The Inca, Aztec and Mayan civilizations were the most developed in the Americas, from a material point of view.
They are also called "pre-Columbian", as they developed before Christopher Columbus arrived in America in 1492.
They lived in different territories and therefore never lived together. Its heritage is visible to this day in the countries of Central and South America.
Let's see the characteristics of each one of them.
Inca Civilization
The Inca civilization occupied the territory that today corresponds to Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, western Bolivia, northern Chile and northwest Argentina. Its capital was Cusco.
It is estimated that the Inca Empire gathered eight million people and lasted approximately from 1450 to 1519.
Inca Society
Inca society was strongly hierarchical and divided between the Sapa Inca and their relatives, the nobility (leaders and military), peasants and enslaved people.
The Inca, a word that means “chief”, was considered the son of the sun god and, therefore, venerated as a deity. Under his authority were hundreds of tribes who were supposed to serve him through compulsory labor, paying tribute and military service.
The population was organized around the “ayllu” (community, in the Quechua language), where men had the obligation to work on land and public works periodically. As for the women, the most beautiful were sent to serve the Inca, either as a lover or weaving his clothes.
History of the Incas
The tribe of the Incas settled in the century. XI in Cusco, in a region full of rival villages. When they managed to repel an attack, the Incas began to conquer the lands around Lake Titicaca and thus began their great Empire.
As the Empire grew, the capital received improvements, such as temples, warehouses and the fortress of Sacsayhuaman whose ruins are visible to this day.
To unify this empire, roads were built from Cusco. Along the way, shelters were built to shelter travelers and their animals.
When the Spaniards arrived in the Americas, the Incas were embroiled in internal struggles. This weakened the Empire and the Europeans knew how to use rivalry to their advantage.
Inca economy
The basis of the economy was agriculture and the distribution of land was made according to the size of the family. Therefore, the more children, the more land the family received.
Commerce was carried out in the main cities through periodic fairs.
Inca culture and religion
The Incas were polytheists (worshipped several gods) and believed that the universe was organized into three worlds:HananPacha (upper world), KaiPacha (middle world) and UkuPacha (underground world).
The communication between these worlds was done through elements of nature, such as rain; and animals, like the condor.
Aztec civilization
The Aztec civilization extended over the territory that currently extends from central Mexico to Guatemala.
It developed in the period between 1325 and 1519 and its population had 15 million people in the 19th century. XVI.
Aztec Society
The emperor was not considered the son or incarnation of the gods, as in the Inca and Mayan cultures. However, his power consisted in the belief that he was an intermediary between the gods and men.
The Emperor ruled over his vast domain, aided by nobles and priests. The army was of fundamental importance both to guard and to punish the tribes that rebelled against its power.
Aztec society was divided into family units linked by blood ties and common ancestry. Peasants were the most numerous, but there were a large number of artisans (clothes and utensils maker) who constituted the Aztec social base.
History of the Aztecs
The Aztec civilization, also known as "Mexica", has its origins in several cultures, such as the Toltec, among others.
The god Huitzilopochtli ordered them to settle in the land where they found an eagle devouring a serpent. After traveling for two hundred years, the Aztecs found this sign in the middle of Lake Texcoco.
There, in 1325, they began to build one of the most spectacular cities in the world, Tenochtitlán, from the construction of dikes that contained the floods. From there they also set out to subjugate neighboring tribes and ensure trade and supply of products in exchange for protection and food in difficult times.
The Aztec civilization, however, would undergo a great change from the arrival of the Spaniards in its territory, in the century. XVI.
The Spaniards were already installed on the island of Cuba and landed in a port, which they would name Veracruz. There, the natives indicated that there was a great city to the north, full of riches, where the Spaniards would find gold.
The conquest of the Aztecs, by the Spaniards, lasted two years and was possible because they allied themselves with enemy tribes of the Aztecs.
Aztec economy
The Aztecs grew corn, squash, beans, tomatoes and cocoa. To increase the cultivation area in the capital, they created the “chinampas”, small artificial islands where they could sow the food they needed. They also domesticated some animals, such as the turkey.
In order to trade with all parts of the empire, they created two trade routes:one along the Gulf of Mexico and the other on the Pacific coast.
Aztec culture and religion
The Aztecs were polytheists and worshiped their gods in pyramid-shaped temples.
To keep the deities happy, they practiced human sacrifices, as they believed that this was the way to make the sun always rise again.
They worked ceramics with geometric structures and used the feathers of birds to make crowns that would be used by the Emperor in religious ceremonies.
Mayan Civilization
The Mayan civilization flourished in Mexico, in the Yucatan Peninsula region, as well as in Honduras, Guatemala and Belize. It was constituted in a society of city-states, with important urban centers, such as Culakmul, Tikal and Copán. It is estimated that the Mayan population may have reached 1.5 million people.
Of all pre-Columbian civilizations, it was the one that existed for the longest time as a structured state:from the 19th century. 6th B.C. to the 10th A.D.
Mayan Society
Mayan society was hierarchical and at the top of the social pyramid were its rulers. His function, in addition to being political, was religious, as feasts and sacrifices to the gods should always take place in his presence.
There were priests and officials responsible for collecting taxes. There were also peasants, responsible for agriculture, and artisans, who had to transform raw materials into useful objects.
History of the Mayans
The Mayan civilization developed over fifteen centuries between the 6th B.C. and X d. C. Thus, when the Spaniards arrived in the region, the Mayans had disappeared as an organized society, leaving only their enormous pyramids as a testament to their splendor.
However, their culture and language survive to this day in these regions as the millions of descendants attest.
Unlike the Incas and Aztecs, the Mayans did not organize a centralized empire and the population lived in cities independent of each other. They shared similar customs, from architecture, language and social organization.
Mayan Economy
They mainly cultivated maize, which was the basis of food, manioc, cotton and sunflower. They raised birds such as turkey and ducks.
Mayan culture and religion
The Mayans were polytheists and held feasts and sacrifices to their deities. They built temples in the form of huge pyramids that can still be visited today in Central American countries.
Also, on account of agriculture, they developed a sophisticated circular calendar that allowed them to mark the time and not miss the right moment for planting and harvesting.
See also :
- Mayan art
- Inca art
- Aztec art
Bibliographic References
C'est pas sorcier:Incas, l'empire du Soleil. France 3. Accessed on 12.18.2020.
C'est pas sorcier:mayas. Issued 5/28/2013. France 3. Accessed on 12.18.2020.
Brooks, Dario - Aztecs or Mexicas:¿quiénes fundaron México (y por que causa confusión)?. BBC.com. Published on 02.09.2020. Consulted 12.22.2020.