What Are The Similarities Between The Inca And Aztecs

Prior to the colonization of the Americas, there were many different indigenous tribes and civilizations. Two of these were the Incas and the Aztecs. Although the two groups never came in contact, they share some striking similarities. These similarities can be found in their religion, their architecture and their economies. Many differences can also be found in each of these topics. Both the Aztec and the Inca cultures were unique, and influential to the creation of many cultures existing today. Although not much is known about the ancient religions of the Aztecs and Incas, they are believed to have been fairly similar. They both were polytheistic, meaning the Aztecs and Incas believed in multiple deities. Spiritual holidays and sacrifice existed in both religions. Human sacrifice was extremely common with the Aztecs, while it was rarely seen with the Incas. The Incas relied on animal sacrifice as an alternative. Both believed that these sacrifices made their harvest fruitful each year, allowing them to prosper in the way that they did. Another aspect of these early American cultures, was their incredible architecture. The Aztecs constructed small structures known as chinampas. Chinampas were floating, island-like gardens. They allowed for many crops to be grown, without using much of the Aztec’s land. The Incas built agricultural

The Aztecs’ economy relied on both farming and trade. They had a huge marketplace in their capital, where civilians could barter goods. The Incas economy relied almost completely on agriculture. Also, they had a mandatory labor system referred to as “Mita”. Mita required citizens to work on plantations a for a given amount of time and after doing so, they were required to work in mines and construct bridges or roads. This system was strictly enforced. On the other hand, the Aztec community was not believed to have been as strict as the