APWH Period 3 Americas Trade by James Roger Conley

Introduction

jrcdmc — 2015-10-22 12:18:23 UTC

Like much of the rest of the world during APWH period 3, the Americas engaged in "RELAY TRADE." Distances were too vast to be traveled by a single merchants, so Native Americans had to develop a series of stops and trading posts where merchants would barter goods. Merchants would return home with what they had received. Gradually, these networks developed into links that connected all of the Americas.

Map

jrcdmc — 2015-10-22 12:24:16 UTC

Americas trade routes connected the regions of North America, MesoAmerica, and South America. Local trading networks existed in Period 2, but APWH period 3 saw linkages between major civilizations including:

North America: Pueblo, Mound Builders, and Iroquois Confederacy.

MesoAmerica: The city of Teotihuacan, the Maya peoples, and the Aztec Empire

South America: The Inca Empire

Interaction with the Environment

jrcdmc — 2015-10-22 12:28:38 UTC

Because the Americas trade routes covered the entirety of North, Meso, and South America, DIRECT CONNECTIONS were far more difficult than anywhere else on the planet.

Also, there were no major domesticated animals in North or MesoAmerica to assist in the trade, so people had to travel either by foot or canoe (boat) hugging coastlines or using rivers.

The only exception to this rule was the trade routes developed in South America, where people had learned to domesticate the llama and alpaca which could be used to carry goods (but not people). As such, trade was both more difficult and slower than elsewhere in the world during Period 3.

Economics-Barter

jrcdmc — 2015-10-22 12:33:01 UTC

The civilizations of the Americas never developed "money" as we know it-no 'coins' or 'paper money as developed in Afro-Eurasia.

Instead, MOST trade was strictly BARTER-a trade good for another trade good.

For example, in the picture below are Aztec "pochteca" (or merchants) trading goods directly.

Economics-Trade Goods

jrcdmc — 2015-10-22 12:39:34 UTC

North America-Shells (Atlantic coast), copper (Great Lakes), Buffalo Hides (Plains), and obsidian (Rocky Mountains).

MesoAmerica- Corn (all civilizations), jadite (a green stone found near Teotihuacan), beads, bird feathers, shells, and cacao (especially popular amongst Mayan elite). Gold and silver were also highly prized, especially in the Aztec empire.

South America-potato, gold and silver (both were considered to be 'gifts of the gods'), textiles, feathers, animal hides, etc.

Below is an example of an elite traded good-"wampum", strings of shells and beads fashioned into great works of art and clothing in North America.

Economics-Quipu

jrcdmc — 2015-10-22 12:45:06 UTC

One of the great innovations of Incan economics was "Quipu" (knots). In APWH period 2, Andean civilizations developed an accounting method to keep track of trade that involved the placement of a "knot" on a string to signify numbers. The Incan Empire of Period 3 refined this method of accounting into an advanced mathematical counting system that was literally math in 3-dimensions.

North American Trade Routes Map

jrcdmc — 2015-10-22 12:47:34 UTC

MesoAmerican Trade Routes Map

jrcdmc — 2015-10-22 12:47:59 UTC

South American Trade Routes Map

jrcdmc — 2015-10-22 12:48:24 UTC

Culture

jrcdmc — 2015-10-22 12:49:08 UTC

Most Native Americans had localized religious practices, so no major changes occurred in religion as a result of trade in Period 3. The one exception to this was the overwhelming architectural influence that the city of Teotihuacan had on all of the surrounding civilizations in MesoAmerica, who quickly copied Teotihuacan methods of construction.

City-Tenochtitlan

jrcdmc — 2015-10-22 12:54:16 UTC

The best example of an APWH period 3 city that grew rapidly because of trade was the capital city of the Aztec Empire-Tenochtitlan.

The city was founded on a lake in MesoAmerica. It quickly grew into the most important center of MesoAmerican culture and trade.

From this city, the Aztec empire was able to exert its dominance over the rest of MesoAmerica, and extracted tribute and slaves from conquered people