Compare Aztec And Inca Civilizations

Shawn Williamson
Mr. Caleb Smith
World History
4/25/13
Essay: Aztec and Inca Civilizations:
I think the Aztecs were more impressive, in one of the captions I read that one of their squares was twice as large as the city of Salamanca surrounded by porticoes daily sixty thousand people are buying and selling all kinds of merchandise that the world has to offer embracing the necessaries things of life. In the same square there are some people who constantly go around watching sells and the measures used for sales these people have been known to go around and stop unfair deals or break the measures completely. The men and women who agree to be sacrificed are thrown to their backs, so they can be sacrificed to their gods and without uttering
a word and remaining perfectly still while a priest comes over with a stone knife to cut their heart out. This is one of the things as to why I think the Aztecs were more impressive because of the discipline they had, even when they are having their heart cut out while they are still alive. The boys and girls were brought up differently with a few similarities. The differences for boys were they were expected to have more responsibilities such as growing to become fierce some brave and warriors, fishermen, farmers and craftsmen, like their fathers. The daughters were expected to follow their mothers and work indoors managing the house and raise the children. Something similar both boys and girls had in common was they were taught their responsibilities from a very young age, they were also expected to go to school for at least a little time between the ages ten and twenty, the school the rich or the gifted were able to attend was called calmecac, there was another school that most of the population attended who were not rich or considered gifted, which was called tepochcalli. Their (was little difference) in (Aztec religion and civil society. The tlacatecuhtli or “chief of men” controlled all the religious ceremonies) who (was also the military leader under the tlacatecuhtli were several religious and other offices which included military generals. Priests and priestesses were very important in society they acted as) scientists (and) doctors, and (taught science, art, music, dance, history, and counting. They also knew astronomy and astrology. They had to perform) very (difficult ceremonies). (Religion played an important part in Aztecs lives and was very complicated because they adopted many of the) aspects of the (people they conquered.
They had three dominate gods: Huitzilopochtli, (“Hummingbird wizard” the native and) the (chief god of the tenochca, Huitzilopochtli was the war and sun god), Tezcatlipoca (“smoking mirror” chief god of the Aztecs in general) and Quetzalcoatl (“sovereign plumed serpent” widely worshipped throughout Mesoamerica and the god of civilization, priesthood and learning). Below these three gods were four creating gods who kept themselves from the human world. Under these were a large number of other gods, the most important) was (tlaloc, the rain god); chalihuitlicue, (the god of growth and Xipe, the “flayed one” a god connected with spring. The Aztecs worshipped about) one thousand (gods, but the sun god was the most important. Religious ceremonies were held in a temple called a teocalli. The temples had pools for ceremonial cleansing, gardens, living quarters for a priest, and racks to hold the skulls of victims. The most prominent part of Aztec religious life was the role of human sacrifice. It was practiced in all of Mesoamerica but the) tenochca (used sacrifice on a grand scale. We don’t know a great deal about the details, but we can successfully reconstruct its character and justification with a high level of
accuracy).

Sources: "Welcome to the Aztec Civilization Website." Welcome to the Aztec Civilization Website. N.P., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013.
"Aztec History." Aztec History. N.P., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013.