CARLOS FUENTES

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Pre-Classical: Beginnings of complex societies ~600 BCE:

› Mediterranean culture founded on competition, athleticism, humanism, rationalism develops

› Warring States Period sees development of 3 Philosophies› Hinduism challenged by Buddhism

600 CE:› Globalization 1.0 as 2nd wave empires develop (Islamic states; Chinese

Dynasties and periphery states; African Empires)

Pre-Classical: Beginnings of complex societies

~200 CE: › Civilizations develop new forms of political

organization – increased social complexity

~900 CE:› Mayan urban cities decline and are abandoned

When you look at one of the great creation stories inMeso-America, the Popol Vuh, there are twins. Theirnames were Xbalanque and Hunahpuh. They wereball players, they lived in the underworld, and theyplayed ball with the lords of death. The game re-emphasized how Meso-Americans viewedthemselves in the cosmos and in relation to the gods.So they were playing out a game of gods and thelords of death every time they took to the ball court.(Prof. Michael Whittington)

Eternal struggle of life and death

You are a world famous archaeologist and your friend Indiana Jones has written you another email. It is your task to brainstorm how you might reply – but don’t worry, you have your fellow archaeologists in this room to help out!

Food provided by peasantry and tribute from conquered societies

Previous egalitarianism of Mexica was increasingly replaced by widening gap between peasants and nobles/military men, with artists, scribes, merchants, and healers forming a smaller, intermediate class.

Incans: 1430s-1525

SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCES

Based on long development of civilizations that preceded them

Incans had tougher geography to manipulate to succeed in irrigation and building infrastructure

Success in imperial and military organizations

Based on intensive agriculture (maize in both, plus potatoes in South America) organized by state that accumulated surplus production & controlled distribution of goods

Mercantile trade more developed in Aztec empire

Kinship-based institutions allowed for emergence of social hierarchy with growing nobility class connected with government

Both recognized local ethnic groups and allowed for a certain level of variation as long as tribute was paid

Incas tried to integrate their empire more than the Aztecs

No sense of individualism (cosmos depended on status quo!)