Page 74 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol V

trading patterns, ancient american 1851

Pacific coast. Mechanisms of long-distance interaction its on the types and numbers of goods that could be
included both the exchange of goods and the spread of exchanged. Native inhabitants of North America, the
the Chavín art style, which was probably the material Caribbean, and early Mesoamerica traded mostly cere-
expression of a common religious system that linked monial and luxury goods, at low quantities in the first
numerous localized small polities. The Middle Horizon two areas and at higher quantities in Mesoamerica. Late
(600–1000) witnessed the spread of two major art styles Mesoamerican peoples adopted commercial exchange
centered on the cities of Huari and Tihuanaco (in the cen- institutions that raised the volume of trade and extended
tral and southern Andes, respectively). Huari was the cap- the diversity of goods exchanged. In the Andes, a drive
ital of a territorial empire in which both trade and the for self-sufficiency led to distinctive state-run trade sys-
imperial art style contributed to political integration and tems. Overall, the high costs associated with overland
domination. During the Late Horizon (1400–1530), the human transport produced a volume of long-distance
Inca empire expanded rapidly to control nearly the entire trade lower than that found in many other ancient
area of the Andes and the Pacific coast. societies
The peoples of the Andes made use of a number of dis-
Michael E. Smith
tinctive trading patterns quite different from those of
Mesoamerica and North America. Most important was a See also Andean States; Aztec Empire; Inca Empire;
strong desire for self-sufficiency on the part of villages and Mesoamerican Societies; Mississippian Culture; Trading
polities. The varied environments of the Andes, caused Patterns, Mesoamerican
primarily by differences in elevation, are often in close
juxtaposition. Rather than having villages in each zone
specialize in local products and trade with one another Further Reading
(as happened in Mesoamerica), villages and polities sent Baugh,T. G., & Ericson, J. E. (Eds.). (1994). Prehistoric exchange systems
out temporary settlements to exploit different zones so in North America. New York: Plenum Press.
Burger, R. L. (1992). Chavín and the origins of Andean civilization. New
that each social unit could be self-sufficient by controlling York: Thames & Hudson.
the products and resources of many zones. This pattern Burger, R. L., Mohr Chávez, K. L., & Chávez, S. J. (2000).Through the
glass darkly: Prehispanic obsidian procurement and exchange in
was first described by the anthropologist and historian
southern Peru and northern Bolivia. Journal of World Prehistory,
John Murra, who called it “verticality.” The Inca rulers 14(3), 267–312.
adapted self-sufficiency and verticality to their empire, D’Altroy, T. N., & Hastorf, C. A. (Eds.). (2001). Empire and domestic
economy. New York: Plenum.
with the result being a bureaucratic, state-run economy. Earle, T. (2002). Bronze Age economics: The beginnings of political
Taxes were paid in labor, not goods. Managers organized economies. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Gaxiola G. M., & Clark, J. E. (Eds.). (1989). La obsidiana en Mesoamérica
labor parties and tracked the storage and movement of
[Obsidian in Mesoamerica]. Mexico City, Mexico: Instituto Nacional
raw materials, flocks of llamas and alpacas, foods, and de Antropología e Historia.
craft products. Money, markets, and independent mer- Hegmon, M. (Ed.). (2000).The archaeology of regional interaction: Reli-
gion, warfare, and exchange across the American southwest and
chants did not exist in the Inca empire, although these beyond (Proceedings of the 1996 Southwest Symposium). Boulder:
institutions did occur among some Andean groups out- University Press of Colorado.
Lee,T. A., Jr. & Navarrete, C. (Eds.). (1978). Mesoamerican communica-
side the reach of the empire.
tion routes and cultural contacts. Papers, vol. 40. Provo, UT: New
World Archaeological Foundation.
Ancient American Masson, M. A., & Freidel, D. A. (Eds.). (2002). Ancient Maya political
economies. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira.
Trading Patterns McKillop, H. (2002). Salt: White gold of the ancient Maya. Gainesville:
With the exception of Caribbean maritime trade and University of Florida Press.
Muller, J. (1997). Mississippian political economy. New York: Plenum.
Andean llama caravans, nearly all trade goods in ancient
Murra, J.V. (1980). The economic organization of the Inka state. Green-
America were transported by human carriers.This set lim- wich, CT: JAI Press.