Comparing Inca, Maya, And Aztec Civilization

Geography- Tenochtitlan(where they settled) was swampy, so they built Chinampas (floating garden)for vegetation.Tenochtitlan was surrounded by mountains which gave the aztecs the protection, but on the other hand it also caused problems:

The Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans all held similar qualities but had their own defining differences as well. The Aztecs live in Central America, Mexico from 1200 to 1521 with their capitol located in Tenochtitlan. The Mayans lived in Central America from 400B.C. to 1517 A.D. with their capitals being tikal, Chichen Itza, Copan, Palenque, and Mayapan. The Inca lived in South America during 1200 to 1572 with their capital in Cuzco. While the Mayans existed much longer than either the Incas or the Aztecs, all three were located in the Americas.

The Mayans were a very successful yet usually peaceful people. At the peak of their power, they had around two million people. With this number being significantly less than other similar Mesoamerican groups. Because of this, the Mayans would be a better choice for me. Also, they had around 20 cities ranging from a population of 5,000 to 50,000 in each. With that amount of cities, it would be easy to keep track of who lives where. Not only that, but they were also peaceful and intelligent people. They even developed a number system used in arithmetic.

Both cultures also created pyramid temples. The Maya had triadic pyramid, a large central structure that is flanked by two smaller structures on each side. The entire structure forms a single basal platform. The Aztecs build large dual stair pyramids. Teopanzolco was discovered during the Mexican revolution.

The Aztecs and the Incas were probably the most sophisticated tribes to have ever lived. For the Aztecs, they were taking up 3 major mexican cities. They made any buildings in their city Tenochtitlán, many canals, and had floating gardens called chinampas. The Incas had a population of four to six million people that lived in the high mountains. They had a very interesting writing concept of knotted strings, and had some of the best trading system.

Mario Vargas Llosa tried to find a rational reason for the overwhelming victory of Spanish explorers over the sophisticated Aztec and Inca empires. He attributed the defeat to the social practices of the empires. Both instituted a pyramid like society with the emperor at the top and his subjects below him. This opposed the emphasis on individualism that western civilization had cultured. No traces of individual thoughts or acknowledgment came from these empires.

If there was a society I'd pick today to live in it would be the Maya. They were the most advance society. They had a written language and a number system. Disease wasn't a huge threat and they were able to expand their land because of the conquistadors. They had glyphs for a language. Mayan ancestors still live today and still carry on their culture.

Both the Aztec and Maya civilizations were both remarkable because of their similarities and differences that we postive but also negative. The Mayans were very intelligent and advanced with their complex writing and math systems. Evidence that supports this is in the Mayan Packet under Writing System it says they found the writing throughout the cave on the walls. Also, in document E from part D it says the mayans were one of the first cultures to create the idea of zero. The Aztecs were very religious and focused on many gods.

Did you know that Mexico City is built on top of Tenochtitlan? The Aztecs originated in the northern part of Mexico in 1100 C.E, they finally settled in the valley of Mexico around 1250 C.E. They learned how to work with the land and became very skilled farmers. They used a 365-day calendar like we use today. They worshiped many gods and built temples and palaces in their honor. There were roads, canals, and markets built from Aztecs, boats bring people and goods from one city to another.

In this essay I will be telling about the economy, religion, and technology of these very interesting tribes the maya, the aztecs, and the inca.

In my opinion I would rather live in the Aztec civilization over the Inca’s or Maya’s. The Aztec people, who were previously hunters and gatherers among parts of northern Mexico, had more of a dominating role among the other Mesoamerican Civilizations. Also their convenient location is hard to beat. The Aztec civilization was set in the islands of Lake Texcoco which later founded the great city of Tenochtitlan. Not only were the Aztecs known for their location and dominance, they were known for their outstanding architecture abilities. Some of the buildings that were located on the Aztec civilization would today require the help of heavy machinery such as cranes. The people of the Aztec community were also very well educated and known for their

At the top of these temples is where the most important ceremonies and sacrifices took place. In Fiero’s text they were described as being like the Mesopotamian ziggurat. “The Maya temple was a terraced pyramid with a staircase ascending to a platform capped by a multiroomed superstructure. A shrine and sanctuary, it also served as a burial place for priests or rulers.” ( Fiero 461) Many of their temples were built with astronomy in mind, and certain ones were aligned to the movements of Venus, the sun and the moon.

The Mayan civilization was located in Central America on the Yucatan peninsula and down into the highlands of Guatemala. Their geography provided them with limestone they would be able to use for their buildings and other architecture. It also led them to wells made from the limestones that became the main water source for the Mayans (McKay 310).

The sacred spaces of Aztec have strong relationship between the beliefs of the religion. Aztec referred to the temples as Teocalli, called by the Mexican people of the Empire known as God houses. The priest of the Aztec religion visited these temples to pray and worship. Also making offerings to their gods to strengthen and nourish them.

The society I would choose to live in is the Maya society. Out of the Aztecs and the Incas they were the most advanced. They even established a number system, written language and had glyphs for their language. They expanded their land with the help of the conquistadors. Mayan ancestors are still alive to this day and carry on their culture.