ANST-601 Lessons

The professor brandishes her wand with a flourish and the doors to her classroom open once again. The beaming smiles of her Sixth Year students are reflected in the smile upon her own face. The classroom decor has changed once again for this year: the walls now feature Aztec-inspired artwork, and a small pyramid-shaped structure sits on her desk.

Thought we were finished with pyramids? Well, you would be mistaken! Pyramids and similar structures are actually scattered around the globe and we will be talking about them again this year. Let’s start by going over a brief review of how this year will proceed, and then we will jump right into our studies.

Year Six Outline

Unless something dramatic changes over the course of the year - and I doubt it will - our studies will follow this general outline:

Lesson 1: Introduction to Native American Magic
Overview and Origins of the Inca Empire
Lesson 2: Machu Picchu and Vilcabamba
Lesson 3: Nazca and the Lines of Nazca
Lesson 4: Maya - Part I
Lesson 5: Maya - Part II
Lesson 6: Aztec
Lesson 7: Navajo
Lesson 8: Mi’kmaq
Lesson 9: Salish

Introduction to Ancient Magic in the Americas

North, Central, and South America cover a significant swath of land and history on our planet. As with other areas of the world, the Americas hold an incredible amount of history and magic that we cannot possibly cover in one year’s worth of study. In North America alone, there are literally thousands of native groups, languages, dialects, beliefs, and so on - we simply do not have the time to study even a fraction of them.

That said, I have decided to focus our studies on some of the most famous civilizations in the Americas, namely the Aztecs, Incas, and Maya, as well as some of my favourite (that is, the ones I find most fascinating) civilizations. 

Another thing to note is how “ancient” these civilizations are. Compared to the ones we’ve studied such as the Egyptians and Sumerians? Not so ancient. Nevertheless, many of these civilizations have all but died out or vanished, and it is only by studying their artifacts and recordings that we can infer what their civilization was like. In terms of the history of their respective continents, they are indeed ancient.

The Great Migration

In order to fully understand how civilization in the Americas developed, it is important to know where the people came from. While there are no written records of the arrival of humans to the Americas, Muggle and magical scholars agree (mostly through genetic and archaeological research) that somewhere around twenty-five thousand years ago, humans started crossing the land bridge called Beringia that stretched between modern-day Russia in Asia to Alaska in North America. These waves of people quickly (at least in a global history perspective) migrated south throughout the Americas, all the way to Monteverde, Chile, which they eventually reached approximately fifteen thousand years ago.

To answer the burning question at the forefront of your minds, yes, there were indeed witches and wizards within those groups of the earliest settlers of the Americas! Granted, their understanding and use of magic was rudimentary at best, but they were there. Their progeny grew and learned, and magic became part of the culture of the people in the Americas. Granted, it’s important to note that these magical practices, rituals, and traditions typically looked very different from what we have studied in the past, called the “Old World.”

You may hear these two areas referred to as the “New World” and the “Old World” which is an interesting phenomenon. Because the advent of written history (or at least most of it) began on the joined continents of Asia and Europe, we must view these terms through that lens. The authors of these histories considered themselves part of the “Old World,” as they viewed their societies (whether correctly or incorrectly) as the progenitor of all things: magic, humanity, civilization, and so forth. Then, these “original” civilizations “discovered” the New World (otherwise known as the Americas), which was home to, at least in their opinion, younger civilizations that were less learned, or more barbaric. Some of these differentiations are justified, but in some cases, it was simply a case of not understanding the nuances of traditions that were different from theirs. So, as we study these civilizations this year, keep in mind that most of the first written accounts of these peoples came from explorers from the “Old World” and may need to be taken with a grain of salt. 

Inca Civilization: History and Magic Use

The Inca Empire emerged around 1230 CE and lasted until it was vanquished by the Spaniards around 1525. At its peak, the empire stretched nearly the full length of South America, through the modern day countries of Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Argentina. Its size was larger than twice that of modern-day France. It is considered to have been part of the Andean civilization, which is composed of several different, yet genetically related, groups of people. The Nazca people, who we will study in lesson three, were also part of the Andean civilization.

The Inca Empire was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America; its capital was the city of Cuzco (sometimes called Cusco, or Quechua), which still exists in modern day Peru. The city was divided into four quarters, mimicking the four quarters of the empire that bore the same names; Chinchaysuyu, Antisuyu, Qullasuyu, and Kuntisuyu.

 While not as advanced as magic use in the Old World in the 13th to 16th centuries, there was still a significant amount of magic use and influence in the Inca civilization. Most notably, Inca magic practitioners were quite adept at divination. Typical to early uses of this branch of magic, Inca diviners used their magic to predict battle outcomes, and look for intervention and guidance from the gods. Interestingly, divination was also used for planning special events, such as festivals, throughout the year.

Other forms of magic known to be practiced by the Inca people were charms and potions. Charms were most often used to enchant objects such as weapons, or personal protective jewelry, as well as for general protection from enemies both in battle and over sacred places, such as burial grounds and temples. As for potions, this branch of magic was mostly used as part of ritual practices to help food grow, heal the sick, and other tasks. 

Conclusion

We will learn a bit more about magic use in our next class when we discuss famous witches and wizards in the Inca civilization, as well as two of their magical strongholds: Machu Picchu and Vilcabamba. That is, however, all of the time we have for today’s class! I’m starting you off gently this term - there will simply be a quiz for you to complete today. Now don’t get too excited, there will be a mandatory essay during Lesson Two as well as a quiz. 

Image credits here and here
Original lesson written by Professor Liria Morgan