MIA and the spanish
- Aztecs
- conquered by cortez which they believed to be their god Quetzalcoatl
- conquered in the early 16th century
- religion: polytheistic, human offering or sacrifice was very popular
- Montezuma II was the leader of the Aztecs when this occured
- unique agriculture: Chinampas- floating gardens
- would use the volcanic rocks called obsidian with their weaponry
- their capital was Tenochtitlan
- number system is based on 20s
- key buildings: templo mayor, saint cecilia Acatitlan, great pyramid of Cholula, temples of the sun and moon.
- Mayans
- Tikal was the capital
- their classic period was from the mid 3rd century to very early 10th century
- religion: polytheistic and human sacrifice
- their collapse is still not officially known but very recent research would suggest that it was due to a 200 year drought
- known for their calendar
- popol vuh is their book of creation
- key buildings: great ball court, temple of the jaguars, temple of the magician, el castillo
- Incan
- Cuzco was the capital
- no real writing system
- Quipo was used for both math and reading
- polytheistic religion, human sacrifice was uncommon
- created a road system consisting of around 18k to 25k miles
- conquered by the Pizarro and Spanish in the mid to late 16th century
- massive civil war between brothers was occurring at this time
- small pox was being spread
- Pizarro had less that 200 men
- key building: Temple Hill
why did the spanish think it is fine to attack and conquer the aztecs and incans
inferiority
The spanish were looking for land to conquer to begin with. Cortez was allowed into the city and treated like a god, he was believed to be Quetzalcoatl.
Religion
gold and treasure
they felt that it was their discovery
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