Halls of Moctezuma
• Theocracy and Royal absolutism
• Elaborate ceremonies and pompous splendor
of social rituals.
