Chapter 21: Worlds Apart: The Americas and Oceania

Vocabulary

• Mexica/Aztec: Some of the migrants that were drawn to central Mexico. These were either known as the Aztecs or the Mexica. They were known as the “troublemakers” of the Americas and were forced to migrate by original inhabitants of places that they moved to. 

• Huitzilopochtli: Huitzilopochtli was a god to which Mexica human sacrifices were made. They partook in human sacrifices more often then the Olmecs.

• Cahokia: These were also known as mounds. They were built by the Iroquois peoples to serve as stages for ceremonies and rituals, platforms for dwellings, and sometimes as burial sites. 

• Inti and Viracocha: Inti and Viracocha were two Inca gods. Inti was their sun god while Viracocha was the creator of the world, humankind, and all else in the universe. Inti was the most popular Inca god, while Viracocha was considered a lesser deity to that of Inti.

• Tenochtitlan: The Mexica capital. This was founded around 1345 on an island surrounded by marshy land. This location offered advantages and disadvantages to their wellbeing. They were successful in their agricultural attempts and had protection from the surrounding water as well.

• Pueblo and Navajo: The Pueblo and Navajo were societies in what is modern-day southwest America. They periodically experienced drought and famine, but used irrigation to combat the dry climate. Approximately 80% of their diet was made up of the maize they grew.

• Inca: The Inca were a people that lived in modern day eastern South America. An Incan Ruler, named Pachacuti, went on several military campaigns around the mid 1400’s to largely expand the territory of the Inca Empire. 

• Pacific Islander Trade: Trade that occurred between close oceanic islands. They traded such goods as axes, pottery, and other useful objects. This also helped establish friendly relations between many island states. 

• Ritual Bloodletting: A religious practice, and the same practiced as their predecessors (the Olmecs), that involved sacrifice. By cutting oneself and bleeding sacrifice to the gods, the gods would in return give them rain for their crops and other needed events or occurrences. 

• Iroquois: Societies that arose in the woodlands to the east of the Mississippi River. In these societies, women played a much larger role in the governing and looking after of communities. 

• Quipu: A mnemonic aid utilized by the Inca peoples to keep records of responsibilities and trade deals. They consisted of an array of small cords of various colors and lengths, which were all hung from a larger cord. 

• Maori: The Maori were a population of people that inhabited modern-day New Zealand. They were located at the end of a long island hopping chain of migration. A principal crop to their survival was the sweet potato, brought to them by migratio

Focus Question #1

            Compare and contrast the social systems of the Native American societies, Australian societies, and Pacific Islanders.

            The social systems of the Native Americans, Australians, and Pacific Islanders began as simple and relatively small societies, but over time, became more complex and able to support larger populations. All three societies also had social classes.

            The majority of the Native American societies began as small, independent kinship groups. Through time, these were able to grow larger because of increased dependence on agriculture and the decrease of migration. Prime examples of this are the Pueblo and Navajo. They were a nomadic people but eventually settled down and built adobe houses and successfully grew maize to support large populations. In these societies, women also partook in a larger social role – sometimes even presiding over a community. The states that arose here were large, but not even close to some of the kingdoms and empires that arose on Afro-Eurasia.

            Australian societies were much in the same way, but their societies were on a much smaller scale then those on the Americas. Also, at first the Australians were pastoral nomads, and then they became agriculturally centralized. The societies that arose here were highly decentralized.

            The pacific islanders were possibly the first to become dependent on agriculture. This led them to be highly centralized societies. They also developed trade systems with surrounding islands and sometimes would even travel far to acquire certain goods. The pacific islanders also partook in lots of migration between the islands.

Focus Question #2

            Compare the religious beliefs of the Mexica to the Incas.

            The religious beliefs of the Mexica to the Incas varied in that those of the Mexica required a large amount of sacrifice while the Incas did not. They were similar in that both were polytheistic.

            The Mexica religion could be called inhumane and grotesque because of all the sacrifices that they performed. The Mexica priests believed that by utilizing bloodletting and human sacrifices to quench the god’s thirsts, the gods would in return; bless their people with rain, bountiful harvests, and overall good fortune. When the Mexica peoples were doing well militarily, they required more sacrifices then normal to satisfy the gods and to thank them for their success.

            Inca religion on the other hand, is very similar to that of Hinduism. They had many gods for different things. Two of their most important gods were Inti and Viracocha. Inti was their sun god and the most prevalent in their society. Viracocha was the god they associated with the creation of the world, mankind, and all else in the universe. Inca religion did not require sacrifice, it only required devotion.