The Aztecs and The Incas

The Aztecs and The Incas www.artzia.com

Aztec Background • Originally named Mexica • Located in what is now central Mexico • The empire lasted during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries CE http://www.geocities.com/kimmykim7072003/aztec_empire.jpg

Background • Tenochtitlan was the capital city and is located in what is now present day Mexico city • The Aztec empire caused the biggest demographic explosion in Mesoamerican history http://www.mte.asd103.org/art/images/Aztec.jpg

Government • The Aztecs founded the city of Tenochtitlan in 1325 • Empire began in 1434 • Aztec kings represented civil power and served as a representative of the gods on Earth • City-states were individually ruled by speakers that were chosen by the noble class

Social Structure • The Aztec society was divided into three socal classes: the macehualli (people) or peasantry, the pochteca or merchants and traders, and the pilli or nobility • Slaves or tlacotin consisted as a large part of the Aztec society • Though people were born into a certain class it was possible to move up the ranks within a life time

Religion • Main deity in the Aztec religion was known as both the sun god and war god • Human sacrifice was practiced heavily in the Aztec religion • The Aztecs believed that by performing these sacrifices that it gave power to the gods which in turn would insure the survival of the Aztec universe

Religion • War captives were used in the sacrifices and in times of peace the Aztec would have to resort to ritualistic warfare or flower war • In the year 1487 the Aztecs reported killing 84,400 war prisoners in four days at the great pyramid of Tenochtitlan • After a town was conquered the inhabitants where no longer eligible for sacrifice and became Aztec citizens

Art • The favored form of art in the Aztec empire was sculpture • Most Sculptures were made from limestone, which is still abundant in Mexico today • Aztec sculpture was like most other Mesoamerican cultures and was mostly directly related to religion http://library.thinkquest.org/16325/y-art.html

Art • The Aztecs also made other religious and non-religious artifacts such as jade masks • Clothing was also a popular art form and women from around the empire would use bead, flower, and metal decorations • These artifacts were sold in markets by visiting merchants www.latinamericanstudies.org/.../aztec-mask.gif

Architecture • There where three main types of architecture in the Aztec society: sacrificial temples, emperors temple, and different shrines of the gods http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/aztec.html

Tenochtitlan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec

The Inca • Starting around 1438 the Incan leader, Pachacuti, began building the largest ancient empire in the Americas • The Inca’s developed the land of present day Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia etc. • The most famous Inca site is called Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Religion • The Inca were Polytheistic (they believed in many Gods) • The Sun God was the primary God • The Incas considered mountains and rivers their holy shrines

Inca Economy • Unlike the Aztecs, the Incas did not do a lot of trading, they tried to be self-sufficient • Primarily their success was based on agriculture- they used terrace farming and complex irrigation • The Incas grew over 200 types of potatoes • They used forced labor for massive projects • They colonized their conquered areas

Inca Society • The Inca emphasized their military strength • They built a complex system of roads and bridges (over 2,500 miles of roads) • The Inca used a system of runners to carry messages throughout the empire • They made beautiful pottery, cloth and metalworking

Hernan Cortes • Hernan Cortes was a Spanish solider who lived in the 1500’s • The Spanish king asked Cortes to find and conquer new people who could serve Spain • In June 1521, the Spanish attacked the Aztec people and defeated the emperor Montezuma

Pizzaro • The riches of the Aztec Empire led other Spanish conquerors to seek their fortunes in South America • In 1533 Francisco Pizarro ordered an attack on the Incas and seized their emperor • Pizarro charged the emperor with many crimes and a military court sentenced him to death • To reward Pizarro the Spanish king made him governor of Peru • The Spanish conquerors were able to defeat the Aztec and the Inca by using horses and guns http://library.thinkquest.org/16325/y-art.html

The Aztecs and The Incas