Aztec Vs Inca Comparison Essay

In Mesoamerica, many civilizations appeared up to the 1500’s. Two of these civilizations included the Aztecs and the Incas. Although these two cultures were close geographically, they were not completely similar. The Aztecs and Incas had different religion, politics, and culture. The Aztecs had beliefs similar to that of the other Mesoamerican people. The Aztecs were polytheists, so they had worshipped many gods. Their gods coincide with men, women, and animals. The Aztecs had very specific rules when worshipping their gods: The Aztecs had to meet in houses of worship that were shaped like pyramids. The Incan civilization combined social class with religion. The Incas were religiously greatly different than the Aztecs. The Aztecs were polytheists while the Incas were not. The Incas believed in a monarchy, and thought that their monarch had a divine heritage. The Incas also believed that their monarchs help their divine power even after the after life.

However, after 1325 C.E., the Aztecs relinquished their old system of tlatoani leaders and formed a new monarchy. In the Aztec civilization, the most elite community elected the next male king. The new monarch would have the responsibility for his land and people. In defense of their cities, the Aztec kings upheld strong groups of military. The Incan government selected systems to acquire control over their territory. In order to scare their neighbors, the Incas kidnapped important people from conquered areas and used them as collateral. The Aztecs and the Incas were similar in their political standpoint because they both had monarchies and strong