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The economy of the Aztecs started only as a very simple outline that eventually became intricate as the population of the Aztecs grew. The Aztec people knew how to effectively manage all of their resources, thus they were able to thrive and grow despite the many disadvantages that were presented to them.

Agriculture: The Pillar Of Aztec Economy

Aztec were very good farmers and agriculture was the foundation of their economy. The Aztecs used the Chinampa way of farming which enabled the people to make highly productive gardens that not only let them farm the land but also let them reclaim the water.

They were able to plant and harvest lots of crops like sweet potatoes, maize, tomatoes, avocados, beans, squashes and other kinds of plants. While in the lowlands, tropical crops like papaya, cotton and cacao were planted and harvested. Chocolate, which is consumed both in liquid and solid form, made the Aztecs famous worldwide. When the Spanish conquered the Aztecs, they found out about chocolate and thus chocolate was discovered and spread across Europe. The crops that they planted and harvested were their main source of food since they rarely hunted animals as food, only eating turkey as some sort of special occasion food.

Use Of Money In Aztec Economy

The Aztecs were definitely an advanced people since they knew about the value of money. Several kinds of money were used by the Aztecs and the cacao bean was one of the regular money used by the Aztecs. For example, a small rabbit would cost a person around thirty cacao beans, but if a man were to sell his own child (especially a daughter), that man would gain about 600 cacao beans. Remember that selling one's own child was common for them and they even regarded self sacrificing one's self as the highest honor a warrior can get.

Other than the cacao beans, the Aztecs used quachtli; a type of cloth that the Aztecs really treasured. It is said that this type of cotton cloth was more valued than the cacao beans and if a common man were given ten quachtli, than man can live for half a year in Tenochtitlan.

Markets And Trade

Money or cacao beans and quachtli were used by many people to buy or trade goods. There are many other markets in Tenochtitlan but the one called Tlatelco (which is the main marketplace for the Aztec people) was where almost everyone went because of the large selection. Many farmers, merchants, potters and so on came to this market to sell their produce or their products. So one would find absolutely anything they wanted in this market place.

It is said that the city where the Aztecs lived in was grand and can be compared to the great European cities. Only Paris and a few other European cities were larger than the city of Tenochtitlan. Although that sounds really impressive, it wasn't an exaggeration. Almost sixty thousand people came into the markets day in and day out to buy food, slaves, firewood, clothing, jewelry, feathers and so much more.

If compared to todays standards Aztec economy was quite simple and basic, but for that time and place it supported a large and successful Aztec empire.

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The economy of the Aztecs started only as a very simple outline that eventually became intricate as the population of the Aztecs grew. The Aztec people knew how to effectively manage all of their resources, thus they were able to thrive and grow despite the many disadvantages that were presented to them.

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The main resources available to the Inca Empire were agricultural land and labour, mines (producing precious and prestigious metals such as gold, silver or copper), and fresh water, abundant everywhere except along the desert coast. With careful manipulation of these resources, the Incas managed to keep things moving the way they wanted. Tribute in the form of service ( mita) played a crucial role in maintaining the empire and pressurizing its subjects into ambitious building and irrigation projects. Some of these projects were so grand that they would have been impossible without the demanding whip of a totalitarian state.

Although a certain degree of local barter was allowed, the state regulated the distribution of every important product. The astonishing Inca highways were one key to this economic success. Some of the tracks were nearly 8km wide and at the time of the Spanish Conquest the main Royal Highway ran some 5000km, from the Río Ancasmayo in Colombia down the backbone of the Andes to the coast at a point south of the present-day Santiago in Chile. The Incas never used the wheel, but gigantic llama caravans were a common sight tramping along the roads, each animal carrying up to 50kg of cargo.

Every corner of the Inca domain was easily accessible via branch roads, all designed or taken over and unified with one intention - to dominate and administer an enormous empire. Runners were posted at chasqui stations and tambo rest-houses which punctuated the road at intervals of between 2 and 15km. Fresh fish was relayed on foot from the coast and messages were sent with runners from Quito to Cusco (2000km) in less than six days. The more difficult mountain canyons were crossed on bridges suspended from cables braided out of jungle lianas (creeping vines) and high passes were - and still are - frequently reached by incredible stairways cut into solid rock cliffs.

The primary sector in the economy was inevitably agriculture and in this the Incas made two major advances: large terracing projects created the opportunity for agricultural specialists to experiment with new crops and methods of cultivation, and the transportation system allowed a revolution in distribution. Massive agricultural terracing projects were going on continuously in Inca-dominated mountain regions. The best examples of these are in the Cusco area at Tipón, Moray, Ollantaytambo, Pisac and Cusichaca. Beyond the aesthetic beauty of Inca stone terraces, they have distinct practical advantages. Stepping hillsides minimizes erosion from landslides, and using well-engineered stone channels gives complete control over irrigation. Natural springs emerging on the hillsides became the focus of an intricate network of canals and aqueducts extending over the surrounding slopes which had themselves been converted into elegant stone terraces. An extra incentive to the Inca mind must surely have been their reverence of water, one of the major earthly spirits. The Inca terraces are often so elaborately designed around springs that they seem to be worshipping as much as utilizing water.

Today, however, it is Inca construction which forms their lasting heritage: vast building projects masterminded by high-ranking nobles and architects, and supervised by expert masons with an almost limitless pool of peasant labour. Without paper, the architects resorted to imposing their imagination onto clay or stone, making miniature models of the more important constructions - good examples of these can be seen in Cusco museums. More importantly, Inca masonry survives throughout Peru, most spectacularly at the fortress of Sascayhuaman above Cusco, and on the coast in the Achirana aqueduct, which even today still brings water down to the Ica Valley from high up in the Andes. In the mountains, Inca stonework gave a permanence to edifices which would otherwise have needed constant renovation. The damp climate and mould quickly destroy anything but solid rock; Spanish and modern buildings have often collapsed around well-built Inca walls.

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The main resources available to the Inca Empire were agricultural land and labour, mines (producing precious and prestigious metals such as gold, silver or copper), and fresh water, abundant everywhere except along the desert coast. With careful manipulation of these resources, the Incas managed to keep things moving the way they wanted.

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The Incans gave their empire the name, 'Land of the Four Quarters' or the Tahuantinsuyu Empire. It stretched north to south some 2,500 miles along the high mountainous Andean range from Colombia to Chile and reached west to east from the dry coastal desert called Atacama to the steamy Amazonian rain forest.

The Incas ruled the Andean Cordillera, second in height and harshness to the Himalayas. Daily life was spent at altitudes up to 15,000 feet and ritual life extended up to 22,057 feet to Llullaillaco in Chile, the highest Inca sacrificial site known today.

The mountains dominated Incan society. The mountain peaks were worshiped as gods. The Andes created a natural barrier between the coastal desert on one side and the jungle on the other. The snow-capped mountains were full of deep gorges.

Lodged between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean, the arid desert plain dominated the entire western flank of the Inca Empire. Rivers created infrequent strips of fertile land as they cut across the lowlands from the highlands, and the Incas built dams and irrigation systems in order to maximize available water for farming purposes.

Peru

Peru is the world's potato capital. Two-thirds of the world's potato crops originate in Europe, but the production there cannot compare with the diversity of tubers found in this South American country. They range in color from purple to blue, from yellow to brown.

The taste of different potatoes varies broadly, explaining why these vegetables are used in all kind of dishes from appetizers to desserts. Peruvian potatoes date back to the massive Incan empire. In the Incan heyday in the 15th century, native farmers learned how to carve terraces out of steep hillsides of the Andes and adapt to the various climates of the region.

The highlands in Peru are generally considered to consist of two parallel ranges, the Cordillera Occidental and the Cordillera Oriental, extending in a northwest to southeast direction. The basins and valleys wedged high between the Peruvian Andes are intermont high level surface over which, historically, the majority of Peru's population has been concentrated.

Forest

The Amazon forest located in the eastern part of Peru has vast natural resources, but due to the lack of communication and transport infrastructure meant that this region wasn't exploited until the seventies. In 1973 began the extraction of oil on a large scale.

Mountains, plains, jungles, valleys, unique habitats and an extraordinary variety of eco-systems that shelter a wide diversity of plants and animals are part of the beautiful geography of Peru.

The Incas had an incredible system of roads. One road ran almost the entire length of the South American Pacific coast! Since the Incas lived in the Andes Mountains, the roads took great engineering and architectural skill to build. On the coast, the roads were not surfaced and were marked only by tree trunks.

More info on- Inca Government, Culture, Climate Weather,

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The Incans gave their empire the name, 'Land of the Four Quarters' or the Tahuantinsuyu Empire. It stretched north to south some 2,500 miles along the high mountainous Andean range from Colombia to Chile and reached west to east from the dry coastal desert called Atacama to the steamy Amazonian rain forest.