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The Maya And Aztec Civilizations

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The Maya and Aztec civilizations were both indigenous people that flourished in Mesoamerica. Maya 's classic period dates from 250 to 900 AD, which was considered to be the peak of their civilization. They covered much of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and were centered in what is now known as Guatemala. The Aztecs dominated in the post classic period from 1325 to 1521 AD, in what is now modern day Mexico. Although, the Aztec and Maya 's were from different time periods they shared cultural similarities in social structure, military and religious rituals. Aztecs were ruled by an emperor known as the Huey Tlatcani, the great speaker, which had absolute power. The Huey Tlatcani was believed to have been a representative of the gods, and was worshiped as a god. The Aztec empire was made up of many city-states that were ruled by a supreme ruler and a supreme judge. City-states were politically independent, yet had to worship the emperor and pay tributes. They were a structured society with a strict caste system divided into two social classes. At the top were the hereditary nobles, priests and high ranking warriors. At the bottom were the commoners, the serfs, indentured servants and slaves. Within these classes they also had social rankings. (History.com). Similarly, Maya civilizations were also made up of many city-states that were each ruled by a king or high priest known as Ahau. Maya 's caste system however was divided into three social classes with kings, priests

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