Preview

Aztec Vs Maya Government

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1104 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Aztec Vs Maya Government
There are many similarities and differences between Aztec, Inca, and Maya governments. This paper will examine the dates, laws, and punishments that occurred in each government as it happened. It will also explain where these governments took place, and how each system developed and changed over time.
The Aztecs
The Aztecs roamed in the time period between 1325 A.D. to 1521 A.D. and were ruled by an emperor named the Huey Tlatoani. He had many nobles to help him rule, like the Sapa Inca. Each noble ruled a city of their own, and there have been many things to develop the cities, and to make them all distinct in difference. But even though the Huey Tlatoa told the nobles to report to him and run their cities as directed, most nobles ran
…show more content…
Even if the victim determined the crime an accident, or forgave the criminal, a punishment was still given, but reduced. Since there were no prisons, the punishment was performed instantly if guilty (Callahan, Kevin L. "MAYA”; Donn, Lin. "Maya”; "Maya Civilization”).
The Mayans also had many wars to gain territory and power. Mayan cities were always at war with each other. Even though each Mayan city was different, they were all brought together with their same culture, language, religion, calendar, and also way of life (Donn, Lin. "Maya”; "Maya Civilization”).
Conclusion
There are many similarities and differences between Aztec, Inca, and Mayan governments. This paper has examined the dates, laws, and punishments, that occurred in each government. It has also informed you on where these governments took place, and how each system developed and changed over time. Even though these governments are different, their experiences shaped each government in their own way of
…show more content…
"AZTEC GOVERNMENT." MESOAMERICAN GOVERNMENTS. 1997.
Web. 10 Dec. 2015. http://www.angelfire.com/ca/humanorigins/government.html.
Callahan, Kevin L. "MAYA GOVERNMENT." MESOAMERICAN GOVERNMENTS. 1997.
Web. 15 Dec. 2015. http://www.angelfire.com/ca/humanorigins/government.html.
Donn, Lin. “Aztec Empire for Kids Emperor, City-States, Laws, Punishment, Expansion,
Tribute." Web. 8 Dec. 2015. http://aztecs.mrdonn.org/government.html.
Donn, Lin. "Inca Empire for Kids The Sapa Inca & His Government." Web. 8 Dec. 2015. http://incas.mrdonn.org/government.html. Donn, Lin. "Maya Empire for Kids Government." Web. 8 Dec. 2015. http://mayas.mrdonn.org/government.html. "INCA GOVERNMENT SYSTEM." Machupicchu-inca.com. Web. 8 Dec. 2015. http://www.machupicchu-inca.com/inca-government.html. "Inca Empire Government." Ducksters. Technological Solutions, Inc., 2015. Web. 8 Dec.
2015. http://www.ducksters.com/history/inca/government.php.
"Maya Civilization Government." Ducksters. Technological Solutions, Inc., 2015. Web. 8 Dec.
2015. http://www.ducksters.com/history/maya/government.php.
"The Aztec Government." Aztec-Indians.com, 2010. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Maya had established city-states which were united by culture but not by a common political or military system. They had artistic, agricultural, and architectural…

    • 542 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    5) How did the Maya lords first acquire their authority and power. How did they lose it?…

    • 87 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    MAYA,AZTEC AND INCA IN MAYAN: was hierahochical ,divided by both class and profession ,maya were never an empire maya cities were mostly abandoned , the population dispensed into small agricultura villages ,they also fough wars but these were on small scale, one city against another. AZTEC:a group of people in central mexico wondered in search of a new how,these people were aztecs legend. Aztecs society was strictly hierchical,they demanded high tributes and were constantly fighting in onder to sleep up a stready supply of captives to use as human sacrifice.…

    • 143 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Indian Givers Summary

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Aztecs practiced what we now called democracy. The Aztecs had a supreme speaker (not an emperor) and divided their land into corporate clans, where each clan elected their administration officers and speakers. They also had a gran administration that elected the supreme speaker. Down in the south the Incas had what seems today a state of the art agricultural system. They had fertilizers and developed a different type of plant for the different type of soil. They had a massive diversity within potatoes reaching up to three thousands five hundred types of potatoes. They had different types of plants for the different types of systems. Throughout the whole Americas the indigenous people had an understanding in medicine. The Aztec had a sophisticated medical system ranging from surgeons to healers. The people from the Andes even preform brain surgery. If paying attention to their society they all focus to main things, their religion (for many if not all relate to nature) and the well-being of their own people. For the most part the sun was the key of their religion or their god .They specifically value nature for everything that was giving to them. They used gold and other metals to decorate and didn’t worship or gave it much focus. Due to their focus on nature and not greed they were able to invent and discover the many benefits that our…

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Aztecs had city-states and were people of a stratified society. Each of one of these city-states is ruled by a speaker that is chosen by the pipiltin(the nobility). This speaker would have to sacrifice his own blood regularly to show that he is a true king and has good intentions for his empire. The nobles grew stronger with every conquest. The Aztecs also had a governing council but they weren't all that successful because they had lacked real power. The Aztec system was very successful, because it was aimed at political dominance and not head on control of the people. The calpulli had authority over the government but during the 1st hundred years the emperor took over. The Aztecs were very smart in creating "flower wars"(to leave a few territories unconquered so that periodic wars could be staged so that both sides could obtain captives for sacrifice) ,because it ensured sacrifices.…

    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Aztec,Inca,Mayan Were all very similar in belief,architecture, and culture but with each one having key differences. They shared common interests in farming and architecture along with calendars and math all using a tax system based on the social pyramid. The Aztecs The Aztecs settles in the mexican valley in 1248 and made great cities out of stone and temples,shrines and pyramids to practice human sacrifice to satisfy their gods. They were early explorers of math and timekeeping and most importantly chocolate.…

    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Mayas, Incas and Aztecs. They all had a very distinctive culture, that defined the way they lived, and influenced the way their followers still live today. For example, the Maya lifestyle was greatly based on religion, with big temples known today as architectural wonders. Along with their culture, each civilization also had a set of achievements, which in some cases are continued to be used today. The Inca people would weave colorful woolen cloths, which served as blankets for those who could afford them. Lastly, each civilization had a decline. The Maya civilization ended up falling, whereas the Inca and Aztec civilizations ended up being conquered by the Spanish. When the spanish began to conquer the Aztec civilization, their mission…

    • 275 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Highly unequal societies 5. War with drafted soldiers 6. Capital cities with large pyramids 7. Mayans a. Developed calendar, number system, writing. 8.Aztecs a. Dominated gulf coast b. Sacrifice to nourish gods c. Maximized food production for support of large population…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    All cultures are centered around belief structures that continue over a long period time, but some of the practices and rituals associated with these beliefs can become shuffled and this can drastically set two religions apart. The Mayans and the Aztecs of Mesoamerica are no different in this sense. Both cultures were “obsessed” with the stars and their movement in the heavens and they each built large observatories to watch and record what was happening, buildings that still exist to this day. Next, both cultures were ruled by kings who were considered gods and these rulers commissioned large monuments to be built to honor the gods and assure their place in the afterlife. However, the major dissimilarity occurred in the process and scale of sacrifice, as well as the way of obtaining victims which greatly differed among the two cultures. The continuities and changes of both regions may be attributed to their relative geographic isolationism, with few outside forces affecting the religion of people in Mesoamerica.…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Americas are places where beautiful empires from ancient populations settled, spreading their culture, architecture, knowledge, and art, among other qualities. Two important empires that were raised during 600-1550 CE in the Americas are the Aztec Empire in Mesoamerica, and the Inca Empire in the Andes. “The Inca Empire and its contemporary Aztec Empire grew out of political, economic, and cultural pattern that began to form around 600 CE” (Von Sivers et al. 433). The Inca and Aztec Empires are an important and valuable piece of history that represent the innovations and rapid growth from the past cultures. There are several comparisons and contrasts with the Inca and the Aztec Empires that include: societies, architecture, culture, and…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first similarity between the Aztec and the Maya was their emphasis on time. We find evidence of the emphasis on time in the origin story of the Aztec and Maya. In the Nahua myth where “age is self-destructing based on a cosmic mathematical plan; the Mexica magicians will return to the place of their origin in Aztlan, only to find out about their own future demise” (114, Read & Gonzalez). Meanwhile, the Popol-Vuh tells the story of Hunahpu Posum and Hanahpu Coyote, the Maya twin heroes play the role of day keepers even though they were not born until the following age. In both origin stories, one can observe that time is a factor that occurs in an odd manner, it works in a “linear [matter] but it also doubles back on itself and springs…

    • 386 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Before Spanish conquistadors conquered Central and South America the Aztec empire and the Mayan empire were in control. Both empires ruled at different times but both built massive temples to please their gods, kings and also used for astronomy. Unlike the Mayans who used more of a political structure, the Aztec empire was united as one and led by one person. The Mayan empire consisted of many different city states that only linked through trade, political alliances, and tribute obligation. Along with each political structure, both empires had their own social classes that were similar. Aztec and Mayan social classes shaped the daily life of their citizens.…

    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Ap World History Essay

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Heirs of the Olmecs: the Maya 1) The Maya lived in the highlands of Guatemala a. Besides maize, they also cultivated cotton and cacao b. Tikal was the most important Maya political center, 300900 C.E. c. Maya warfare: warriors had prestige; captives were slaves or victims d. Chichén Itzá, power by the 9th century; loose empire in Yucatan e. Maya decline began in 800 C.E.; many Mayans deserted their cities C. Maya Society and Religion 1) Maya society was hierarchical a. Kings, priests, and hereditary nobility at the top b. Merchants were from the ruling class; they served also as ambassadors c. Professional architects and artisans were important d. Peasants and slaves were majority of population 2) The Maya calendar had both solar and ritual years interwoven 3) Maya writing was ideographic and syllabic; only four books survive 4) Religious thought a. Popol Vuh, a Maya creation myth, taught that gods created humans out of maize and water b. Gods maintained agricultural cycles in exchange for honors and sacrifices c. Bloodletting rituals honored gods for rains 5) The Maya ball game: sporting, gambling, and religious…

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    No one can say for certain what happened to the Mayan people, but theories abound and include varied possible alternatives to explain the abrupt and mysterious disappearance of the Mayan civilization…

    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Aztec Culture

    • 2116 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Moving on to government and political systems, the Aztec people’s started off with what is called the Calpulli - the basic unit of government. Each group is made up of multiple families and these families own land together. Whoever is made the leader of the Calpulli group is in charge and responsible for all the needs of everyone in the group. They set up what is called telpochalli - school for the common citizens. Leaders of these groups collect taxes as well. Although in cities the Calpulli leader is less family based and more about the region and surroundings (Cotrill). The next section of their government goes on to the nobility and councils. People in the nobility and council held a lot of power in society but they were not automatically put in government positions. Every city had a Calpulli and each Calpulli has a leader. All of the leaders from each group made up a council, these held a lot of the power in their government system. In the early to middle 1400s there were 3 main city-states that held the most power. The 3 city-states together were called the “Triple Alliance,” which was located in Mexico Valley. Each of these had a name; there was, Tenochtitlán, Texaco, and Tlacopan. Tenochtitlán came to dominate the whole empire itself. For each council an executive council is formed within it. Four members are chosen to lead; one of these chosen members is the tlatcani – leader of the city.…

    • 2116 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays