Civilization in Mesoamerica and Andean Regions

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Lastly, the Aztecs and Incans had unique systems of government and political traditions. First of all, the Aztec Empire actually included many small territories, each with its own leader, but the leader of Tenochtitlan held authority over all. After 1325, the Aztecs abandoned their former governmental system of tlatoani leadership and formed an electoral monarchy. The most elite folk could choose the next king, and the king would have responsibility for his people and land, both politically and spiritually. To defend their cities, the Aztec kings maintained skilled groups of armed forces. Like the Aztecs, the Incans also had a unique political system. During the Inca’s era, only three men ruled: Pachacuti, Topac Yupanqui, and Huayna Capac. Under Pachacuti’s rule, the Inca came to believe that the monarch technically held ownership of all the land and goods in their empire, and let them use them through his kindness. However, the monarch also had military responsibility and a duty to continue expanding the borders of the Incan Empire. Led by Pachacuti, the Incan government employed several different methods to maintain control over this increasingly large territory. First, the Incans kidnapped important people from conquered areas and used them as collateral. People from the conquered areas would not retaliate against the Inca because they wanted to protect their relatives. Second, the Incans took advantage of cultural patterns already in place in the Andes, such as the dependence on the ayllu and mit’a. Third, to maintain peace in the farther reaches of the empire, the Incans left regional leaders in charge of affairs, a measure of their trust in the people they had colonized. The Incans also followed a bureaucratic set of practices developed by Pachacuti. Pachacuti had divided administration and army work into two parts and assigned them to different leaders. Later, the Incan Empire separated into four small parts with their own bureaucratic overseers, who answered to the monarch. Both of these empires had unique systems of government, ultimately shaping their societies.

In the 1400s, two main empires emerged in Mesoamerica: the Aztecs and the Incas. While the Aztec society prospered in the north, the Inca developed to the south. These two societies shared many characteristics, but also differed, in terms of their religious, cultural, and political traditions. Overall, the unique characteristics ultimately shaped these societies, leading to success in each of them.