Compare And Contrast Mexica And Aztecs

Over the past few millenniums, the world, culture, and inhabitants continue to change and advance. The culture and lifestyle of a group of individuals various based on their location. As time progresses, the people continue to develop and evolve, and civilizations make history. With that being said, the development of the Aztec and Incan Empires made global contributions throughout history. Although they share many like qualities, they also differ in numerous ways. The Aztec empire was established south of northwest Mexico in 1325 (Shi, George 7). The Aztecs overthrew central Mexico, and then they developed their capital, Tenochtitlan. “Warfare was a very sacred ritual for the Mexica” (Shi, George 7). According to Shi, and George Tindall,

Also, they forced their captives to pay tribute or taxes. Now that we’ve discussed warfare, how were they spiritually? The Aztecs were intensely spiritual, in fact, their religious beliefs focused on the interconnection between nature and human life, and the sacredness of natural elements: the sun, moon, stars, rain, mountains, rivers, and animals (Shi and George Tindall 7). The sun god was known as Huitzilopochtli. As stated above, to please their gods, the Aztecs offered human sacrifices. Their empire was very prosperous, and the economy had much to do with the civilization’s success. The Aztec empire relied solely on agriculture. They also relied on tribute and trade. In agriculture, they used strict irrigated systems. ( Shi and George

Their empire extended across western South America. According to the article “Inca Warfare” by Mark Cartwright, Cusco was known to be the Incan Empire’s capital. Warfare was not a ritual, but it was still used. The Incas used warfare when diplomacy, and negotiation for trade failed (Cartwright “Inca warfare”). They also used it to conquer neighboring societies. According to Cartwright, some weapons that were used by the Incas included spears, arrows, slings, and palm wood clubs (“Inca warfare”). Of them all, their favorite to use was palm wood clubs. When they conquered societies, they made governors of conquered nations pay labor taxes (Cartwright “Inca Warfare”). Spiritually, they had vast beliefs. They believed in sacrificing humans and animals, fetishism, nature gods, and divination. Their religion included many Gods: sun God; thunder God, and earth mother Goddess. How did the Incan Empire thrive? Their economy was based heavily on agriculture. They used strict irrigation systems, and advanced farming techniques (Shi and George Tindall 7). Some harvests included squash, corn, potatoes, and peanuts. The empire was organized into four “suyu” (Cartwright “Inca Warfare”). With all that they managed to accomplish, the empire lasted more than 150 years. Spanish soldiers under the command of Fransico Pissarro conquered the Incans in