Similarities Between Maya And Inca

1970 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Similarities and differences between inca and maya

Imagine a person taking a walk through an art gallery that displays the pieces from cultures of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca. Would one be able to distinguish which piece came from which culture? There are many similarities in these cultures when it comes to art, architecture, and lifestyle. These three cultures make up part of what was Mesoamerica. Although they share a lot of are similarities, each culture is unique in their own way. However, it is clear that they derived influence from each other. This paper provides an insight on how these cultures arts are strikingly similar yet different in their own way.
The Maya Civilization
This was the first civilization of the Mesoamerica. It was developed by the people of Maya between the period of 800 BC and 900 AD (Maya Art History, 2016). Maya civilization is widely acknowledged for its development of a full writing system known as the hieroglyphic script, and the development of remarkable systems of astronomy, architecture, art, mathematics and calendar
The Incans used stone blocks to create prime structures without joining the stone blocks with mortar. These stones were sculpted to exactly fit together (Inca Art History, 2016). The final structures were stable due to the tight fit of the stones. Machu Picchu is a notable living example of the Incan architecture (Inca Art History, 2016).
The Incan architecture was very different from the Mayan Architecture. The Mayans mainly used limestone for the construction of their buildings while the Incans used other types of stones. A major distinguishing factor of the Incan construction they never used any form of paste or mortar to join blocks together (Inca Art History, 2016). They simply and perfectly laid stones on top of one another. On the other hand, the
Mayans joined blocks of limestone with stucco (Maya Art History,

Show More
Related

  • Comparison of The Aztecs and The Incas

    1543 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Aztec’s and the Inca’s have many similarities such as religious beliefs, and views about gods. Inca’s views about training for war are different, and the Aztec’s artifacts are somewhat different to. The farm land compared to the Inca’s is differs also, because where the Aztec’s lived the land was elevated about ten thousand feet.

    Read More

  • Dbq Mayan Achievements

    636 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is very likely that most people have heard about the Mayan Civilization in one way or another. Whether fictitious or factual, this ancient culture iw idelt recognized. The Mayan people lived from about 250 to 900 CE in Mesoamerica. Which includes modern day Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and parts of southern Mexico.These people had many remarkable achievements, all of which can fit under the categories of scale, genius effort, and significance. These achievements include an advanced trade system, an amazing understanding of numbers, and the ability to design and build cities that are still mostly standing today. However, their most impressive achievement is their complex calendars.

    Read More

  • Aztec And Inca Compare And Contrast

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    Three tribes ruled modern day Mexico and South America, both at different times. These three tribes were called the Incas, the Aztecs,and the Mayans. And while they do have some similarities. They also have some differences that are actually matter quite a bit. As all three tribes lived in different

    Read More

  • Essay Compare And Contrast Mesoamerica And South American Culture

    633 Words  | 2 Pages

    Long before Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic to the ‘New World’, the Western Hemisphere had already divided and developed civilizations. Some of these civilizations were extremely advanced for the time. As people settled in the Americas and developed cultures, so did differences in the life styles, religions, and art of these peoples. The cultures of Mesoamerica, South America, and North America all developed many different types of art, most notably ceramics and larger scale items that still baffle historians today.

    Read More

  • Aztecs and Incas

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    To summarize, the Aztecs and Incas have economic similarities and differences in trade, agriculture, and tribute techniques. The Aztecs economy was more mixed and had a prevalent merchant class whereas the Incans had more government control. Intellectually, both civilizations recorded data somehow, had amazing architecture, and improved their agriculture. Women in both civilizations were treated harshly but those under Incan rule was slightly better.

    Read More

  • Comparing Maya Cities And Cahokia Cities

    908 Words  | 2 Pages

    The layout of the Maya cities was quite a unique one. They had no formal plan and expansion was done

    Read More

  • Maya And Aztecs Compare And Contrast Essay

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Maya and Aztec civilizations were both indigenous people that flourished in Mesoamerica during different periods of time. Maya 's classic period is dated from 250 to 900 AD, which was considered to be the peak of their civilization. They covered much of the Yucatan Peninsula and were centered in what is now known as Guatemala. The Aztecs dominated from 1325 AD to 1521 AD, in what is now modern day Mexico. Although they shared cultural similarities such as their social structure, they also had their differences in military and religious rituals.

    Read More

  • How Did The Mayans Influence The Aztec Civilization

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Olmec, Mayan, and the Aztec Indians were very advanced civilizations for the 14th, 15th, and 16th century. They would used different kinds of resources found around them to create the technology they used to survive. For example the Olmec and the Mayans used cotton to create all kinds of garments, the Mayans also created a number system and their weapons and armor to go to war, the Aztecs adopted an education on how to hunt, how to fight, jewel cutting, metal polishing, song composition, science of the heavens, planing trees and flowers, cooking, cleaning, and many other things. Many cultures were influenced by these three civilizations as they had spread across the world and still use many of their techniques in our everyday lives.

    Read More

  • Mayan, Inca, and Aztec Civilizations

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Mayan, Inca, and Aztec civilizations each originated from Latin America. The Mayans lived in southern and central Mexico, other Mayans lived in Central America in the present day countries of Belize, Guatemala, and ancient Honduras. The Incas lived along the long coastal strip, and in the high peaks and deep fertile valleys of the Andes Mountains, and along the edges of the tropical forest to the east; this would be the country of Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina in present days. The Aztecs were from Aztlan located in both north and northwest Mexico.

    Read More

  • Inca Civilization Remember

    882 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Incas used a wide range of building materials including three types of stones: Yucay limestone, green Sacsayhuaman diorite porphyry, and black andesite. Each block of stone could have weighed many tons. They had to be cut in order to be transported using nothing more than harder stones and bronze tools. Most of the structures were just one room with the outer walls sloping in about 5 degrees to make the walls look higher and thicker then they actually are, this is called ‘the trapezoid form’. In every large Inca settlement there was a structure called a ushnu, this was a sort of platform, that symbolized the Inca state rule across the whole empire and they were used for state-ceremonies, judicial purposes, and processions. Since the Incas never invented the wheel they had no use for roads so instead of traveling along roads they used bridges made of rope and pathways to get from place to place conveniently in the mountains. The Incas had a number of other architectural advancements, but these are just the general ones that the common people would

    Read More

  • Mayans

    741 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Maya didn’t discover metallurgy until late in the Classic period and used it only to produce jewelry and decorations for the elite. Artists and their numerous assistants cut and filled the stones used for palaces, pyramids, and housing, aided only by levers and stone tools. Each wave of construction represented the mobilization of thousands of laborers.

    Read More

  • Mesoamerican Civilization Essay

    1254 Words  | 3 Pages

    The proximity of the Mesoamerican people to each other in the region led to a high degree of cultural interaction between each other. The consistent interaction between Mesoamerican civilizations within the region created a cultural diffusion that allowed Mesoamericans to

    Read More

  • Why Did The Aztec Empire Fall Essay

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the fertile valleys or high plateaus the Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs built communities and villages practicing sedentary lifestyles. They had for the most part “permanent, intensive agriculture.” (Lane and Restall 2012) This allowed them to produce complex foods that benefitted the villages because it made them possible but it also resulted in social stratification. “Agricultural activities of the majority allowed a minority to live and work as artisans, merchants, warriors, nobles and royalty – permitting the development of writing, metallurgy, bureaucracy, and other features of high civilization.” More specifically, the Mayans were able to create the most complete of the three Mesoamerican writing systems, “one that was still used in the early sixteenth century.” (Lane and Restall 2012) They were also able to expand, but their expansion would also be their demise. Because they were so large -- filled with regional kingdoms and empires -- the Spanish were easily able to conquer

    Read More

  • Machu Picchu

    880 Words  | 2 Pages

    In order to build this city, the Incans used stone tools, bronze tools, and chisels. The materials they used were mud, clay, adobe, and granite blocks. Each block weighed fifty tons! They would thatch the roofs with tree trunks and straw. After the buildings were constructed, the Incan people would smooth the stones with sand, mud, and clay to make the structures look polished.

    Read More

  • The Maya Civilization

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Maya civilization is a very important culture that has left a great impact on our world today. They are known for their written language, art, mathematical system and astronomical system. The Maya territory includes Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, and southern Mexico. In these areas the Maya thrived in their religious practices, politics, and their use of the territory.

    Read More

More about Similarities Between Maya And Inca

Open Document