Latin American Civilizations
What is "Latin America"? A name invented to denominate the regions of the Western Hemisphere stretching from Mexico and the Caribbean in the north to Chile in the south Includes all of Central and South America All originally colonized by speakers of Romance Languages (languages descended from Latin) Spain, Portugal, or France
Background Since before 7000 BC, there is evidence of human culture in Latin America These people are believed to have crossed the land bridge from Asia. They spread throughout North and South America, creating many different cultures.
Names, names, names Latin American people thrived into many different nations, with different cultures. Olmecs, Toltecs, Mixtecs Three empires: Maya Aztec ("Mexica") Inca However, these peoples had many things in common, so they are often spoken about together
Achievements: Mesoamerican Pyramids Mesoamerican --> meaning "middle of America" Pertains to the cultures of Central America: Aztecs and Maya In most cases, first built by the Maya, then later used by the Aztec Similar to Egyptian pyramids in shape only Used for astrological measurements and ceremonies Closer to sky = closer to the Sun God Built in strategic places for the best viewing of celestial events (solstices and equinoxes)
Pyramids at Teotihuacán Teotihuacán: "The City Of the Gods" - giant abandoned city Aztecs used pyramid summits for religious sacrifice Pyramid of the Sun
Pyramid of the Moon Pyramid of the Sun Temple of the Feathered Serpent
Pyramid of the Moon
The Temple of Queztalcoatl (the feathered serpent god)
Machu Picchu
Mesoamerican Achievements: Mathematics and astrology Highly developed number system: First to use a symbol to represent "zero" Extremely accurate calendar able to detect 365.25 days in the Earth's rotation
Achievements: Inca Records The Inca kept exact records on strands of knotted rope called "quipu" Each region of the empire kept records of births, deaths, marriages, and other social history on their quipu Each knot, strand, and color of rope meant something different They could only be read by the "quipucamayos," people specially trained to understand the code
Achievements: Writing system - Maya Only indigenous American culture to use a writing system Both Hieroglyphic(pictures for words) and phonetic (pictures for sounds) Complicated system, still being deciphered Over 800 different glyphs Created giant stone statues called "stela" (plural: stelae) with portraits of important officials and glyphs surrounding them to explain their personal information and history
Achievements: Writing Systems Aztecs had no written language, but borrowed some glyphs from Mayan civilization Kept records in a folded, illustrated "codexes," similar to modernday comic books
Government and Society -all 3 empires Theocracy - King and priests at the top Highly structured social classes: Priests, Warriors, Artisans, Slaves Military Structured military with different ranks and armor Both the Aztecs and Incas conquered large amounts of land, creating empires
Achievements: Agriculture All indigenous Latin American societies had huge populations, that they fed very well Cultivated products that were extremely nutritious: Over 100 types of potato Beans Tropical Fruits Over generations, "invented" modern-day corn Used to be a small weed known as "teotsinte"
Government: Empires Aztec Empire Developed after the Mayan empire had "disappeared", borrowed many of their achievements and culture Non-traditional: allowed villages and kingdoms to maintain their previous way of life (religion/government) All kingdoms had to pay tribute to the Aztec capital city: Tenochitlan The Flower Wars - "La Guerra Florida"
Empires The Incan Empire Developed along the Andes Mountains and coast of South America Two very different climates required people to work in "mitas" (large farming areas) to provide enough food for all Ended up with a surplus of food and therefore a huge population boom
Religion Polytheistic - over hundreds of gods Kings were also gods or priests Gods were linked to nature The goal of these religions was not personal salvation (getting to "heaven" or pleasing a god), but convincing the forces of nature to help society instead of hurt it Human sacrifice
What is worldview? A cultural or personal set of beliefs about the nature of the world Answers the following questions: How did the world come to be? (past) What happens next? (future) What is the right thing to do? (ethics) How does society progress? (practice) What am I, and what is the world? (identity) How do I know anything? (truth)
Claims about Worldview: Strong/Weak Claims should be deep and specific. Strong Claims: Weak claims: The future depends on the actions of humans, animals, and Society progresses in many ways. gods, who all work together to maintain the natural balance. They believed the gods came before us. It is right to change your actions to protect others and wrong to act selfishly or in a way that endangers others. In the future, there will be volcanoes. The world was created through the honorable sacrifice of gods and great warriors.
The Aztec Calendar Ancient monument, called the "Sunstone," dedicated to the god of the sun, Tonatiuh Found buried under the corner of the main square in Mexico City Made of basalt, weighs 25 tons, nearly 12 feet tall and 3 feet thick
How does the sunstone answer the question of "Identity"? To find answers about identity, ask yourself what the artifact says about humans and the world around them The figures in the sunstone are all gods and natural elements, while human figures are absent Therefore, this shows that the Aztecs saw nature as part of themselves and did not value humans above others
How does the sunstone answer the question of "past, future, and truth"? To find answers about past, ask yourself what the artifact says about what happened in the past To find answer about the past, ask yourself what the artifact says about what might happen in the future or what they would expect based on what they know
The Four Cosmogonic Epochs
Sunstone and Aztec worldview How to answer questions of worldview? Practice & Ethics: Our purpose in life is to please the gods Feeding the Sun god, sacrificing Identity, Past, & Future: The world was created out of endless cycles of death and rebirth Night and day, destructions of mankind Identity & Truth: The world and all living things are the gods' creations Story of creations "Proof" in nature Identity & Truth: Everything is part of nature Natural symbols/names
For your Reading Annotate to find the answers to at least 4 of the worldview questions and be ready to share to your group. As a group: Create a deep, specific claim for each questions of worldview and cite the text to support your claims