Introduction to Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology:

 

Humanity's Journeys

 

Dr. Kathryn Denning

 

 

Anth 2140, Sept 2005 - Apr 2006

 


14 Mar 2006


 

Plan for the day

 

1   Course business/ announcements...

2   Andean civs, Inca....


 

 

Reading and Assignments

Term 2 readings 

 

Today's readings

Fagan Ch 16 - 419-440 Andean Civilizations

Course Kit: Finding the Tomb of a Moche Priestess

This web reading about European contact and conquest in the Americas:

www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/columbus.html, www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/Latin.html,

www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/aztec.html,

www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/inca.html

www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/maritime.html

www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/eurowar.html

www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/communicate.html

www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/relex.html

 

Tomorrow in tutorial - more on the conquest of the Aztec.

 

Next week's readings (Mar 21)

Course Kit: Action Archaeology and the Community at El Pilar, Cultural Resource Management

AND these online readings.

Issue: Ethics and archaeology.

Can you dig it? http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1056932

Issue: Repatriation

Read the Kennewick Man Virtual Exhibit at the Burke Museum:  www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/kman/virtualexhibit_intro.htm  Ensure that you see the pages called Chronology of Events Who are Native Americans? Ancient People in the Americas The Idea of Race Native American Views Anthropologist's Views

Issue: Looting in North America

Hester Davis 1998. Facing the Crisis. Archaeology Magazine. http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/loot/index.html Read each section.

Issue: History that hurts

Alyssa Fisher. 2003. A Sight Which Can Never Be Forgotten. Archaeology Magazine.         http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/massacre/index.html

Issue: Archaeology and War

Spoils of War, re: Iraq, from 2003. http://www.archaeology.org/0307/etc/war.html

    (Optional: for more, see Protecting Iraq's Ancient Heritage:         http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/iraq/index.html )   

 

 

NOTE: QUIZ 6 WILL BE IN LECTURE NEXT WEEK, MAR 21. BE PREPARED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THE READINGS FROM MAR 14 AND MAR 21. IT WILL BE THE USUAL SHORT ANSWER FORMAT.

 


 

Think back...

to why Europe was colonizing the world.

e.g. why not China?

 

Who was Columbus, anyway? Why was he sailing on behalf of Spain?

Columbus archaeology: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060310/ts_nm/science_columbus_dc;_ylt=AtbC5PdHf6jYQkOlpEyT9les0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3ODdxdHBhBHNlYwM5NjQ-

 

 


On The Conquest of the Aztec

n.b. Fagan says of  Cortes: "A handful of explorers on imported horses, armed with a few muskets and cannons, were able to overthrow one of the most powerful tribute states in the history of America. Without question, Cortes' task was made easier by both rebellious subjects of the Aztecs and the extraordinary tensions the Aztecs had placed on themselves. Cortes also unwittingly introduced smallpox, which decimated his adversaries."

That's the short version!

 

You'll continue with the story of the Aztec tomorrow in tutorial... but bear all this in mind:

 

Conquistadors? The Spanish relied heavily on native allies, particularly the Tlaxcalans. There is a real question as to exactly who conquered whom, initially.

In addition to political, other things the Spanish had in their favour, and why? Guns, germs, steel, horses, maritime expertise, the factor of surprise... and nothing to lose

Disease: The impact of disease was immense.

See timeline of conquest here: http://www.pbs.org/opb/conquistadors/mexico/mexico.htm, especially the Disease timeline.

Aftermath: The Aztec (Nahua) and Maya are still very much alive. However... pervasive subjugation of indigenous peoples throughout Latin America, but also the rise of new mestizo nations, with syncretic religion etc.

 

 

 

 


 

Inka and other peoples of Peru

Machu Picchu

 

Andean civs 1500- AD 1500

Initial foundations of complexity in a maritime adaptation

Then intensive irrigation agriculture - even in the highlands - terraces

Moche (Lords of Sipan http://www.go2peru.com/sipan_museum.htm ),  Tiwanaku.... then emergence of the Inka

The Inka empire was different from Mesoamerica. Mesoamerica was urban and mercantile, whereas the Inka were more rural and centralized, and exchange was in labour rather than in goods.

The empire was vast (and expanding at the time of the conquest), but the cities were small. About 14 000 miles of paved roads, institutionalized record keeping, official language, state courier service, and a pretty good way of forging a nation from many different ethnic groups, through relocation.

I

 

Religion:  All matter was divine (hylotheistic), with special focuses on the sun, moon, and mountains.

 

 

RECORD KEEPING...

And for something completely different... the Quipu or Khipu... potentially a method of binary coding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Images borrowed from Gary Urton's 2003 book, Signs of the Inka Khipu: Binary Coding in the Andean Knotted-String Records. Austin: University of Texas Press.

 

 

 

 

Mummies and Skeletal Biology

Chachapoya, "The Cloud People" (actually Inca enemies, AD 800 to 1470)

Virtual Inca Mummy: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel/inca/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INKA TIMELINE:   Note that this is a political history!

 

Before the 12th Century: Founding of the Inca dynasty by Manco Capac. A legendary period

End of the 12th Century to Beginning of the 13th Century: Yupanqui Kingdom. Neighboring peoples are subdued.

Beginning of 14th Century: War with Chancas Indians. Reign of Inca-Roca.

14th Century: Kingdom of Yahuar-Huacoc, who was forced to abdicate after defeat by the Chancas.

Beginning of 15th Century: Kingdom of the Inca Viracocha. The war with the Chancas continues. The Inca Empire expands farther to the north and south.

1438-1471 (?): Reign of Inca Pachacutec, who finally defeats the Chancas. Inca sovereignty is recognized from teh Andean plateau to the Pacific coast.

After 1471: Reign of Tupac Yupanqui. The empire is at its height.

Beginning of the 16th Century: Kingdom of the last grand Inca, Huayna Capac.

1530: Death of Huayna Capac. The empire is divided between his sons Atahualpa and Huaskar. Civil war begins.

1532: Capture and murder of Athualpa by the Spaniards. Led by Francisco Pizarro, the Inca Empire is defeated.

1535: The Spaniards are held under siege in the city of Cuzco.

1572: The last Inca, Tupac Amaru, is captured by the Spaniards.

END OF THE INCA EMPIRE... though the Inca people live on.

 

 

 

 

Andean Sacrifice rituals

    Moche / Mochica - some pretty spooky stuff

    Iconography: Warfare appears to have been ritualized, for the purpose of capturing warriors to be sacrificed. Ritual - stripping the captives of clothing and weapons, placing a rope around the neck, slitting the throat, catching the blood in a cup, drinking it, dismembering the bodies. Confirmed archaeologically.

 Mochica Sacrifice:  http://www.amerimumi.org/rituel/en/ scroll to the right.

 

Images: http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0407/feature6/

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0103/feature3/

http://www.amerimumi.org/rituel/en/rituel_tv.htm

Article: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_3_20/ai_54359911

 

 

Inka - capa cocha sacrifice

 

 

 

Cases of sacrifice (focusing on areas we didn't read much about: also remember the cases in your textbook, from various centres in the Old World)
     Mochica: http://www.amerimumi.org/rituel/en/ scroll to the right.
     Chimu, Peru: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992885
     Inka:  http://www.he.net/~archaeol/online/news/inka.html
     Inka: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/peru/mummies/high1.html
     Chichen Itza: http://www.athenapub.com/chiccen1.htm
     Stonehenge:  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_stonehenge/clues.html
     Feathered Serpent Pyramid, Teotihuacan: http://archaeology.la.asu.edu/teo/fsp/Graves/gvg1.htm

 


Virtual Inca Mummy: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel/inca/

Items which Peru wants to have back:  http://e.sinchew-i.com/album.phtml?id=1084

Inca news stories: http://abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1199007.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3047421.stm