Aztecs and Incas Reaction Paper

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Aztecs and Incas

In the 15th century various kinds of communities were hosted in the western part of the world. These communities had various activities such as hunting people as well as gathering, agricultural village societies along with chiefdoms and two major state-based agrarian evolutions. Around this time a better fraction of America's population was intense in some two societies known as Aztec as well as Inca. Being that any of the two societies had a far-reaching bookish folklore, those who seek to get acquainted to their past as well as way of life relayed mostly on the 16th Century records along with observations of the Spanish as they are the ones who conquered them. This then brought up a bigger question on how an individual from a conqueror community and with a totally dissimilar way of life be in a position to perfectly illustrate the life style of the people they defeated? The answer therefore remains positive as some Spanish observers were able to come up with the local acquaintance as well as familiarity of these indigenous people and this brought about the accounts of these two empires known as Aztec and Inca.

These paper is therefore going to concentrate on how the Aztecs and Incas organizes, controlled as well as expanded their societies consider just some of the aspects such as the role played by the religion in politics, economic activities, political struggle, relationships with their neighbors as well as the legal system.

Starting with the Aztec whose legal structure was in a manner that their king was not to be seen anywhere in the public except during very vital occasion in which the kings presence was significant. A part from the war time in which the great lords as well as brave captains could put on golden diadem, only the king was allowed to have it on in the city. Besides those men who have done some great feat in war, only the Noblemen were allowed to put on sandals within the palace. Putting on the ultimate mantles made of cotton and brocaded with blueprint as well as threads of dissimilar insignia decorated with feather work was only entitled to the king. Putting on cotton cloths under whatever circumstances was prohibited to ordinary persons.
(Diego Duran, 1994)

Political role played by the religious leaders in the Aztec Empire was brought about as an honor awarded to the long serving priests who were then offered a position as the advisers to the government at the time the government councils were held. They were also part of the ruling board and juntas and the king's decision heavily relayed on their opinion hence without their opinion the king could rarely rule or act upon any matter. (Diego Duran, 1971) Economic wise, these empire based their economy on trade which was done locally as non-was allowed to trade outside the specified market area for the fear of misfortune as well as god of market's wrath. The most interesting aspect is how individuals were penalized incase of economic crime in which one could be sold for the same cost of items that he stole just to compensate, the items were pieces of cloths, ears of corn as well as jewels or turkeys. Another interesting aspect was the selling of the disobedient, shameless and children who could not heed to the councils advise at the public market as a lesson to other bad children. Also there was the selling of those who borrowed precious items like jewels cloths among others and fail to return as agreed. The entire exercise brings to board the notion of slave trade which turns out to be the empires main economic activity. This is clearly brought out during famine where the family members opt on selling one another example being husband could sell the wife, the wife also could opt to sell the husband or the parents could decide to sell children. (Diego Duran, 1971)

Looking at Incas they did not fancy war as they usually made peaceful entries in several lands. There was no any room for their people or even army to offend, rob or even damage anyone's property. They had an organized way of dealing with famine as the king could order food from other regions and this was his way of luring newly won natives to his system and also for them not….....

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