Aztec/Inca Empires

The Aztec Empire

• Located Central/Southern Mexico
• Ruled in and around Mexico City, c. 1428
• Tenochtitlan was the capital city
• Between the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico

The Inca Empire

• Located near highlands of Peru, c. 1438
• Quechua was their official language
• Center of empire was in Cusco
• Between Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean

Aztec/Inca Social Structure

• 2 main social class
• First, the nobles, had positions of influence
• Nobles wealthy, held high ranks in military
• Usually, hereditary for nobility
• Second, the commoners, did the regular jobs

Aztec/Inca Social Structure 2

• Commoners (farmers, merchants, artisans,etc)
• Fair amount independence and freedom, poor
• Slaves children were free, slaves could buy liberty
• Slavery was personal, not hereditary

Aztec/Inca Families

• A family began at marriage
• Man early 20s, Woman mid-teens
• Man discuss with religious leaders about kids
• Moms and dads taught and raised their childs
• Children at age 4 helped house, went to school

Aztec/Inca Warfare

• Hand-to-hand combat, axes
• Fought for sacrifices to please Gods
• Looked for tributes/land
• Inca wanted captured to be Incas
• Forced into their religion and wore Inca clothing

Aztec/Inca Religion Beliefs

• Quipus, an oral tradition of passing down tales
• Believed in Gods
• Sacrificed treasures, food, humans, animals to God.

Aztec/Inca Sacrifices

• Sacrificed animals, humans, treasures, food
• Inca rarely sacrificed humans, only kids
• Believed kids possessed purity and were perfect
• Some estimates are 20,000 sacrifices per year
• There were many ways to sacrifice, life ripping out the heart

Aztec/Inca Slavery

• Children of slaves were free
• Slaves could buy their liberty
• Were freed if served late owner well

The Fall of the Aztec/Inca Empire

• During 1521 Aztecs were dying from smallpox
• And there was a war between the Spaniards and Aztec
• Hernan Cortes and his army killed remaining Aztecs
• Cortes was in search for territory and money (Gold) 
• In c. 1532 most Incas wiped out from disease. 

The Fall of the Aztec/Inca Empire 2

• The rest of Incas were enslaved by Spaniards
• Forced to work and still ill
• Women were taken away from infants
• End of Inca/Aztec Empire