INCAN CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS
 The Incans were particularly known for their
pottery and cloth
 The Incan metallurgy was the best in the
Americas (copper, bronze, gold, and silver)
 Inca had no written language, but use “quipu”
to record numbers and other information
 The innovation of Incan society is evident in
their land/water management, the road
system, and their stone architecture
 Used agricultural terraces on the slopes of the
Andes and used irrigation to water it
 The empire was tied together by 2500 miles of
road (suspension bridges!?)
 Incan stonecutting was remarkably accurate
and was used to create huge buildings
INCAS VS AZTECS
 both represented the success of imperial and
military organization
 both relied heavily on irrigation and agriculture
 both were organized by a state that accumulated
surplus production and redistributed it amongst
the population
 in both Incan and Aztec societies, the kinship-based
institutions were transformed by the emergence of
a nobility that was increasingly predominant (Acalpulli, I- ayllu)
 both civilizations realized regional variance and
allowed local rulers to stay intact as long as tribute
is paid, and sovereignty remained with the
Inca/Aztec
 both realized that their militaries were less effective
against the nomadic people living on the frontiers
 while they were similar in certain aspects, they were
obviously different in terms of geography and climate
 there were also differences in their metallurgy, their
writing systems, and their social hierarchies
OTHER PEOPLES OF THE AMERICAS
How many people?
 More likely than not, the Native American
population in 1492 was around 70 million
 Out of 500 million, that makes them very important
Differing Cultural Patterns:
 Northern South America served as a “buffer zone”
for the Inca and the Aztec
 Similar, but smaller, civilizations formed along the
Amazon River
 The Arawaks from Hispaniola were a sedentary
agriculture group
 Some civilizations combine agriculture with
hunting/gathering
 Unlike Europe and Asia, the Americas lacked
nomadic herders
 The differences between civilizations were most
apparent in North America  by 1500, there are
over 200 languages being spoken
 In other Indian civilizations, women held
important roles in politics and in social roles while
at the same time remaining subordinate to men
 Each civilization developed differently according to
their ecological circumstance
 Natives tended to view themselves as “part of the
environment” and not necessarily as “in control” of
it
AMERICAN DIVERSITY IN WOLD CONTEXT
 Inca and Aztec are both limited with their
technology
 The Americas contain a spectrum of
civilizations many different civilizations in
terms of size, location, culture, etc.
 Religion played a significant role in determining
the relationships between individual and society
as well as individual and environment
 The isolation of the Americas from Europe was
KEY in the development of civilizations there.
 That isolation is evident in the absence of
technology (plow, wheel), the lack of
domesticated animals, and the lack of world
religions
 That isolation ended in 1492….