Mesoamerican and Andean Civilizations: Politics, Society, and Economy
Maya Political Aspects
The Maya were located between Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The Mayan population was organized into autonomous cities, ruled by a hereditary monarch called halach uinic.
Maya Social Structure and Economy
The main economic activity of the Maya was communal agriculture. Farmers collectively cultivated land to produce crops such as corn, cassava, and cocoa beans using rudimentary methods.
The Maya had a social organization based on caste differences. At the top was the royal family. Priests were in charge of scientific study, managing mathematics, astrology, and the 365-day solar calendar.
Aztec Political Organization
The Aztec people were located in central Mexico around Lake Texcoco, where they built the city of Tenochtitlan in the 14th century.
Aztec Economic and Social Structure
The Aztec economy was based on maize cultivation. They also grew cotton, tobacco, and maguey, from which they obtained a liquor called pulque. Agriculture was highly developed, and they built terraces for cultivation.
Aztec society was structured around family clans called capulli, all of whom claimed descent from a common ancestor. The ruling class consisted of warriors and priests.
Aztec Cultural Life
The Aztecs were polytheistic.
Inca Empire
The Incas ruled the most extensive empire in pre-Columbian America. At the end of the 11th century, they migrated from central Bolivia to northern Peru.
Social Structure
The center of life was the ayllu, a large family group with many relatives. The ayllu was the fundamental social group in Peru, existing long before the Inca Empire. Each ayllu had farmland and a chief, the sinchi, to whom they owed obedience.
Religion
During the Inca Empire, the state supported the Church, a unique case in indigenous America. The Church’s main purposes were to increase food supply and heal the sick.
Viracocha was the supreme god, the immortal creator of all things on earth and the universe. They also worshipped the sun god, Inti, the protector of the royal dynasty, who was depicted with rays emanating from a human form.
The Incas achieved a level of military development unmatched by any other people in pre-Columbian America. While early wars had economic reasons, later conflicts were driven by the desire to increase the Inca emperor’s prestige.
Economic Life
The Inca economy was primarily based on agriculture. Their main crops were potatoes (with about 200 varieties) and maize. They also cultivated beans, pumpkins, ulluco, quinoa, peanuts, guavas, and cotton. They used viñucas and llama dung as fertilizer. Coca was cultivated in forest areas and used in religious ceremonies.
The Incas were notable for their engineering, especially their road network. Two main roads ran north to south, one along the coast and another through the highlands, connected by transverse and secondary roads linking all villages and towns.
Chibcha Society
Chibcha society was based on families grouped into clans. Several clans formed a tribe, and all tribes formed a confederation. The two main confederations were Bacatá (Bogotá) and Hunza (Tunja).
Religion
The Chibcha were deeply religious. Lagoons were their main shrines and temples, the center of their faith. They danced to music on the banks, raised their arms, and descended in devout attitudes. They offered sumptuous offerings of emeralds, gold, and clay to their deities. Important life events, such as prayers for newborns, puberty rites, and marriages, were marked by religious ceremonies.
Wars
The Chibcha were warlike by nature. When forced into war, they showed no mercy to their enemies.
Economy
Agriculture was the primary activity of the Chibcha, and they became experts in it. Maize was used to make various foods like porridge, bagels, arepas, and beer through fermentation. They grew potatoes, cassava, arracacha, beans, tomatoes, pumpkins, squash, and ate fruits from warmer climates like papaya, avocados, guavas, and custard apples. Chili was used as a condiment, and coca to satisfy hunger. Tobacco was used for leisure and in religious and magical practices.
Mining
The Chibcha mined salt in Zipaquirá and Nemocón. Salt was an essential commodity traded with distant tribes, making it a major source of their economy, even more valuable than rubies and textiles. They solidified salt in clay pots, which were then broken to form blocks.
Trade
The surplus from agriculture, mining, and textiles allowed the Chibcha to engage in trade. They held weekly fairs or markets in various towns.