Www.WorldHistory.Biz
Login *:
Password *:
     Register

 

14-06-2015, 03:23

Trade and tribute

In mesoamerica and in the Andean region, it was the commoners who mainly supported the state hy paying taxes. People of high rank did not pay taxes, nor did the sick and those with disabilities. In Inca territory, each province had to pay specific amounts of tribute to the government. At Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, the residents of each borough belonged to an institution called a calpulli, whose leader made sure that taxes were paid. Goods of all kinds were exchanged in both regions, and in Mesoamerica all the products of the land were sold in splendid marketplaces. Aztec merchants went on long expeditions to distant lands to trade for such items as tropical feathers, gold, fine stones, and jaguar skins.

THE SAEE OE CORN Much can be learned from the murals of Diego Rivera about how the ancient Mexicans lived. Rivera, one of the most remarkable modern Mexican muralists, was well-read about life in Tenochtitlan. This detail of a busy market scene shows women selling various types of corn.

WARRIOR'S SUIT AND SHIEED

Tunics and shields were very expensive items of tribute. Tunics were either made of feather-covered material or of animal pelts. The jaguar headdress (left) was one of the warrior's insignia and also a symbol of power. According to the Codex Mendoza, tribute of this kind had to be paid once a year.

TEATEEOECO MARKET

When the Spanish arrived in Mexico, they found that the market at Tlatelolco (the sister city of Tenochtitlan) was bigger and better stocked than any market in Spain. Supervisors regulated prices, and judges were present in case of disputes or theft. Much of the buying and selling was done by barter-exchanging products—although copper axes sometimes served as money in both Mesoamerica and in the Andes.


¦


Recording storehouse goods on a quipu



Ij' V-

Cocoa beans

Melon seeds

INCAN STOREHOUSES left The Incas stockpiled goods such as cloth, corn, wool, potatoes, and weapons in storehouses. These supplies could be used by government officials and those who were in need due to an illness. They could also be distributed after a crisis or a siege.

TRADING

Items such as cocoa beans and feathers were in great demand, since vast quantities of each were paid in tribute. The merchants from Tenochtitlan and neighboring major cities exported and traded luxury objects made from imported raw materials or materials obtained by tribute.

In return for their wares, they obtained goods such as tropical feathers (especially quetzal feathers), cocoa beans, animal skins, and gold.

People met at the

Simple pottery bowl /

Market to exchange

News as well as goods

27


Quetzal

Feather


Jade beads


Tropical bird feather


Storing agricultural produce in government granaries

AH the potterp stalls were placed together in the market




 

html-Link
BB-Link