The Inca Empire in 10… The Inca Empire was located on the west coast of South America prior to the arrival of Europeans in the Americas The Empire stretched north to south over 2,500 miles and was home to over 12 million people Cuzco was the capital, but the empire itself was spilt into 4 parts for ruling purposes The leader of the Inca was an emperor referred to as “Sapa Inca” and he was very powerful In Inca society the government provided much of what the people needed to live The government built public buildings and roads, and distributed food In return the people paid “taxes” in the form of labor The Incas lived on the slopes of the Andes mountains and used terrace farming to produce enough food to feed the empire The Incas also had strong religious beliefs, and believed in many gods, in other words they were polytheistic The Incas were eventually conquered by the Spanish in the mid-1500’s

The Sapa Inca

An Inca City

An Inca City

Terrace Farming

An Inca Road

Inca Idols

The Aztec Empire in 10… The Aztec Empire was located in Central America prior to the arrival of Europeans to the Americas The empire grew as the Aztec people conquered neighboring tribes When the Aztecs defeated a neighboring tribe they asked for “tribute” in the form of food, clothing, precious stones, and captives for sacrifice The Aztec built their capital city of Tenochtitlan on the shores of Lake Texcoco The capital city had a large population with busy market places and shops, it rivaled European cities of the time The Aztecs did not use money, but rather bartered and traded with one another for what they needed The leader of the Aztec Empire was the emperor who lived in the capital city, but the outside areas of the empire were run by families of nobles The Spanish, led by Hernan Cortes, arrived at the Aztec capital around 1500 AD The Spanish brought new goods like guns and horses to the Aztecs However, they also brought new disease which, along with help from local tribes, brought the fall of the Aztec Empire at the hands of the Spanish

Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan

Creating farmland on the shores of Texcoco

Aztec Temple

Aztec Emperor

Emperor’s Headdress

Aztec God