The AMERICAS NORTH AMERICA The Iroquois eastern woodlands

The AMERICAS

NORTH AMERICA • The Iroquois – eastern woodlands (northeast) – Built longhouses – Women owned the dwellings and harvested the crops • Three “sister” crops: corn, beans, and squash – Men hunted and protected the community – Made up of five different nations: • Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and Cayuga

– Formed a joint gov’t called the Iroquois League • Created to end wars, was a council of representatives that met regularly to settle disputes • First experiment with democracy in North America

Mesoamerica • Name used for areas of Mexico and Central America – Site of the first farming settlements in the Americas

• The Maya – One of the most advanced civilizations in the Americas – Practiced slash-and-burn agriculture to farm the rain forest • Burning vegetation to clear the land for crops

– Built splendid pyramids, temples, and palaces – The kings of the Mayan city-states claimed to be descended from gods – Had many rituals to satisfy the gods • One ritual involved piercing the tongue or skin to offer blood to the gods • Another was a game involving a rubber ball that you had to get through a stone hoop using only your elbows, knees, or hips – the losing team often were killed and their hearts sacrificed to the gods – Practiced human sacrifice to appease the gods – Among the first people to come up with the concept of zero and had a 365 day calendar

• The Aztec – At its height the Aztec controlled 5 million people and hundreds of cities – The capital city of Tenochtitlan was one of the largest in the world at the time, with 200, 000 inhabitants

– The king, although he was elected by a group of nobles, claimed to be descended from gods – Aztec religious ceremonies were particularly bloody • Believed that the gods needed human blood, hoped human sacrifice would postpone the day of reckoning • Aztec sacrificed as many as 20, 000 victims a year • Mostly used slaves or prisoners of war as sacrifices • Warriors were responsible for capturing the victims

South America • The Inca – 1300 s to 1500 s – Starts out in Peru, eventually includes 12 million people • Capital at Cuzco

– The emperor had most of the power • Believed to related to the sun god – Used the quipu to keep track of the movement of goods throughout the empire • Form of communication – Religion was a key element of the Inca society – Built 24, 800 miles worth of roads and suspension bridges – The arrival of the Spanish brought an end to the empire