The+Incas+and+Mayas+(1450+-+1525)

There were many civilizations arising in South America and Mexico, but two of the biggest and greatest civilizations in the Americas were the Aztec and the Incas. The Incas inhabited the northeastern coast of South America, specifically the Andes Mountains. 1450 AD to 1535 AD, the capital being Cuzco. The Aztec populated central Mexico from 1325 AD to 1523 AD, their capital being Tenochtitlan. Though the Aztec predated the Incas by about a century they still had an overlapping period of coexistence which lasted for nearly 75 years.



The Aztecs were a group of only 10,000 people when they first migrated to Central America around 1325. Being uninvited foreigners as well as intrusive and aggressive in their ways, the Aztecs were disliked and not trusted amongst the central powers of the areas they chose to inhabit. Those who were made uneasy by the Aztecs were not wrong in their assumptions that the Aztecs were hostile, for the Aztecs did indeed have a reputation for being tough in battle and fanatical in worship. Their obsessive and zealous worship of deities was unheard of, their idea of human sacrifice was considered barbaric, and their ritual cannibalism was daunting. However, the fighting skills of the Aztecs were rare and indispensable, making them attractive choices as allies. Serving as allies and mercenaries caused the Aztecs to play a more active role within the community they inhabited, gaining them prosperity and dominance over their allies. Those who were defeated were immediately forced to take part in the Aztec way of life and worship.

After the Aztecs, the Incas emerged and eventually spread their control over the whole region. The Incas lived in and around an area in Central America known as Cuzco, being so powerful that in a matter of time they had defeated their hostile neighbors in the area. Incan armies easily took control of whichever land they wished, marching and extending control over a large territory. The terrifying conquest of the Incas could be attributed to their equally powerful devotion to the deities they worshipped, feeling the need to expand their empire according to the number of rulers they had had in the past. The Incas were also notorious for incorporating (as the Aztecs did) human sacrifice in their daily rituals.

Both the Aztecs and the Incas set precedents and represented successes in military organization. Being controlling and over-zealous in their ways, the Aztecs and Incas shared the same manic devotion to the gods as well as the same militant ways of combat. These two civilizations were made notorious for their expansion across the lands of Central America, both in the name of religious conviction and undying faith. However, being from different time periods and having been influenced by different societies, the Aztecs and Incas had their fair share of distinctions. While the Aztecs demanded **tribute** in kind, the Incas extracted **labor** on the lands they conquered. The Aztecs were highly involved in the trade circulating their area, unlike the Incas who emphasized self-sufficiency. The reason for this difference is most likely to be the differing geography of the two civilizations, the Aztecs having much less trouble when trekking across their lands than the Incas.