A Comparison of the Mayan and Aztec Civilization Regarding Their Political and Social
Order
The Mayas are an indigenous civilization from Central America that is known in particular because of its rich and sophisticated culture founded by them in pre-Colombian
Mesoamerica. The Aztecs were also a Mesoamerican culture that existed between the 14th and the early 16th century. In general, one uses the term "Aztec" to define the ethnically diverse, mostly Nahuatl-speaking population of the Valley of Mexico; in the strict sense only the inhabitants of Tenochtitlan and the two other members of the so-called "Aztec Triple Alliance", the towns of Texcoco and Tlacopan, are meant to be Aztecs. From the late 14th century the
Aztecs expanded their political
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Between 1519 and 1521, the
Spaniards under Hernán Cortés finally conquered the Aztecs. In order to understand the differences and similarities of the political and social order of the Maya and Aztecs civilizations, this essay gives a short introduction.
The Maya civilization was heavily involved in foreign policy. This can be explained by the fact that the individual cities constantly competed with each other and at the same time they had to control the trading routes, which were used for long-distance supply. The political structures were different depending on the region, period, single people and city. In addition to hereditary kingdoms under the rule of an Ajaw, oligarchic and aristocratic forms of government occurred. The Quiché, a subgroup of the Mayas, had various noble families, which perceived different tasks in the State. Even democratic structures are observed at least on the lower level of society: The still existing tradition of choosing the Maya’s Mayor every three years already seems to exist for a longer time.
Zöllner
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The political system of the Aztecs could be described as a theocratic and military democracy. These terms must first be explained: "theocracy" is called a religion-based form
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.
Inga Clendinnen's Aztecs:An Interpretation is an outstanding book dealing with investigations into how the Mexica peoples may have veiwed the world in which they lived. From the daily life of a commoner to the explosively, awe inspiring lives of the priests and warriors. Clendinnen has used thoughtful insights and a fresh perspective that will have general readers and specialist readers alike engaged in a powerful and elegantly written interpretation that is hard to put down without reflection upon this lost culture.
Spain, as one of the most powerful nations in the old world, had a great influence on many events in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Spanish also had an influence on many other empires/nations' fate. One of the empires that suffered a grave fate at the hands of the Spanish was the Aztec empire. The Aztec empire was not the oldest Mesoamerican empire and it was formed from an agreement between three city-states. The Aztec's class system had the emperor on top, then the priests, and everyone else below them. The priests were responsible for keeping the gods happy. The sacrifice of goods and people was a commonplace in the Aztec culture, and it was often the goods/people of other nations that were taken for sacrifices. As one can imagine,
The history of the Canadians and the Aztecs are really indistinguishable. Both of them were the original inhabitants of their own land. To see the comparison between the Aztecs and Canada’s indigenous people let’s track back in Canadian history. This will also make it a bit easier to see which inhabitants struggled the most. Finally, we will also be able to compare and contrast between the two indigenous people.
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
The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican people that lived in the area of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th century. It is said that Aztecs came from a place called Aztlan. Aztlan was the Aztec's homeland, nobody knows exactly where it was, but it is believed that Aztlan lies somewhere to the north of Mexico. Some experts claim that Aztlan is a mythical place. According to Aztec legends Huitzilopochtli, their god of war and of the sun, told them to leave Aztlan and to wander until they saw an eagle on a cactus budding out of a rock and eating a snake. The Aztecs traveled many years to find the legend that Huitzilopochtli had told. They left Aztlan in the 12th century. They built their settlements in the Valley of Mexico by Lake Texcoco. There were other Indian tribes living in the area when the Aztecs arrived. The Aztecs called their settlement Tenochtitlan. By the time they settled after two centuries of voyage they called themselves by a different name, the Mexica, but the term Aztec has been used as a ...
The Toltec people were living in Teotihuacán; a city near present-day Mexico City that the Toltec were thought to have built. Teotihuacán fell in flames Before their forced departure of the city, the Toltec were the only race living there. Once they left, most went to their new home, and capital, Tula (also know as Tollan) but some went to Tlillan-Tlapallan.
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.
They were characterized by densely populated permanent communities (villages) governed by a political leader, the chief at the central location. Roads and bridges linked the communities. The cities were well planned to encourage urban development and offer sustainable growth. The villages also formed social groups with the same political and social territories.
They were militaristic people, always ready to wage war on neighboring regions to earn and demand respect. The emperor, being a powerful king, was the one who would declare war. When Aztecs went to war it was to capture prisoners and pay tribute to their gods. Many young Aztec boys believed becoming a warrior was a glorified position and would enlist with great pride. Aztec warriors lived by the sword, and died for it. Capturing a prisoner was part of the initiation of becoming a warrior. The more prisoners the warriors caught, the more they were rewarded with land, and social rank. Similarly, Maya warriors could also move upward in rank and class through service in the military. The difference between the Aztec and the Maya military was that the Aztec military was led by their powerful emperor, whereas each Maya city-state had their own military which was led by a military leader, the halach uinic. The military leader not only controlled the city-states government but also had religious control over them. Maya city-states would fight one other for destruction of rival states, for dominance and to capture prisoners for sacrificing. The capturing of high-ranking officials were considered a priority and sacrificed immediately as supreme offerings to the gods, whereas commoners were forced into slavery, publicly humiliated, and weren 't sacrificed until one was needed. The Aztecs and the Mayas both
The Toltec civilization was one of the greatest Mesoamerican civilizations, prospering between 900 to 1150 CE. The Toltecs preceded the legendary Aztec civilization in Mesoamerica, who regarded them as their “great intellectual and cultural predecessors” (ancient.eu). They played a key role in maintaining the Mesoamerican culture that was passed down by several older civilizations including the Olmec, Teotihuacan, and Mayan civilizations. Much of what is known about the ancient Toltecs is derived from Aztec along with other Mesoamerican texts which document even older oral descriptions of historical events. The accuracy of these events, especially that of the Aztecan documents, has been questioned due to the tendency of the civilization to hyperbolize the feats of the Toltecs by combining historical truths with cultural myths. However, it cannot be argued that the Toltec civilization was vital in preserving the culture and ideology of the Mesoamerican region.
The reason for this is a prophecy. The prophecy said that when they saw an eagle sitting on a cactus with a snake in its mouth that was where they were to build their great civilization. For that reason they called it Tenochtitlan, meaning place of the cactus. Since the prophecy was filled upon an island in the middle of a small lake, called Lake Texcoco, land became short.
Many civilizations have similar qualities as other civilizations, but they also have their differences. Some of these differences include: Religion, Geography, and Government. These three things were a big part of any civilization. Two civilizations had many different things and many similar things. These civilizations are The Maya and The Romans. The Romans had a very unique and interesting culture, The Maya were also very interesting and different. Even though they were unique in their own way, they also had many similar qualities.
The Maya culture has a long history that started in about 1000 BC. The history of the Maya is divided up into four different time periods: The Middle Preclassic Period, Late Preclassic Period, Classic Period, and Postclassic Period. The Middle Preclassic Period was when the small areas started to become city-like in the way that they started to build larger temples. The Late Preclassic Period was when the cities began to expand with paved roads and massive pyramids. The Classic Period was the time the Maya civilization hit it’s peak. Populations were growing rapidly and the structure of politics was formed. The Postclassic Period was when warfare was on the rise and cities were being abandoned(Coe 2005). This paper will focus on the Classic Period due to the fact that that is the greatest time period in Maya history.