Chapter Overview:
Chapter 20 shows the evolution of complex societies in the Americas and the Pacific islands from the sixteenth century. Limited social and economic interaction with the outside world and unique resources led to a wide range of differing social structures within the Americas and Oceania. Societies ranged from simple hunting and gathering bands of indigenous people, to settled down agricultural villages, to even highly complex urban societies like those of the Aztecs and the Incas. These societies shared many characteristics between each other. Isolation from one another and the rest of the world being the primary shared trait. These societies also lacked development, Metallurgical technologies were not yet developed, despite the fact that the people of Mesoamerica and South America mined gold and silver. Furthermore, there were few domesticated animals, besides the llama and alpaca of the Andes Mountains. Lastly, all of these societies lacked a written language. It is ironic to note however that the Aztecs were very skilled in mathematics, had precise calendars, and even created a symbolic system of record keeping, but possessed no form of formal written literature. The Incas kept accounts with quipu, a system of knotted cord. Study of these societies is limited by the lack of written sources. The earliest accounts of the Aztec and Inca come from the Spanish conquerors and missionaries and are distorted by their own personal biases. Nevertheless, these accounts plus oral traditions and archaeological evidence make it possible to describe the societies in some detail. As you explore this website you will learn in much greater detail about these ancient civilizations and how they had an impact on the history of our world.
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