COMPARING THE AZTEC AND INCA

SimilaritiesPolitical…•Expansionist States•represented imperial stage of development for respective region•Leaders were semi-divine or representatives of gods•Local leadership allowed, as long as sovereignty recognized•Governed trade networks to some degree

Technology & innovation…• Methods of agriculture

(Chinampas - Terrace farming)

• Road networks• NoNo Wheel

Social Organization & Values …•built on traditions of previous peoples in the region•power to nobility over time

Often served as administrative bureaucrats•Calpulli similar to ayllu•Patriarchy; women had inheritance rights•Polytheistic; human sacrifice (smaller in Inca); sun god key, temples served by priests

PRE COLUMBIAN SOCIETIES OF AMERICA

MesoamericaSouth America

Productivity/Organization : Productivity/Organization : •Potato, quinoa, maize•Lacked distinct merchant class; few specialized crafts•Land Ownership…

• Practice of split inheritance caused need for new lands• Didn’t recognize concept of private property

•Significant degree of centralization; large class of bureaucrats, hierarchy—State owned property•Usually demanded labor not tribute (service, not tax)

Religion:Religion:•Religion had strong moral quality and Incan rulers were mummified

Language: Language: •Quipu –no system of writing •Common language –Quechua; greater degree of uniformity

Productivity Focus: Productivity Focus: •Trade and markets far more developed—metallurgy and textiles—

potecha (highly regulated)•State controlled mixed economy•Cacao beans and gold dust used for currency as well as barter system•Maize was main crop

Government Organization:Government Organization:•Separate city-states; Tenochtitlan was the heart of the empire; built on lakes (Venice)•City-state rulers chosen by the nobility; Great Speaker (ruler of Tenochtitlan) was first among equals (increasingly became living god)•Emperor chosen by council of nobles and priest to serve as civil and religious leader—really election between siblings•Left local governance in hands of the conquered peoples; much smaller bureaucracy; paid tribute based on how they were conquered•Military conquest related to religious beliefs of bloodletting (human sacrifice)—means of political terror

Social Organization: Social Organization: •Became a more stratified society; as nobility became more powerful

WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THE COMPARISON?Analytical & Comprehensive

Aztec Inca

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AZTECS & INCASWhile both empires achieved imperial control by way of militaristic means, the methods employed to maintain order within their respective regions differed. The Aztecs utilized a tribute system, while the Incas encouraged assimilation through religious means.