Aztec and Incan Empires Summary

Time Period & Geography: Lasted from 1345 to 1521 in Mesoamerica (modern-day Mexico), expanding southward from northern Mexico over a hundred plus years. The capital was Tenochtitlan, located in the middle of present-day Mexico City.
Population: Approximately 5 to 6,000,000 people across the empire.
Government & Structure: Loosely structured administration based on a tribute system where individual areas or people paid money to the emperor, with very little state involvement in ordinary life.
Trade Networks: Advanced trade networks linked all parts of the empire commercially.
Human Sacrifice: Practiced to demonstrate power and keep conquered peoples in fear, and required by religious beliefs to nourish the gods with human blood to maintain cosmic order.
Key Site: Avenue Of The Dead.

Time Period & Geography: Lasted from 1433 to 1533 along the coast and Andes Mountains (modern-day Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile), stretching approximately 2,500 miles.
Population: Approximately 10,000,000 subjects, making it the largest empire in the Western Hemisphere.
Government & Administration:
- Absolute emperor directly descended from the gods who technically owned all land and resources.
- Highly systematized administration divided into 80 provinces governed by Incan governors, with population subdivided down into units of a 500, fifties, and tens.
- Maintained detailed record keeping.
Labor & Taxation: Instead of monetary tribute, subjects provided labor taxes by working state-owned farms in the land of the sun for a few weeks each year.
Integration Strategies:
- Uprooted and resettled up to a fourth of conquered populations to encourage integration and prevent uprisings.
- Recruited administration and officials from conquered populations.
- Tolerant of local cultures and religions, but required subjects to learn the Quechua language.
Key Site: Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Scale & Population: The Incan Empire covered significantly more geographical territory along the Andes Mountains and had roughly double the population (10,000,000) of the Aztec Empire (5 to 6,000,000).
State Involvement: The Aztec Empire used a hands-off administrative approach centered on monetary tribute, while the Incan state was deeply involved in everyday life through state ownership, labor service, unit divisions, record keeping, and population resettlement.