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A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
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- Chapter 11, The Americas on the Eve of Invasion Summary
- Key Concepts: Postclassical Mesoamerica, 1000-1500 C.E.
- Topiltzin/Quetzalcoatl
- Lake Texcoco
- Tlaloc
- Aztec women
- Twantinsuyu: World of the Incas: With a genius for state organization and bureaucratic control over peoples of different cultures and languages, the Incas
- Chimor
- Chapter 11, Quiz Questions
- Essay Questions: The Americas on the Eve of Invasion
- Chapter 12, Reunification and Renaissance in Chinese Civilization: The Era of the Tang and Song Dynasties Summary
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe Define monorialism and feudalism. How do they provide the building blocks for medieval political structure and society? What were the characteristics of feudal monarchy as demonstrated in France and England between 1000 and 1300? How did the theological outlook of Western Europe change between 1000 and 1400? What were the development that led to increases in monarchic power at the end of the Middle Ages? How was royal authority limited? Chapter 11, The Americas on the Eve of Invasion Summary: American societies during the postclassical era remained isolated form other civilizations. The societies continued to show great diversity, but there were continuities. American civilizations were marked by elaborate cultural systems, highly developed agriculture, and large urban and political units. Columbus’s mistaken designation of the inhabitants of the America’s as Indians implies a nonexistent common identity. The great diversity of cultures requires concentration on a few major civilizations, the great imperial states of Mesoamerica (central Mexico) and the Andes, plus a few other independently developing peoples. Key Concepts: Postclassical Mesoamerica, 1000-1500 C.E.: After the collapse of Teotihuacan, the Toltecs moved into the political power vacuum and established a culture with a strong military ethic and a cult of human sacrifice and war. Toltec influence spread over much of central Mexico. The legend of Topiltzin/Quetzalcoatl, which claimed that a Toltec faction would one day return and claim the throne, was well known to the Aztecs (successors to the Toltecs) and my have influenced their response when the Europeans arrived. The Aztecs gained control of the important Lake Texcoco region in the post-Toltec era, and made their capital at Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs had a reputation as tough warriors and fanatical followers of their gods. By the time of Moctezuma II, the Aztec state was dominated by a king who represented civil power and served as a representative of the gods on earth. The cult of human sacrifice and conquest was united with the political power of the ruler and the nobility. Aztec religion, which incorporated many traditional Mesoamerican elements, was a vast, uniting, and sometimes, oppressive force in which little distinction was made between the world of the gods and the natural world. Major deities included Tlaloc, god of rain, and Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec tribal god. Nezhualcoyotl, and Aztec king and poet, promoted a kind of monotheism, but the idea did not last. Human sacrifice increased considerably. To feed their people, the Aztecs used an ingenious and successful system of irrigated agriculture highlighted by chinampas (beds of aquatic weeds, mud, and earth that had been placed in frames made of cane and rooted to the lake floor). A special merchant class, the pochteca regulated markets, and the state oversaw a vast tribute network. Aztec Society in Transition: As the empire grew, a new social hierarchy replaced the old calpulli (kinship based clan) system of social organization. The rights of Aztec women seem to have been fully recognized, but in political and social life their role, though complementary to theat of men, remained subordinate. Lack of technology meant women were required to spend significant time hand-grinding maize, a staple crop. The area controlled by the Aztecs may have included 20 million people. Each city-state was ruled by a speaker chosen from the nobility. In many ways, the Aztec Empire was not unlike the subject city-states over which it gained control. These city-states, in turn, were often left unchanged if they recognized Aztec supremacy and met their obligations. Twantinsuyu: World of the Incas: With a genius for state organization and bureaucratic control over peoples of different cultures and languages, the Incas achieved a level of integration and domination previously unknown in the Americas. The coastal empire of Chimor preceded the Incas. With the help of their leader, Pachacuti, and his successors, Twantinsuyu (the Incan Empire) spread from modern-day Columbia to northern Argentina. The Incas adopted the practice of royal split inheritance, which required new land and wealth. This may have caused the empire’s growth. The Temple of the Sun at Cuzco was the center of Incan religious life. The Incas developed a state bureaucracy, headed by an inca and four regional governors (who, in turn, divided their realms). They spread their language, Quechua, used colonists, and built extensive road networks (dotted with tambos, or way stations) to encourage unity. The empire also demanded mita, mandatory labor on church and state lands. Andean people practiced parallel descent. In addition to local ayllus (clans), a class of yanas (people living outside their ayllu) provided important service. Though the empire was a masterpiece of statecraft, a system of royal multiple marriages as a way of forging alliances created rival claimants for power and the possibility of civil war on the eve of the Spanish invasion. Incan cultural achievements included beautiful pottery, art, and metalworking, the quipu (a system of knotted strings for recording numerical information) land and water management, extensive road system, statecraft, and architecture. The Incan and Aztec empires are best viewed as variations of similar patterns and processes, of which sedentary agriculture is the most important. Basic similarities underlying the variations can also be seen in systems of belief and cosmology and in social structure. The Other Indians: The diversity of ancient America forces us to reconsider ideas of human development based on Old World examples. Population figures are difficult to pin down, but in 1500 the Americas may have had roughly the same number of inhabitants as Europe (between 57-72 million people). Chieftanships based on sedentary agriculture could be found outside the major American empires. Cultural diversity was particularly great in North America. Most American societies (outside the Incas and Aztecs) were strongly kin-based, unlike in Europe and Asia. The America contained a broad range of societies, from great civilizations with millions of people to small bands of hunters. In many of these societies, religion played a dominant role in defining the relationship between people and their environment and between the individual and society. Key Terms: Maize Cuzco Hernan Cortes Chichen Itza Inca Socialism Temple of the Sun Calpulli Pochteca Parallel Descent Tlaloc Chapter 11, Quiz Questions Multiple-Choice Questions 1) Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of American civilizations during the post classical period? A) Large cities based on elaborate political and economic organization B) Elaborate cultural systems C) Monotheistic practices D) Highly developed agriculture E) Diverse civilizations 2) What was the relationship between the Toltecs and their predecessors in central Mexico? A) The former residents of central Mexico were wiped out during the Toltec invasions. B) The entry of the Toltecs into central Mexico marks an abrupt break in the cultural development of the region. C) The Toltecs adopted the animistic religion of their predecessors, but failed to develop cities or ceremonial centers. D) The Toltecs adopted many cultural features from their predecessors to which they added a strong military ethic and human sacrifice. E) The Toltec rejected all economic and social practices but did use similar religious practices. 3) How did the Aztecs view the cultural achievements of the Toltecs? A) As barbarians who lacked culture B) As slaves, fit only for conquest C) As the givers of civilization D) As heretics, who practiced a forbidden religion E) The Toltec culture was unknown to the Aztecs 4) Which of the following did NOT occur as a result of the Aztec rise to power? A) The increasing dominance of the nobility B) The emergence of a ruler with supreme powers C) The abandonment of human sacrifice D) The subsequent expansion of power and the boundaries of Aztec control E) A highly urbanized society 5) What was the impact of expansion and conquest on the Aztec social system? A) From a loose association of clans, Aztec society became a highly stratified society. B) Conquest opened up Aztec society to incursions by the indigenous peoples who began to form a trained bureaucracy. C) Aztec society was transformed in the sense that the Mexicans adopted the social patterns of the Maya. D) Despite the stress of warfare and invasion, the Aztec society remained remarkably unchanged by the process. E) Aztec social institutions became more inclusive leading to a more equalitarian society. 6) Which of the following statements concerning Aztec religion is most accurate? A) Shortly after establishing their empire, the Aztecs abandoned all gods other than their patron, Huitzilopochtli. B) Aztec deities were normally associated only with male forms. C) Aztec deities were numerous and had different forms or manifestations somewhat like the avatars of the Hindu deities. D) There was little or no animism in the religious world of the Aztecs. E) Tonatiuh and Tezcatlipoca became the paramount gods along with Nezhualcoyotl. 7) Which of the following was NOT one of the major themes or cults of Aztec religion? A) Gods of fertility B) Creator deities C) Gods of warfare and sacrifice D) Deities devoted to contemplation and salvation E) The agricultural cycle 8) What was the Aztec view of history? A) They believed in a linear view of history dedicated to the premise of Aztec superiority for eternity. B) Like other Mesoamerican peoples, the Aztecs believed in a cyclical pattern of repetitive destructions of the world. C) Unlike other Mesoamerican peoples, the Aztecs rejected the cyclical view of history for a more modern historical view based on the history of their empire. D) Because they lacked a calendar system, the Aztecs had no formal historical viewpoint. E) They believed in a linear history ending with their total destruction at the hands of the people from the East. 9) What was the nature of the Aztec economy? A) The Aztecs failed to develop a merchant class, so all distribution of goods was carried out by the state. B) The Aztecs developed a free-market economy in which all trade was in the hands of specialized merchants. C) The Aztec state redistributed many goods received as tribute and there was a specialized merchant class. D) There was little trade within Aztec society, as almost all communities were self-sufficient. E) The Aztec traded the entire length of the inhabited Pacific coast as far south as the Inca empire. 10) Which of the following was NOT a function of the Aztec kinship groups? A) Assignment of people to cult groups B) Distributing land to household heads C) Organizing labor units for state service D) Organizing military units for warfare E) Maintaining temples and schools 11) While the position of Aztec women in many ways paralleled that of women in other civilizations at a similar stage of development, what was the significant difference between the lives of women in Mesoamerica and in the Mediterranean world? A) Women in Mesoamerica participated fully in the military. B) There was no polygamy practiced in Mesoamerica. C) Aztec women were unable to inherit or to pass property on to heirs. D) Aztec women had to spend many more hours grinding grain for food. E) Peasant women were more highly educated in Mesoamerica. 12) What was the nature of the Aztec administration of subject territories? A) The Aztecs placed members of the Aztec nobility as rulers over subject peoples. B) All territories conquered by the Aztecs became part of a singular administration run by a trained bureaucracy located in Tenochtitlan, much like the Byzantine Empire. C) Conquered territories were often left relatively unchanged under their old rulers as long as they recognized Aztec supremacy and paid tribute. D) The Aztecs established a military administration with subject territories controlled by regional generals. E) Aztecs rarely collected tribute from subject territories but did take hostages for human sacrifice. 13) What was the primary difference in the political situation between the Mesoamerican and Andean zones following the breakup of the classical states? A) In Mesoamerica there was no real political decline as new peoples simply took over the institutions of their predecessors. B) In the Andean zones a number of relatively large states continued to be important, rather than the breakdown of power that was typical of Mesoamerica. C) The Andean political experience lacked the militaristic overtones that accompanied the breakdown of power in Mesoamerica. D) The transition of power that took place in the Andean zone was accomplished by invasion from outside the region. E) The Andean region was more compact and therefore quickly reunited under the leadership of the Inca. 14) What do the authors suggest was the principal reason for Inca conquest and expansion? A) Their need for human sacrificial victims B) The practice of split inheritance C) The absence of irrigation systems within the Inca empire D) The existence of long-distance trade merchants within the imperial administration E) The cult of the sun 15) What was the Inca practice of split inheritance? A) On the death of the previous ruler, the throne passed to two descendants from the ruler's family. B) On the death of the previous ruler, the family's wealth was equally divided among all male heirs. C) On the death of the previous ruler, the inheritance passed through the family of the senior wife to her oldest brother. D) All political power and titles went to the ruler's successor, but his wealth was kept in the hands of the male descendants to support the cult of the dead Inca's mummy. E) All power and wealth was inherited by the eldest son but religious leadership fell to the youngest daughter. 16) Which of the following was utilized in the Inca empire, but NOT by the Aztecs? A) A semi-divine emperor B) Extensive use of colonization C) Use of local rulers in exchange for recognition of sovereignty D) Identification of the nobility with the administrative and military functions of the state E) Elaborate road systems 17) Which of the following existed in the Aztec empire, but NOT in the Inca empire? A) A tribute system B) Redistribution of tribute by the state C) Extraction of labor for use on temple projects D) An extensive merchant class E) Recognition of local groups and leaders 18) The modern image of the Inca empire as a carefully organized system in which every community collectively contributed to the whole and the state regulated the distribution of resources on the basis of need is referred to as A) Inca despotism. B) Indian utilitarianism. C) Inca socialism. D) utopian positivism. E) Mesoamerican capitalism. 19) Which of the following views of the Aztec practice of human sacrifice can be associated with Marvin Harris's interpretation of the "cannibal kingdom"? A) The incidence of human sacrifice was grossly exaggerated by the Spanish for political purposes. B) It was an essentially religious act central to their belief that humans must sacrifice that which was most precious to them in order to receive the sun, rain, and other blessings. C) It was the intentional manipulation of a traditional practice to terrorize their neighbors and to keep the lower classes subordinate. D) It was a response to the lack of available protein in the form of large mammals. E) It was immoral and unnecessary and was a waste of economic resources. 20) Which of the following represents a cultural difference between the Incas and Aztecs? A) Monumental architecture B) Practice of human sacrifice C) Lack of a writing system D) Lack of a priest class E) Relative isolation 21) In terms of the integration of a centralized empire, how did the Incas and Aztecs compare? A) The Aztecs and Incas both made little attempt to integrate conquered territories and permitted self-rule in return for loyalty and tribute. B) The Aztecs were more advanced than the Incas in consolidating their government into an integrated unit. C) The Incas attempted to create an over-arching political state and made conscious attempts to integrate their empire as a unit, while the Aztecs did less in this regard. D) Both the Incas and the Aztecs created fully integrated empires complete with central bureaucracies and military administrative units that controlled all conquered regions. E) To create their empires both allowed little variation from region to region and city to city. 22) Which of the following represents a significant difference between the Andean and Mesoamerican civilizations? A) Climate and geography B) Kin-based social groups C) Sedentary agricultural systems D) The existence of a nobility E) Tribute systems 23) Which of the following statements about the population of the Americas is most true? A) The population of the Americas is easy to calculate. B) North America was more densely populated than Mesoamerica or the Andes. C) The population estimates of the Americas continue to be revised upward. D) The early 20th-century estimate of 8.4 million still seems the most accurate. E) Most estimates are approximately the same. 24) By 1500, agriculture was A) largely diffused throughout the Americas, although not always in sedentary agricultural communities. B) virtually unknown outside of the Andean and Mesoamerican civilization zones. C) practiced in sedentary communities throughout the Americas. D) practiced in sedentary communities and by nomadic pastoralists throughout the Americas. E) practiced sparingly inside Mesoamerica but was used extensively in regions such as the Mississippi. 25) Which of the following does NOT represent a characteristic of most Indian societies other than the Andean and Mesoamerican civilizations? A) Strongly kin-based societies B) Wealth as the basis of social ranking C) Communal action and ownership of resources D) Important social and political roles for women E) Highly urbanized populations Essay Questions: The Americas on the Eve of Invasion In what ways did the Aztecs continue the culture of the classical Mesoamerican civilization and the Toltecs? Describe Aztec social organization. Compare and contrast the Inca and Aztec empires in terms of political administration. How did the Indian cultures outside the Andean and Mesoamerican civilization zones contrast in political and social organization with the Aztec and Inca empires? How have historians explained the existence and prevalence of human sacrifice among the Aztecs? Chapter 12, Reunification and Renaissance in Chinese Civilization: The Era of the Tang and Song Dynasties Summary: Basic themes of Chinese civilization underwent vital consolidation during the postclassical period. Less fundamental innovation occurred than in the Americas and Europe. Important developments took place in technology. Political turmoil followed the fall of the Han during the Period of the Six Dynasties (220-589 C.E.), and the empire’s bureaucratic apparatus collapsed. The scholar-gentry class lost ground to landed families. Non-Chinese nomads ruled much of China, and a foreign religion, Buddhism, replaced Confucianism as a primary force in cultural life. There was economic, technological, intellectual, and urban decline. New dynasties, the Sui and Tang, from the end of the 6th century brought a restoration of Chinese civilization. Political unity returned as nomads and nobility wee brought under state control and the bureaucracy was rebuilt. Major changes occurred in economic and social life as the focus of a revived civilization shifted from the north to the Yagzi valley and southern and eastern coastal areas. The Song dynasty continued the revival; their era saw the restoration of the scholar-gentry and the Confucian order. It was a time of artistic, literary, and technological flourishing. Male dominance reached new heights. Key Concepts: Directory: cms -> lib09 -> UT01001306 -> Centricity -> Domain Domain -> Millennial Speech & Debate Okinawa Withdrawal March pf lib09 -> Assignment – Read the article below, then answer the questions in your own words. Upload to Google classroom lib09 -> Marketing College Athletics Popularity of Amateur Sports lib09 -> Delaware cte program of study application local education agency information lib09 -> Gifted ortalentededucationresourceguid e lib09 -> Pirates of Silicon Valley Domain -> Fashion A: Standard 4: The Fashion Industry Domain -> Cost of Living Reality Check: Scenario Download 2.22 Mb. Share with your friends:
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