This paper will discuss four different Native American groups that lived in new world before the arrival of the Europeans. The paper will particularly focus on the Aztecs, the Incas, the Pueblo and the Iroquois. The ethnic groups that inhabited parts of central Mexico between 14th and 16th century were referred to as the Aztecs. These people spoke the Nahuatl Language and were very dominant in the 14th -16th century. The Aztec civilization revolves around the people who spoke the Nahuatl language and it includes their culture during the classic age. These people had a compact and rigid class system and slavery was one of the most dominant features of the class system (Pohl, p. 90). Each Aztec ethnic group would elect its own government officers whose role was to maintain law and order. The elected member of the governing council also regulated the affairs of every tribe. Over time, the tribes grew apart and by the time an Aztec city was established, each tribe was running its own individual affairs.
The Iroquois people first settled in the north eastern part of North America and moved to the modern day Maryland where they settled along the Susquehanna River. The Iroquois were farmers and they fought for land with the neighboring communities especially the Algonquin. Around 1400 AD, the Iroquois formed a club organization that was referred to as the Iroquois confederacy and this confederacy comprised all the ethnic tribes in the Iroquois language group. These ethic groups include the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Cayuga, the Seneca and the Onandagua and the purpose of the confederation was to create an alliance that would be used for fight enemies and to prevent internal wars (Roger, p. 23).
The Incas were quire different from the other groups that inhabited the larger America. Their language was very different from the other Native American groups. The Incas they lived in a place called Cuzco in the American Highlands. After the 10th century, the Incas started expanding and their expansion helped them to control almost the entire South America. The Inca territory was expansive, stretching from Chile to Ecuador. The Inca Empire had millions of people. This was a very high population at that time and their demographic advantage enabled them to assert their authority in the region. The Incas had a very flexible social structure. They did not have class systems and at the top of the social structure was the Inca who wielded absolute power. Each tribe had its own head that reported to the chief Inca. The social unit of the Incas was communistic and the authority was centralized which gave little room for individual advancement (Roark et al, p. 67).
The Pueblos were Native American people who live in the United States of America and the pueblo of people consisted of 21 tribes which include the Taos, the Acoma, the Zuni and the Hopi tribes. In their early history, the Pueblos lived in caves and cliffs. They started building homes along river banks using sand after 700 AD. The Pueblos were socially organized in clans and lineages and the women lived in their own houses. The Pueblos were strictly monogamous. Each Pueblo tribe had its own administration and the people would elect the councils that used to regulate the affairs of each tribe. The Pueblos had the most distinct way of life and were considered eccentric.
Works Cited
- Pohl, Frances. Framing America. A Social History of American. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2002.
- Roark, James, et al. The American Promise: A history of the United States. NY: Pearson Books, 2008.
- Roger, Nicholas. Indians in the United States & Canada, a Comparative History. Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1998.