Rana Yugu

World History

Mr. Tavernier

Compare and Contrast; Maya, Aztec, & Inca

The Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas were all civilizations at one point in time in Mesoamerica.

They’ve all had a remarkable impact on history and have changed how we view earlier

civilizations. All these civilizations start in Latin America with nothing but beautiful geography

surrounding them. Beginning with the oldest society the Maya which started in 250 CE,

developed their empire stretching from southern Mexico to Central America. They were

surrounded by the dry-scrubs forest of the Yucatan peninsula, dense steamy jungles, and

cool-wreathed mountains. The Aztec empire which started in 1325 AD had a different

geographical setting, they were in the Valley of Mexico which is a mountain basin that is 7,500ft

above sea level, with large shallow lakes and fertile soil around them. Lastly, the Inca empire

which started in 1200 AD and was the largest of the three, stretched from northern Ecuador to

southern Chile. Once the empire finally settled they were on the fertile lands in the Valley of

Cuzco.

All of these empires had different economic systems. For example, the Mayans whose

capital was Tikal traded with other Mayan city-states and sometimes used cacao beans as a

currency since they didn’t have an official currency. As for the Aztecs whose capital was

Tenochtitlan, they boosted their economy by demanding tribute in some form of tradable goods

from local rulers. Although they did respond brutally if rulers weren’t able to pay, this was the

start of their trading markets and the huge market of Tlatelolco where many goods were traded

amongst the people. The Incas whose capital was Cuzco, economy was different from the
Mayans and Aztecs because they didn’t allow private commerce or trade as much as the other

two empires did. The Inca empire had a network of internal trade routes that helped boost their

economy and unite the empire as a whole.

The architecture was very similar across all three empires, and religion played a big part

in it. All empires had religious buildings of some sort, but the Inca also had guest houses built for

travelers that needed them and schools to teach Inca ways. As for religion, the Mayans and

Aztecs had similar beliefs; they both believed in many gods (at least 1,000+), and they both

believed in offerings to the gods like human sacrifice. Both empires took part in religious

ceremonies. As for the Aztecs, they saw ceremonies as a way to communicate with the gods so

they did ritual dramas, songs, and dances. The Incas had very different religious beliefs; they

worshiped fewer gods, focused on the nature aspect of religion, and also believed that in some

way there were patterns that showed that humans and nature were similar. In terms of traditions,

they had young women who were Mamakunas. This meant that they were drafted for a lifetime

to participate in religious services, like teaching, spinning, weaving, and beer making. There

were also young men who were called Yamacunas, who had the same purpose as the Mamakuna

but did different things like sacrifice llamas, and exchange goods.

All of these empires had social classes of some sort, and the Mayan and Aztec social

class was very similar to each other. At the very top, the Mayans had their king who was viewed

as a holy figure, but from there both empires had military leaders and priests at the top,

commoners and skilled people second, and slaves last. For their government both empires had

their king rule the empire, but the Aztec king sometimes consulted with top generals and

officials. The Incas’ social system was based on the ayllu which was an old-age form of

community cooperation where they took big tasks and spread them out amongst the people.
These people were divided into groups of 10, 100, 1,000, and 10,000 and had a group leader that

took charge of the group so they could finish the task. Incas' government was divided into

manageable groups across the empire since it was so big, and they all spoke the same language

and were taught in schools Incan ways. For technology, the Mayans had hunting tools and crafts,

and the Aztecs also had that but had more practical ways for things like farming, new medicine,

and better city designs. The Incas had similar technology to the Mayans and Aztecs but made

further advancements in things like their roads and communication.

All these empires have made a great contribution and have made a legacy. The Mayan

civilization left behind great architecture, writing, and artwork. The Aztecs also left behind many

writings, art, and literature. Lastly, the Incans left behind textile makings and the ancient

language of Quechua. As amazing as these empires were, all good things have to come to an end.

By 900 AD the Mayan civilization came to an end. Although the reason why is unknown there

are theories that suggest the warfare disrupting trade could be one, having too big of a population

that they could no longer care for anymore, or disease are the reasons on why it ended. In 1521

the Aztec empire fell due to changing their war tactics to being less aggressive, because they

needed prisoners for sacrifice, and a lot of their physical and human resources got mixed in with

their religious activities. In the 1520s Incan leader Huayna Capac received an evil omen which

led to his death and his two sons taking over the empire, but one son wanted to take the entire

empire. The son Atahualpa eventually did win the war with his brother, but while they were

weak the Spanish took over and conquered them ending the Incan empire in 1572. All of these

empires rose and fell, while at the height of their empire making an impact on our history.
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