es
-in Teotihuacán, Central America
-the city's most valuable trade item
-a green or black volcanic glass
-found in the Valley of Mexico
-used to make razor-sharp weapons
-around 900, the Toltec's rose to power
-they ruled over the next 3 centuries, ruled over the heart of Mexico from their capital of Tula
-built pyramids and temples
-carved tall pillars in the shape of armed warriors
-were an extremely warlike people whose empire was based on conquest. They worshiped a fierce war god who demanded blood and human sacrifice from his followers
-in 1428, the Aztecs joined with two other city-states, Texcoco and Tlacopan
-this alliance became the leading power in the Valley of Mexico and soon gained control over neighboring regions
-by the early 1500s, they controlled a vast empire that
covered some 80,000 square miles stretching from central Mexico to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and south into Oaxaca
-it was divided into 38 provinces and had an estimated pop. between 5 and 15 million people
-they generally exercised loose control over the empire,
often letting local rulers govern their own regions
-in 1502 he was crowned emperor
-under his rule, the Aztec Empire began to weaken
-Aztecs had been demanding tribute and sacrificial victims from the provinces under their control
-now, with the population of Tenochitilán growing ever greater, he called for even more tribute and sacrifice
-over time, he tried to lessen the pressure on the provinces, he reduced the demand for tribute payment by cutting the number of officials in the Aztec government
people who settled in the alley and developed advanced civilizations that controlled much of the area
a different god that the Topiltzin tried to convince people to worship; also known as the Feathered Serpent
How do historians think that the city collapsed?
Either from an invasion by outside forces or conflict among the city's ruling classes
Describe where Aztec wealth came from?
Their wealth came from gold, maize, cacao beans, cotton, jade, and other products
Describe the marketplace (Tlatelolco) of Tenochtitlan.
it had a great deal of local agricultural produce on display including avocados, beans, chili peppers, corn, squash, and tomatoes
Describe how the sun was the center of their religious practices.
the sun god was the most important one. He made the sun rise and set everyday
Describe how much sacrifice played into their battlefield strategy.
they made sure that they took their opponents alive in battle so they could use them for sacrifice
~by the 1700s it was a kingdom
~its rulers were growing rich by taxing the goods that traders carried through their territory
~by the year 800, Ghana had become an empire
~eventually, Ghana's rulers converted to Islam
~although the Almoravids eventually withdrew from Ghana, the war had badly disrupted the gold-salt trade and Ghana never regained its power
~emerged around 1235
~its founders were Mande-speaking people, who lived south of Ghana
~it's wealth was built on gold
~as Ghana remained weak, people who had been under its control began to act independently and minders found new gold deposits farther east
~this caused the most important trade routs to shift eastward, which made a new group of people -the people of Mali- wealthy
~Mali's first great leader
~came to power by crushing a cruel, unpopular leader
~through a series of military victories, he took over the kingdom of Ghana and the trading cities of Kumbi and Walta; a period of peace and prosperity followed
~he proved to be as great a leader in peace as he had been in war; he put able administrators in charge of Mali's finances, defense, and foreign affairs
~he promoted agriculture and reestablished the gold-salt trade
~he may have been Sundiata's grandnephew; ruled from about 1312 to 1332
~he was a skilled military leader who exercised royal control over the gold-salt trade and put down every rebellion
~his 100,000-man army kept order and protected Mali from attack
~under his rule, the empire expanded to roughly twice the size of the Ghana empire
~to govern his far-reaching empir