Compare And Contrast Inca And Aztec Civilizations

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Around 1,800-500 years ago, the Maya, Inca, and Aztec civilizations existed in parts of South and Central America. Of the three civilizations, the Mayans are the most intellectually advanced due to their advantages in geography, social structure, agriculture, and the scientific arts.
As aforestated, these three civilizations lived in South and Central America, specifically the Mayans in the Yucután Peninsula, the Aztecs in the Valley of Mexico, and the Incas in the Andes Mountains. The geography helped the cultures in many ways; the Aztecs used the lakes as barriers making it easy to defend, and the soil was extremely fertile. The Incas could effectively trap enemies in the valleys of the mountains by cutting a few bridges, leaving their opponents to die. The Mayans used surrounding jungle to isolate themselves. All of these societies were isolated from each other due to their geography, but their gods developed in similar fashions. All important gods were mainly the sun, the earth, rain, and farming. …show more content…

The Aztecs had floating rafts loaded with lake soil to grow food. The Incas had the coast and jungle to harvest, but since many were on the mountains, they developed terrace farming. The Mayans made raised fields in the rainforest. 90% of Mayans were farmers, but from the top to the bottom, there were priests, nobles, and peasants. The Aztecs valued warriors above all, and then nobility, priests/priestesses, poor/free people, slaves, servants, and then the middle class. The Incas had a king believed to be the son of the sun, then royalty, nobility, and commoners. Though created practically independently, the civilizations’ gods and hierarchy are very

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