My Science School

The Zapotec religion was polytheistic, that is, they believed in multiple gods and goddesses differentiated only by their costumes.

Gods were depicted wearing clothes with or without capes, while goddesses were depicted wearing skirts. Many of the gods were associated with fertility and agriculture.

Some popular deities were Cocijo, Coquihani, and Pitao etc. They associated life to inanimate objects too.

There are several legends about the origin of the Zapotec. One of them is that they were descended from big cats like pumas, jaguars, and ocelots. They believed themselves to be the original people of the valley of Oaxaca. They assumed themselves to be born from rocks.

The Zapotec believed that they were the descendants of super-natural beings, living among the clouds and believed that they would return to the clouds after their death. It is due to this very belief, the Zapotecs are also known as the cloud people. 

          The Nazcas were fond of not only wool weaving and embroidery, but also of painting plain cotton cloth with an array of colorful images and motifs. Nazca weavers employed an astonishing range of colours and shades to produce intricate and detailed designs.

          The Nazca people made some of the finest pottery and the designs used on them were unique and beautiful. They often depicted harvest scenes on their pottery. Also, animal figures seen in Nazca Line were also used as motifs.

          Looms, spindles, needles, cotton balls, and pots of dyes have all been excavated from Nazca settlements. Nazca metalworkers beat gold into thin sheets which were cut to create silhouettes. Masks were produced which were worn over the mouth and made the wearer appear to have a golden beard and whiskers. Full-face gold masks, hair plumes, and nose and forehead ornaments were also produced.

              The Nazca Civilization is one of the most splendid civilizations that can trace its origin, on the southern coast of Peru by the middle of the first millennium BC. They settled in the Nazca valley. The culture is noted for the geoglyphs made on the desert floor commonly known as Nazca lines. Nazca lines are earth drawings in the forms of animals and plants. They were made by removing the dark surface stones to expose the lighter ground below. Their exact purpose is disputed.

              The Nazca people were also masters of irrigation, and built a network of underground canals.

             Villages were the lifelines of the Nazca civilization. The houses of people were different according to their social class. The Nazca people enjoyed their social life and came together regularly for festivals. 

               The Zapotec was an advanced Mesoamerican civilization that was prominent before the arrival of the Europeans. There are evidences of the civilization at the ancient city of Monte Alban, which was once a popular city in Mesoamerica.

               The Zapotecs dominated much of the territory that today belongs to Oaxaca in Mexico.

               The Zapotec rulers were powerful, and seized control of many provinces outside the valley of Oaxaca, as none of these provinces could compete with them politically and militarily.

               The Zapotecs depended on rivers for their agriculture. They also used canal irrigation to provide water for crops away from the river.

               The Zapotecs developed a calendar and a writing system which is believed to be the first one in Mesoamerica. 

            The end of Wari Civilization is mysterious. The civilization began to deteriorate around 800 AD. Archeologists have determined that the city of Wari was dramatically abandoned by 1000 AD.

            It is believed that severe drought that lasted for centuries, made the Wari civilizations’ end. Even though written records are not available to prove this point, their architecture suggests that they did, indeed face a severe drought.

            The buildings in Wari had doorways that were deliberately blocked up, as if the Wari intended to return, someday when the rains returned. But by the time rain came, the Wari Civilization faded from history. Though they didn’t survive the test of time, the Wari Civilization contributed a great deal to the succeeding civilizations. 

            The Wari is an Andean civilization that flourished in Ancient Peru between AD 450 -1000.

            They left a significant influence on later civilizations like Nazca.

            They were an advanced civilization. The more militaristic Wari were also gifted agriculturalists. They constructed canals to irrigate terraced fields.

            They were good at art as well as architecture. They used distinctive decorative motifs on pottery. The main motif was the Doorway God, which was a figure often represented with a rectangular face and rayed headdress.

            It is believed that the people of Wari were the first to use terrace agriculture, which was later adapted and developed by the Incas. The Wari implemented a combined strategy of military might, economic benefits, and distinct artistic imagery to forge a civilization across ancient Peru. 

          From the floating fields called chinampas to the terrace crops grown, the Aztecs proved themselves to be much advanced as far as agriculture was concerned. The Aztecs mainly used four methods of agriculture.

          Prominent among them was agriculture using chinampas. Chinampas were often set up in lakes with the help of poles. The Aztecs overcame the lack of conventional farming land by chinampas. Each chinampa was framed by a group of up to fifteen people.

          The second form of agriculture was ‘rainfall cultivation’. The Aztecs also implemented terrace agriculture in hilly areas.

          In the valleys irrigation farming was used. Dams diverted water from natural springs to the fields. The Aztecs’ canal system was much effective. It was long enough to provide water to entire Aztec cultivations. 

The Aztecs created some of the most impressive temples and pyramids the world has ever seen. The Great pyramid in Tenochtitlan is the finest example of their architectural skills.

Tenochtitlan was the capital city of the Aztec Empire. It was built on a series of islets in Lake Texcoco. The city was divided into four city sections called campans and was connected with canals which were highly useful in transportation. 

Continue reading "Why is it said that the Aztecs were good at city building and decorative arts?"

               The class system was prevalent among the Aztecs like in many other civilizations. There were different social classes within the Aztec society. Nobility, the highest class was known as pipiltin. They had many privileges like having a house of more than one storey. They were permitted to wear sandals and cotton clothing, while commoners were required to go barefooted. The second class was the peasants, who were known as macehualtin.

               Some men called mayeque, farmed fields belonging to the nobility.

               The slaves among Aztecs were known as tlacotin. Among the Aztecs, people could choose to become slaves when they were very poor.

               Travelling merchants called pochtecah were a small, but important class as they not only facilitated commerce, but also communicated vital information across the empire, and beyond its borders. They sometimes worked as spies for the Aztec Empire. 

 

               

               The Aztec Empire was an empire that extended its power throughout Mesoamerica in the late post classic period. It originated in 1427 as a triple-alliance between the city states of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan. They allied to defeat the state of Azcapotzalco which had previously dominated the Basin of Mexico. 

 

 

 

               The Aztec Empire extended its power by a combination of trade and military conquest. They had a large well organized and well equipped army. Like a modern army, it was divided into units under the command of officers.

               The Aztec Empire controlled its vassal states by installing friendly rulers. They also contracted marriage alliances with ruling families. Their territory reached as far as Pacific Ocean. At the time of the Spanish conquest in 1519, the Aztecs were at the zenith of their power. 

          The Aztecs were a group native to Central Mexico and the northwestern part of Guatemala.

          They lived in a city called Tenochtitlan, which was surrounded by two of Mexico’s highest mountains. They got their water from mountain springs. Food was either grown or hunted. The Aztecs spoke the Nahuatl language.

          The Aztecs were credited with the discovery of cocoa bean, and they made chocolate using cocoa bean. They believed that cocoa seed were a gift of the god of wisdom. They even used cocoa beans as currency - it’s strange, but true.  

          The Aztecs used chocolate to make a beverage which they introduced to the Spanish. The Spanish enjoyed it too, and thus made its way to Europe.

          Later, the Aztec food and beverages became very popular in Europe. 

            The sacred city of Machu Picchu is considered as one of the most spectacular ancient cities. More interesting is the fact that it was built on the most difficult, wild, and inaccessible mountain area. The city that was built around 1450 is a magnificent sight, and it served as a royal estate for Inca emperors and nobles.

            Its construction is dated to the period of two great Inca rulers, Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui and Tupac Inca Yupanqui. The city nestles in between two mountains called Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu.

            The city Machu Picchu is made up of more than 150 buildings ranging from baths and houses to temples and sanctuaries.

            A stone aqueduct brought a supply of fresh water from the mountain streams to the houses. Machu Picchu is the greatest example of the Inca brilliance in the field of architecture.

            The ancient city is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

          Today’s world allows us to communicate with anyone regardless of social class, or even social status. But this was not the case with the Inca Civilization. If you had to communicate, you had to be within the same social class, or else you would be punished. Strange, isn’t it?

          The Incas had four main social classes. The Sapa Inca, the emperor or the king, was the top of the Inca social class. Sapa Inca’s wife was called the Coya; she served as the queen of the society.

          Below the royals were the nobility, who were the relatives of the royals. But there was another way to be in the nobility class and that was by achieving distinction through education or other training fields.

          The majority of Inca society was composed of Ayllu. Ayllu members were expected to take care of the cattle’s and had many other important tasks. They were often responsible for the preservation and care of honoured mummies of the ancestors. In exchange for their work, they were paid. 

 

          The Incas had an incredible system of roads. Since they lived in the Andes Mountains, it took great engineering and architectural skill to build the roads. Their cities were advanced. They had very efficient drainage and water supply system. A series of finely carved stone channels and basins carried water down through the mountain cities. The stone masons of the Inca Empire were very skilled, and they built marvellous shrines using stones.

          The government of the Inca Empire was organized like a pyramid, with the emperor Sapa Inca at the top. The emperor was believed to be descended from the sun and was treated as a god.

          The chief priest or Willaq Umu was the second to the emperor. The Incas had a council that comprised of 16 nobles. This council helped the emperor in administration. The Incas kept records of their administration by using knotted strings called quipu. 

               It may sound strange that the Incas had a festival called the ‘Festival of Dead’, where the dead emperors were paraded through the streets. The Incas strongly believed in the afterlife.

               According to the Inca belief, death was a passage to the next world that was full of difficulties. They called the spirit of the dead ‘camaquen’ and believed that a camaquen need the help of a black dog that can see even in darkness, so that they could pass the long road ahead of them. 

 

 

               They embalmed, or mummified their dead before burial. After the burial, relatives would bring food to the tomb of their beloved.

               The Incas did not practice creamation. They believed that, burning would cause their vital force to disappear, and also block their passage to the next world. The Incas also believed that the dead could hear them.