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The Inca Empire expanded in a long strip from south to north, along the west side of South America. They had rugged territory through the Andes Mountains. They had a desert in the coastline and the Amazon jungle in the other. These were natural barriers that kept invaders away. The Incas settled on the mountains, building bridges on the peaks and over deep gorges to travel in between. (Link)Picture: The Incas build their bridges out of sturdy vines. If they ever got invaded they would just burn two bridges. One from each side of a canyon and that would trap the invaders in the middle.

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The Incas worshiped the God of the Sun and the Inca's ancestors. They believed that by keeping them happy, they would be safe from earthquakes and droughts.They also believed that their king was the son of the God of the Sun.Their religion was an important tool for the ruling elite. It helped spread the general believe of Inca being better than other empires. (Link)

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The Inca civilization created some of the finest works in the ancient Americas. They are known for focusing their skills in Metalwork, ceramics, and most importantly textiles. Their buildings were made out of field-stones, the most common shape in architecture was a rectangle. It was the easiest way to construct their homes. Also, they had the skill of precisely cutting and shaping stones. (Link) (Link)Picture: For the Incas a well decorated textile like this one, symbolized wealth and status. Textiles that were well created became the most prized of all possessions.

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The Inca government was called the Tawantinsuyu. Their empire was ruled by a monarch named the Sapa Inca. He was the person with all the power in the land. Everyone was supposed to report to him if anything. To run the government, the Inca needed food and resources which they acquired through taxing. An "ayllu" was responsible for paying taxes to the government. There were inspectors that watched people to make sure they payed there taxes. (Link)

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The Incas had a well planned economy. Collective labor was the main idea for economic productivity. Everyone in the empire was required to work on whatever they were assigned.  People who refused to work or were lazy, were punished by the death penalty. Labor was different in every region. Agriculture, ceramic production, road building, and textile were the different labors that people were supposed to work at. People were rewarded with free food, clothes, education, and health care. (Link)

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The Sapa Inca was at the top with all the power. Royalty; the kings family were the next most wealthy and powerful group of people. Nobility; was below the Royalty. They were the class of people who acted as leaders to control the rest of the population. Lastly, the Commoners were at the bottom. Including, farmers, herders, servants, and slaves. (Link)

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The Aztec empire covered most of modern day Mexico. The climate was very hot and humid. The capital city was located in the middle of a big lake. The soil in the island was marshy, not good for growing crops. This lead to them creating Chinampas that helped water the crops. (Link)Picture: The Aztec empire covered most of now Mexico. As you can see they had 2 rivers at their disposal. And the lake that included the capital city.

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Art was important to the Aztecs, it was a way for them to honor their ancestors. Jewelry and feather-work was worn by the Aztec nobility to set them apart from the other lower class people. Their highest form of art was poetry, many of their poems were about the God's. They enjoyed playing music. They used music to ask the God's for something, for example rain. (Link)
There architecture was simple and elegant. They created a unique style with there colors and shapes. They used stones and chisels so construct there homes. (Link)

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The Aztec religion was based on interactions of Gods, dates, directions, and colors. There religion had to do with the fear of nature. The Aztecs worship Gods of the Sun and other ancestors. They wanted to keep nature in balance. They believed the warrior Huitzilopochtli  needed blood sacrificed in order to win the battle against darkness. (Link)Picture: The Aztecs sacrificed people to help the warrior of the sun win battles. They believed that the God of the sun required human blood and hearts, so the sun would rise everyday.

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The Aztec government was similar to a monarchy. The king or Emperor was the primary ruler. They called their ruler the Huey Tlatoani, he had the ultimate power in the land. People thought God has chosen him and had the right to rule. They had someone called the "Cihuacoatl" who was in charge of running the government on a daily basis. He had thousands of officials and servants who worked below him; helping to keep the government and the empire running smoothly. Also, the Aztec empire was made up of city-states. (Link)

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Most of the Aztec economy was based on agriculture and farming. They grew beans, squash, avocados, tobacco, and the most important crop corn. There common currency was trade and battering. Sometimes, children were used as currency. There parents would sell them as slaves, with an Aztec children selling for up to 600 cocoa beans. (Link)

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At the very top was the Emperor, who owned all the land. Next came the Noble class which included the government, military leaders, high level priest, and lords. The noble statues was passed on through female and male lineage. Lastly, the commanders including farmers, artisans, and merchants. (Link)

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Both of the empires have a common social structure. They have one leader that owns all the land. Then they both have a classe were farmers and servants are at the bottom.

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They both had a similar religion. They worshiped the God of the Sun. They believed that by keeping him/ them happy, they would prevent natural disasters.

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Picture: As you can see in the picture above. The Incas had a bigger empire than the Aztecs. But they both had a body of water on one side.

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Picture: The leaders of the Incas and Aztecs dressed commonly with jewelry and feathers.