Essay about Mayan, Inca, and Aztec Civilizations

Throughout the humanities course, I have been intrigued by a vast amount of information on different cultures. However, there was a particular section that truly caught my attention, and has piqued an interest in me that has caused me to do my own research aside from this paper. The culture of the Mayas, and the Aztecs has been extremely fundamental in understanding my ancestry, being that I am Mexican American. I took an interest in their beautiful architecture, their ritualistic and sacrificial religious practices, as well as their history and how they began. Throughout this paper I will outline the similarities and differences of these two cultures, as well as articulate an understanding of the humanity disciplines outlined above.

The Inca were South American Indian people who ruled one of the largest and richest empires in the America's. The Inca Empire began to expand about 1438 and occupied a vast region that centered on the capital, Cusco, in southern Peru. The Empire extended more than 2,500 miles (4,020 kilometers) along the western coast of South America. It included parts of Present - Day Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. The Inca Empire was conquered by Spanish Forces soon after their arrival in 1532.

In history we the people have found to realize that the Maya, Aztec, and Inca culture was one of the most incredible findings of their accomplishments. The Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations were really smart in topics of engineering, writing, agriculture and astronomy. Also all three had their beliefs, and good with agriculture. All three cultures used great technologies in their agriculture like slash and burn, terrace farming. They all hunted for religion, they had a huge belief with the people spread throughout each region. They all had a lot of interest in the use of chocolate in the region, and cultivation. They all were pretty much the same just different beliefs.

Long distance trade fell under the supervision of the central government and administrator’s organized exchanges of the agricultural products. The Incas came up with their own writing system called quipu. Quipu consisted of an array of small cords of various and lengths, all suspended from large thick cord, unlike the Aztecs system which was just symbols. The Incan social structure was based upon hereditary aristocrats, consisting of rulers, priests, and peasant cultivators. Like the Aztecs the Incas performed bloodletting rituals, the sacrificial subject was just an animal instead of a human. The Incans considered the sun as a god and as their major deity, called Inti. They also recognized the moon, stars, planets, rain, and other natural forces as divine. Many of the differences between the Aztecs and the Incas benefited the two by becoming successful, striving, powerful regions.

The Aztecs were one of the last tribes to arrive in Mexico, in 1195 CE, when they arrived in the Valley of Mexico other tribes had taken the best land so the Aztecs were left with the swampy shores. They soon adapted and began to conquer their neighboring tribes. They continued to expand until they had their very own empire. The empire continued to thrive, until the Spanish arrived and had a fixed mind set on wanting the empires region of land.

Incas divided conquered areas into the people, lands for the state, and lands for the sun. The

The Incas and the Aztecs Before the Spanish and Portuguese "discovered" the New World, there

During the 15th century, there were two leading empires of Mesoamerica. The Inca Empire, which was located in what is now Peru and the Aztecs, whose area was located in what is now Mexico. Both the Aztec and Inca empires were advanced civilizations with a good economy, agricultural developments, and religious practices that spread across the region of Mesoamerica.

To start off with, the Mayans existed earlier in history than the Incas. The Mayans existed from 1000 BC to AD 1697 and no one is quite certain what wiped out their ancient civilization. Mayans are still around today but not as many as there once was. The Incas existed from AD 1438 to around 1534 and were wiped out by a combination of smallpox and being conquered by the Spanish.

The Aztec and Maya were both American Indian people. The Aztec were ruled by a mighty empire in Mexico during the 1400's and early 1500's. The Maya however, developed a magnificent civilization in Central America and Southern Mexico. Both civilizations contributed a great deal to the modern world and invented items that are still used today.

     The Aztecs society was structured in a hierarchy with nobles at the top. Social status was determined primarily at birth. All members of the nobility could trace their lineage to the first Aztecs ruler Acamapichtli . The only way one could rise up to another class in the system was to perform an outstanding military achievement.

The Aztec society was organized into tightly structured groups or classes. There were three main classes that formed Aztec society. The nobles, the intermediate class, and the commoners. Each class was divided further. At the top was the emperor who belonged to the noble class. His power came from control of the military and was supported by Aztec religious beliefs. He had a very nice and luxurious life. The nobles were the smallest class, but had the most power. They owned large estates and ran the government and the military. Priests were also from the noble class. Merchants and skilled artisans

The Aztecs were sophisticated for their organized government. The Aztec government consisted of strong rulers. Their prestigious rulers led them through conquests such as how their ruler, Itzcoatl did in 1427 (doc C). Itzcoatl was a ruler who vastly contributed to the advancement of the Aztecs by leading them in the claiming of more land. Aztecs had their own capital, Tenochtitlan. They were cultured and their population grew to 300,000 in 1519 (doc F). The Aztecs were sophisticated because of their rapid population growth and their strong rulers.

Although the Aztecs have an unknown origin, by legend they are believed to have originated from the northern part of modern day Mexico. A nomadic tribe known as the Mexica

At the very top of Aztec society was the Tlacatecuhtli or "chief men" that dominated all religious ceremonies and was the military leader of the Aztecs. Below him were religious offices that served as military generals.