By: Andrea and Gurleen

The Aztec land was very swampy so they couldn’t grow corps such as corn for food and cotton for clothing The Aztec learn to use what was around them to their advantage. they used reeds and mud to make huts and instead of eating corn they ate fish and birds. As the Aztec empire expanded there society became more complex. Chinampas-the way of farming aka floating gardens.

The nobles were the smallest class but they controlled the other classes. IF YOU DO NOT TRUST US look on page 435 last paragraph. Both commoners and serfs had to work on land that they did not own. They traveled through out the empire and beyond to bring back colorful feathers, jade, cocoa for the nobles. The Aztec lived in large settlements called calpullis. Tribute is the type of tax they paid. A lot of the stuff we know about the Aztec came excavations ruins.

Aztec priests offered sacrifices to the gods to help good harvests. All classes and society was all apart of religion. More then 1000 gods are in codices. The Aztec held many religious ceremonies. They wanted to control the valley of mexico so they waged war on any tribes who resisted their rule. Warriors fought without fear of death. They believed that if they died they would live with the gods. Warriors also fought hard because the more captives they took the higher their social rank will be.

There history was passed down from generation to generation. The oral tradition, legend, myth and fact over lapped in Inca history. The Inca called there powerful empire Tihuantinsuyu. Meaning land of the 4 Quarters because they believed that they conquered the world. Empire reached about 13 million people. By 1525 the Inca Empire covered most of what is now is ecuador. We do know that it was not until 1438 that the Inca begun to gain democracy over the cuzco valley.

When tribes were peaceful, the Inca allowed the local ruler to stay in power. The Inca ruler first sent scouts to the region he wanted to take over. The scouts judged the Fertility of the region land and the army strength and defends. The Inca believed that their ruler was ruler of all things, animals, water, and people. The Inca had two classes mobility and commoners.

They enjoyed little freedom, Inca subjects rarely went hungry. The Inca’s clever farming skills allowed them to use their land as advantages. The government built huge warehouses to store food in case of emergency. Since the government is so picky free trade and huge market did not exist in the Inca empire. One of the farming techniques was terrace space farming. Because of the temperature certain crops could not grow in certain areas.

Not all commoners were to produce food for the empire. Some commoners paid their tribute by making pieces of arts and jewelry. The Inca believed that in order to grow their crops they have to pray to the Gods and ancestors. Priest perform the sacrifices such as animals or special food or human. The Inca believed mummies spoke to the living and each other through priest. The Inca built temples for inti, whom they portrayed as the golden disk with the human face.

When the Spanish arrived, they brought things and items that the aztec and Inca did not see. They brought five hundred fifty man, 16 horses, 14 cannons and couple of dogs. The tribes were not to see white man. Increasing war cost decreasing tribute from new conquests. The Inca were also facing international spanish people led by Francisco Pizarro. Rebellion was so wide spread that the Aztec were force to fight in many areas.

The Spanish appeared on American shores in the early 1500s. Six months later, one of Cortes’ deputies massacred thousands of Aztec people, triggering a massive Azted rebellion. Moctezuma died in the rebellion, but sources disagree as to who killed him-the Spanish people. In May 1521, with a huge army behind them m the Spanish began their siege of the Aztec capital

First and foremost, the Spanish weapons were technologically superior. Disease such as smallpox and measles brought by the Europeans had a disastrous effect on the Aztec and Inca. In some areas more than 90 percent of the population died as the result of the Spanish takeover. The Aztec fought only to take captives for sacrifice. The Spanish, however, fought to kill.