Mayan, Aztec and Inca

Diplomacy

The practice of managing relationships and negotiating agreements between different countries, groups, or leaders without using force.

Mita

A labor system used by the Inca in which citizens were required to work for the government for a certain period of time each year. Their labor helped build roads, bridges, temples, and other public projects.

Welfare

The health, well-being, and prosperity of people. Governments often promote welfare by providing services and support for their citizens.

Chinampa

Artificial islands built by the Aztecs in shallow lakes. These “floating gardens” created fertile farmland and increased food production.

Tribute

Goods, crops, labor, or payments given by conquered peoples to a ruler or government as a sign of loyalty and obedience.

Quipu

A system of knotted cords used by the Inca to keep records and track information such as population, taxes, and resources.

Pachacuti

Pachacuti was a powerful Inca ruler who expanded the Inca Empire and transformed it into one of the largest empires in the Americas.

Montezuma II

Montezuma II was the Aztec emperor when the Spanish arrived in Mexico. He ruled a vast empire centered in Tenochtitlan.

Aztec Society

Human sacrifice played an important religious role for the Aztecs. They believed that the gods needed offerings of human blood and hearts to maintain the natural order of the world, including the movement of the sun and the success of crops.

Inca Society

The Inca practiced human sacrifice much less frequently than the Aztecs. Sacrifices were usually connected to important religious ceremonies, major events, or times of crisis. The Inca often viewed these sacrifices as offerings to honor their gods and ensure prosperity.

Comparison

Both civilizations used sacrifice as part of their religious beliefs, but it was far more common and central to Aztec society than to Inca society.

The Aztecs engineered their city by:

• Building chinampas to create fertile farmland.

• Constructing causeways that connected the city to the mainland.

• Creating canals for transportation.

• Building aqueducts to bring fresh water into the city.

• Designing marketplaces, temples, and public spaces.

Technology (Inca)

• An extensive network of roads and bridges connected distant regions.

• Quipus were used to record information.

• Terraced farming increased agricultural production in mountainous areas.

Government (Inca)

• The emperor held supreme authority.

• Local leaders helped enforce laws and collect tribute.

• The mita labor system provided workers for public projects.

Daily life (Maya)

• Religious ceremonies

• Festivals

• Planting and harvesting crops

• Government activities

• Predictions of important dates and events

Key Concepts

• Human sacrifice was much more important in Aztec religion than in Inca religion.

• Tenochtitlan became an advanced city through chinampas, canals, aqueducts, and causeways.

• The Inca managed their empire with roads, quipus, tribute, and the mita system.

• The Mayan calendar organized religious life, farming, and government activities.