The Aztec Empire, one of the largest empires in the Americas, suffered greatly from small pox. The Empire was destroyed in the 1500s when Hernando Cortes, a Spanish conqueror, took charge.
The Incan Empire originally was found in the Andes Mountains although their distinct culture became known later in the 1400s. Like the Aztecs, they suffered from small pox and were conquered by the Spanish. Francisco Pizarro took over and transformed the empire into a colony of Spain.
By comparison, the Ancient Mayan civilization disappeared about 900 A.D. Unlike the other empires, it consisted of 20 different independent states that were similar in their culture. Much of their culture was destroyed by Spanish conquerors and missionaries in the 1500s.
The Aztecs were advanced because of their production of tools, pottery, jewelry, cloth and baskets. They produced elaborate gold ornaments, feathers, chocolate and cacao beans, some of which were used for traditional festivities, and they also traded skins. In addition, they participated in a game that was a combination of basketball, football and baseball.
The Incas were advanced with agriculture and developed an irrigation system that was more sophisticated than that of other countries. They also were known for mining gold and silver.
Mayans were known particularly for their advancement in astronomy, mathematics and architecture. This enabled them to build stone cities.
The Aztecs built the Great Pyramid in Tenochtitlan that was used for religious ceremonies and rituals. They also had small pyramids throughout the area in which they burned incense and lit sacrificial fires. Their religion required human sacrifices as well as blood rituals.
The Incan religion was based primarily on the sun god, Apu Inti. Their religious center was the Temple of the Sun. Their main ritual was a sun festivity worshiping Apu Inti. Sacrificing children of nobles in honor of the sun god was an accepted tradition.
The Mayans constructed religious temples with primitive tools since the more sophisticated ones had not as yet been discovered. They worshiped deities and offered human sacrifices to them. They believed that their rulers were descendants of the gods and, therefore, their blood was needed for sacrifice. The Mayans also sacrificed children.
Aztecs were sophisiticated in their use of language. They developed pictographs to represent a written language, which enabled them to create literary works that were used in ceremonies and helped transmit the culture from one generation to another. They also developed two calendars, one for religious events and the other for the days of the year.
The Inca's communication was based on runners who passed messages to other runners until the message finally reached its destination. They did not have a written language, but were pioneers in early phonograph recordings.
The Mayans developed a writing system and left a written history in stone and pottery. They also devised a calendar system.
The Aztecs used waterways via canals with transportation by canoes. When waterways were not available, porters carried goods in caravans, which were used since they lacked draft animals or wheeled vehicles.
Incas were advanced in engineering, built roads and developed trade. They used alpacas and llamas to transport their goods.
Mayans had roads that were mainly used for walking. They also used boats when possible and llamas.
The three groups basically wore similar clothing although there were some differences. The fabrics used and hair styles made them distinct. Children went naked. Men generally wore clothes around the hips, tunics or shirts, and women wore skirts. Some Aztec and Incan women wrapped the fabrics around themselves as an ankle length loose-fitting garment.
Fabrics showed the societal status. For example, poor Aztecs were not allowed to wear cotton. Wealthy Incas wore woven clothing made from alpaca wool.
All three groups used maize or corn as basic foods. Aztecs ate fish, frogs, turkey, chocolate and insects. In addition to maize, Incas ate guanaco, a relative of the llama, domesticated pig and deer. They also used potatoes and ate caterpillars, beetles and ants. Mayans took maize, which they boiled and stuffed in tortillas pancakes.