Introduction
The paper will provide an overview of one of the most famous civilizations, the Aztecs and Incas. Firstly, the cultural features of the Aztecs and the Incas will be discussed, their government policies, the influence of religion, and the accomplishments of the civilization. The cultures and religions of those civilizations will be considered, and how it intersects with government regulations and achievements. The main point is to compare the Aztecs and Incas, identifying their differences and their commonalities.
The Aztecs Civilization
The Aztec culture is based on war and conquest; therefore, many buildings used to be painted with pictures of military sources and acts of sacrifice. They had “a literal pantheon of gods and goddesses dedicated specifically to fertility, gestation and childbirth,” according to Wallingford (2021). Moreover, the two principal gods of Aztecs were Huitzilopochtli, which was first connected to the Sun. Still, after some time, he started to represent the war along with Tlaloc, a symbol of war and agriculture (Bulliet, 2019). The Aztecs were always striving to broaden the sphere of their influence and strengthen their position. To improve their security and economic state, they borrowed from the nearby territories the concept of monarchy and implemented it in the nation. During their existence, the Aztecs managed to create a great country with a specific structure; they built it that way so people could quickly deliver goods to the capital by connecting the land to the lakeshore.
The Incas Civilization
Incas were well-known for their creative and diverse culture and especially for performing excellent architectural work. They build the city in the form of a puma with a very accurate construction technique. Their religion was quite similar to the Aztecs, for their primary God was the Sun, and they made sacrifices and made the temple mostly of gold to honor him. As for the government issues, according to Bulliet (2019), “as the Inca expanded, they generally left local rulers in place. By doing so, they risked rebellion, but they controlled these risks using a thinly veiled system of hostage-taking” (p. 326). In addition, the women were in charge of administrative business, and they also regulated justice. As Wallingford (2021) states, “the economic system of the Incas did not include any concept of money and was based on mutual trade,” so the Incas valued precious metals. During the period of existence of that civilization, they accomplished several attainments, and the most memorable of them is the road they built which is 13 000 miles in length (Bulliet, 2019). It provided the possibility for military troops to travel easily. Incas might not have implemented any innovations, but they worked on the quality and volume of production.
Comparison of Aztecs and Incas
Comparing both civilizations, it is clear that the numerous wars created them both and helped to maintain their power through clever strategic and economic decisions. They both were religious and believed in the God of the Sun, who was one of the main Gods. Aztecs and Incas followed the traditions and made sacrifices along with other religious practices. However, despite their similarity, there were differences between them. The Aztecs used military forces and soldiers to make people provide them with food and materials and overall exploited them for their needs. Incas tried to make peoples from the defeated territories become part of the culture and integrate them into the life of the Incas.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Aztecs and Incas had similarities and differences in cultural, religious, and government issues. The Aztecs were more straightforward and had a war cult, while the Incas otherwise seemed more grounded and sensible. Nevertheless, it is essential to emphasize that both civilizations, the Aztecs and the Inkas, were solid and influential empires that impacted the development of the modern world and created many remarkable things.
Reference
Bulliet, R. W., et al., (2019). The earth and its people: A global history (7th ed.). Cengage.
Periferakis, A. (2019, May). The influence of ore deposits on the development and collapse of the Inca civilization between the 15th and 16th centuries. In Proceedings of the 15th International Congress of the Geological Society of Greece (pp. 22-24).
Wallingford, J. B. (2021). Aristotle, Buddhist scripture and embryology in ancient Mexico: Building inclusion by re-thinking what counts as the history of developmental biology. Development, 148(3), dev192062.