o Overview
-> Maya continuity
-> Mexica tribute empire
-> Mesoamerican agriculture
o Maya continuity
-> Maya city-states persisted in Yucatan, c. 1200-1450.
-> No unified Maya empire; rival dynasties ruled locally.
-> Earlier southern decline did not end Maya civilization.
-> Kings and priests used rituals to legitimize authority.
-> Polytheism, calendars and maize traditions continued.
o Mexica tribute empire
-> Mexica founded Tenochtitlan in 1325 on Lake Texcoco.
-> Triple Alliance formed in 1428, expanding by conquest.
-> Subject rulers kept local power but owed tribute.
-> Tribute goods sustained nobles, armies and the capital.
-> Priests and warriors ranked above commoners and slaves.
-> Huitzilopochtli worship tied sacrifice to warfare.
o Mesoamerican agriculture
-> Chinampas raised yields in shallow lake environments.
-> Maize, beans and squash sustained dense populations.
-> Irrigation and terraces adapted farming to local terrain.
-> Surpluses supported cities, elites and craft specialists.
-> Markets and merchants linked Mesoamerican communities.
-> Tribute demands enriched rulers but fueled resistance.
o Overview
-> Inca centralization
-> Andean adaptations
-> American state comparison
o Inca centralization
-> Inca expansion accelerated under Pachacuti from 1438.
-> Cusco anchored a centralized empire in the Andes.
-> Officials governed provinces through local leaders.
-> Mit'a required rotating labor for state projects.
-> Roads and runners linked troops, officials and supplies.
-> Quipu knotted cords recorded labor and stored goods.
-> Inti worship and royal ancestor veneration backed rule.
o Andean adaptations
-> Terraces and irrigation expanded mountain farming.
-> Potatoes and quinoa suited highland environments.
-> Llamas carried goods; roads connected ecological zones.
-> Ayllu kin groups organized landholding and shared labor.
-> Storehouses supplied armies and buffered crop failures.
o American state comparison
-> Americas: farming surpluses supported stratified states.
-> Maya local dynasties contrast with Inca centralization.
-> Mexica tribute differed from Inca labor mobilization.
-> American rulers used religion to legitimize hierarchy.
-> Both empires expanded rapidly; Maya autonomy persisted.