Hundreds of years ago, long before what we know call South America, two civilizations, the Mayans and the Incas, lived in and conquered the continent. While these two civilizations existed hundreds of years apart from each other, they still shared many similarities as well as differences.
The Mayans were a Mesoamerican (the Americas prior to the Spanish Conquest) civilization that spanned from about 2000 BCE to approximately mid 1500s following the arrival of the Spanish. The Mayans lived in what is now Guatemala and Belize. Though noted for being the first to develop a full writing system, the Mayans also were known for their art, architecture, astronomical, and mathematical systems. The Mayans were also very religious, and worshipped nature gods such as Itzamna (creator god and God of Sun), the Four Chaacs (gods of rains, thunder, lightning), and Chen
…show more content…
Though significantly larger, this empire did not last as long as the Mayans, spanning from the 1400s to the 1500s. Unlike the Mayans, the Incas had an all-powerful ruler: the Sapa Inca, who they believed to be the “son of the sun”. The Sapa Inca owned everything and also controlled the whole government and its positions. Many of these government positions were based on nepotism, meaning that he gave his family members high-ranking positions. The people who held these positions made all the decisions and laws, and if you were to break the laws, then the punishment would almost always be death. The Incas had a strong government, with everyone working for the government and in return, the government would keep them fed and clothed but still enslaved. The Incas, much like the Mayans believed in nature gods, like Apu Illapu (Rain god) and Pachamama (goddess of the
he Inca and the Aztec were great empires in the early Americas. The Inca reigned from 1438 to 1533 CE in what is now Colombia all the way to Chile, the Aztec reigned from 1428 to 1521 CE in today’s southern Mexico.(1) These great civilizations are relatively close to each other and have many things in common. The Inca and the Aztec can be considered sister civilizations of the early Americas.
Around 1800 B.C. to A.D. 250, the Mayans prospered in Central America and became one of the famous empires of all time (Jarus). Because this civilization conquered so long ago, it is important to know how they were successful in doing so. Just like the Aztecs and Incas, the Mayan society learned how to grow and prosper through farming (Jarus). The Mayan empire is also known for constructing large pyramids for their gods, and also for the creation of hieroglyphics (Jarus). The Mayans were very smart and created an empire like no other in the Americas.
The Maya had many important priests, who, alongside regular citizens, helped worship the gods of whom were believed to control many forces of nature. Priests also created calendars, a number system, and hieroglyphs, among others. The Inca, similarly to the Maya, developed their own language and religion of which everyone learned. The Aztecs were mostly focused on religion, in any case much more so than Maya and Inca. With around 1,000 gods, the most sacred was the god of sun and war.
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.
The Mayans’ greatest achievement was neither developing a calendar, nor establishing a complex trade system- but rather, the building of their gigantic cities. But what defines excellency? The answer can be categorized into four sections: significance, scale, genius, and effort. The ancient Mayan civilization thrived in isolation, and it wasn’t until recently that we began to truly appreciate their culture and accomplishments.
Finally, Math's and science are also one of the achievements the Maya's accomplished. The importance of science and calendar calculations in Mayan society required mathematics and the Maya constructed quite early a very advanced number system. The Maya produced a vast array of structures, and have left an extensive architectural legacy. " Based on its architectural remains, Maya civilization ranks as in of the great preindustrial cultures of the world. "(Document
Everything was perfectly planned out. As the calendar says, they have to sacrifice one of their own to please the Gods. The Mayan people would get together as a whole to practice their religious ceremony at the temple. The Mayan and Aztec civilizations are two ancient civilizations that were located near Central and South America. The Mayan civilization was more remarkable than the Aztecs because of their advanced knowledge.
the 16th century two massive empires ruled over Latin America. The Inca and the Aztec once ruled the area where both empires have many advantages on physical features which lead to the development of the empires. For the better advantage the Inca Empire would excel at the development of their empire better than the Aztec Empire. Living on the Andes Mountains the Inca Empire created Adobe or Stone brick homes from their ingenuity to over come the rainy like weather. With their ingenuity and craftsmanship this civilization created elevated aqueducts that prevents floods hitting their home in which it did work as some still stand.
They worshipped gods that were personifications of important aspects of their daily lives, and worshipped them in temples and holy sites. They believed in the existence of an eternal soul, and good and bad afterlifes depending on your moral practices on earth. The Incas worshipped their gods through various methods of sacrifice, and were very devoted to their religion. The Incas were a tribe of hunter gatherers that settled down and created an empire before they were conquered by Spain.
The Inca, Aztecs, and Mayan are similar from they worshiped gods. As they worshiped god very religiously and did sacrifices with everyone as there are a bunch of ceremonies for there gods for rain crops food. They all used the same resources for building Adobe was one of the biggest resources for houses throughout the inca aztec and mayan empires. All empires ended in the 1500s Actually all the Inca, Aztec and Mayan empires ended in the 1500s once the spanish took over and kill them with diseases but the mayan did slowly disappear. All of some of the major dates that happened in an empire happened in 1400 ad As in the Inca empire The Inca, led by Manco Capac, migrate to the Cuzco Valley and establish their capital at Cuzco.
The ancient Mayans, who lived in parts of present-day Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, created one of the most complex and advanced civilizations in the Western Hemisphere. The Mayans accomplished many remarkable and influential achievements, most notably, in art, astronomy, and engineering. The achievements of the Mayans influenced the cultures around them and are still influential today. The Mayans created amazingly sophisticated works of art.
Their time periods and capital were Pre and golden and the capital was tenochtitlan. Last but not least the Inca’s location was located in south america in what is now chile and columbia. It was humid and there were lots of mountains. Their time periods were the same as
They’re strong warriors that would fight against the Spanish conquest; however their civilization had been in decline before the start of the Spanish arrival. There Mayan Empire was already crumbling and divided which made it easier for the Spanish conquest to take over the Mayan territories. I believe that the Spanish conquest was quite effective because they achieve their goal of establishing territorial gains. The Spanish also demolished one of earliest civilization in history.
They were located on the Yucatan Peninsula, which is today’s eastern Mexico. In addition, the Mayans lived there from 300 CE to 900 CE. Most Mayan cities had populations of about 10,000 people but their major city Tikal had over 70,000 people. The Mayans was known for building temples, pyramids, studying astronomy, mathematics, and creating a complex writing system. In addition, they were outstanding sculptors in stone, stucco and wood, they were also prodigious painters of murals and pottery.
With both civilizations being developed around 3500 BC, there are many similarities and differences between the Egyptians and the Mayans. The Egyptians developed their empire in Northeast Africa, which affected the way they farmed and built their cities. The Mayans developed their civilization in MesoAmerica, which influenced their culture differently from the Egyptians. The farming techniques, architecture, and religion were all influenced by the environment they lived in.