istoryworld
Events relating to civilization
A fair-skinned and bearded king, by the name of Quetzalcoatl, is exiled from Tula but says that he will be back in a 'One Reed' year.
The Mayan city of Chichén Itzá is captured by the Toltecs
The Inca ethnic group migrates into the region of the Cuzco valley in Peru
The Aztecs begin to move south from their original home, which they call Aztlan, somewhere in northern Mexico
The Aztecs settle on an uninhabited island in a lake, which they name Tenochtitlan — the site of the modern Mexico City
The rulers of Tenochtitlan join with two other neighbouring kingdoms to form the Aztec Triple Alliance
After a decisive victory over the Chanca people, a young Inca prince seizes the throne in Peru and takes the name Pachacuti
Cuzco, city of the Incas, grows rapidly in power after Pachacuti ('transformer of the earth') becomes emperor
The massive architecture of the Incas, consisting of finely dressed irregular blocks of stone, becomes a feature of Cuzco
The most sacred of the Inca divinities, Punchao, is symbolized by a great golden disc representing the sun
The Chimu empire in Peru is conquered by the Incas under the leadership of Pachacuti's son Topa
Topa succeeds his father, Pachacuti, as emperor of the Incas
When the enlarged pyramid at Tenochtitlan is dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec sacrifice of human victims lasts for four days
The Inca empire is extended to the north and a second capital is established at Quito
On Topa's death his son Huayna Capac succeeds to the throne as Inca emperor
Even the remote city of Machu Picchu, on its peak above the jungle, is built in the massively precise Inca style of masonry
The female mamakuna and the male yanakuna are selected in childhood to serve the Inca state
The Inca empire has about 25,000 miles of well-serviced roads, designed for caravans of llamas
In Cuzco's great temple, the sacrifices are usually of llamas, occasionally of humans
Vasco Núñez de Balboa reaches the Pacific coast and claims the ocean for the king of Spain
The Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortes lands on the coast of Mexico with 600 men, 16 horses and about 20 guns
Cortes and his tiny force capture Montezuma, ruler of the mighty Aztec empire, in his palace at Tenochtitlan
Cortes loses control of Tenochtitlan and has to escape in haste with his men during 'the Sorrowful Night'
After a little more than a year Cortes recaptures Tenochtitlan and finally establishes Spanish control over Mexico
The Inca emperor, Huayna Capac, dies in an epidemic of a western disease, smallpox
