The Aztec and Incan civilizations free essay sample

The Aztec and Incan civilizations of the early Americas were polytheistic societies supported by military conquests; however, their various origins and foundational structure were different. The Aztec civilization was an expansionist and a decentralized empire led by a ruler, a leader of both politics and religion. We will write a custom essay sample on The Aztec and Incan civilizations or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Aztecs were located in Central America and were descendants of the Maya, Olmec, and Toltec. The Aztecs had large cities, a class system, a professional army, but no written language. Their army was used to conquer land, which would then pay tribute, and people who were used as slaves on building projects and eventually as human sacrifices for their polytheistic religion. Women of the Aztec empire were able to participate in commerce. In1521, the empire was conquered by Spanish conquistadores led be Hernan Cortes. The Inca civilization was an expansionist and a centralized empire organized by a bureaucracy led by a ruler, a leader of politics and religion. The Inca were located in the Andes along the west coast of South America and were descendants of the Chavin. The Inca had large cities, a class system, a professional army, but no written language. Their army was used to conquer land for the purpose of collecting tribute and gaining prestige. They had a polytheistic religion which focused on the Sun god, and they sacrificed material and animals. Women of the Inca Empire were allowed to participate in religion. In the mid-1500s, the Inca were conquered by Spanish conquistadores led by Francisco Pizzaro. The Aztec Empire and Inca Empire were expansionist civilizations that had similar armies, leaders, and religions, but they differed in the implementation of these armies and the organization of their political systems. The Incan Empire was organized into a centralized bureaucracy, unlike the Aztec Empire which was not a bureaucracy and was decentralized. The Inca were located in the Andes along the west coast of South America, and were descendants of the Chavin. The Aztecs were located in Central America, and were descendants of the Maya, Olmec, and Toltec. The Aztec’s army was used to conquer land and people, the leader of that land would then pay tribute and the people of that land would be taken as slaves to be used for projects and human sacrifices. The Inca’s army was used to conquer land and people for tribute, like the Aztecs, but also to gain prestige, unlike the Aztecs. The Aztec’s army was tied to religion and human sacrifices were used to please the gods of their polytheistic religion. However, the Inca’s army was not related to religion. The Inca used materials and objects were used as sacrifices to please the gods of their polytheistic religion, which focused on the sun god. Women of the Aztec Empire could participate in commerce, whereas women of the Inca Empire could participate in religion. Both the Aztec and Inca did not produce a written language. The Aztec Empire was decentralized, was located in Central America, and had a professional army that was tied to religion. The Inca civilization was a centralized bureaucracy, was located in the Andes, and had a professional army that was not tied to religion. The Aztec Empire and Inca Empire were expansionist civilizations that had similar armies, leaders, and religions, but they differed in the implementation of these armies and the organization of their political systems. Located in the Americas, the early empires of the Aztec and Inca were polytheistic societies that were supported by military conquest; however, their various ancestors and political structure were not alike. Despite their differences, the Aztec and Inca Empires had many similarities. Both empires were able to become successful through military conquest. Ultimately, however, both empires fell to small groups of Spanish conquistadores in the 1500s due to the Spanish’s advantage of possessing guns, germs and steel.