NOTE-TAKING GUIDE: CHAPTER 15 “The Rise of Empires in the Americas”
SEEING PATTERNS
 Within the patterns of state formation basic to the Americas, which
types of states emerged in Mesoamerica and the Andes during the
period 600-1550? What characterized these states?
 Why did the Tiwanaku and Wari states have ruling classes but no
dynasties and central bureaucracies? How were these patterns
expressed in the territorial organization of these states?
 What patterns of urban life characterized the cities of Tenochtitlan and
Cuzco, the capital of the Aztec and Inca Empires? In which ways were
these cities similar to those of Eurasia and Africa?
OUTLINE
The Legacy of Teotihuacan and the Toltecs in Mesoamerica
Militarism in the Mexican Basin
Late Maya States in the Yucatan
The Legacy of Tiwanaku and Wari in the Andes
The Expanding State of Tiwanaku
The Expanding City-State of Wari
American Empires: Aztec and Inca Origins and Dominance
The Aztec Empire of Mesoamerica
The Inca Empire of the Andes
Imperial Society and Culture
Imperial Capitals: Tenochtitlan and Cuzco
Power and Its Cultural Expressions
Putting It All Together
KEY TERMS
reciprocity
chinampas
THINKING THROUGH PATTERNS
1. Within the patterns of state formation basic to the Americas, which
types of states emerged in Mesoamerica and the Andes during the
period 600-1550? What characterized these states?
2. Why did the Tiwanaku and Wari states have ruling classes but no
dynasties and central bureaucracies? How were these patterns
expressed in the territorial organization of these states?
3. What patterns of urban life characterized the cities of Tenochtitlan and
Cuzco, the capital of the Aztec and Inca Empires? In which ways were
these cities similar to those of Eurasia and Africa?
NOTES: TO FOLLOW UP / QUESTIONS TO ASK IN CLASS