An Overview of the Aztecs

The Aztec's and Inca's cultural development was far more advanced than that of other civilizations in the area at the time, and that's why they should be classified as advanced, instead of primitive. The Aztec's have countless advancements and developments in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and science. These attributes set him apart from other civilizations, and although they may not be as scientifically advanced as Song China, they are still unique.

To commence, the Aztecs were greatly advanced in the art of documentation as well as organization. They recorded most of the acts they performed within a day and had calendars in which rituals and seasons were accurately based on. They had several things which they performed in a day, beginning with the cultivation of crops to art making to fishing for the family to worshipping their sun god. They carefully recorded all these acts in the Mendoza Codex. Not only that, but their organization can also be demonstrated through the use of an intricate and complex calendar which they produced. It went into specifics days and what ritual and agricultural cycle it portrays presently. Furthermore, other aspects which verify them as a modern and advanced civilization, is the intriguing and brilliant way their agriculture was set up. The Aztecs were known not only for their great art and music, but also for their chinampas, established at Tenochtitlan. Their chinampas are considered one of the cleverest farming methods to be established in Mesoamerica, as they allow the island-city of Tenochtitlan, which is comprised of 200,000 inhabitants, to be fed appropriately. In addition, the chinampas allowed the island city to continue expanding as they could serve easily as land on which to live upon within the confines of the grand Lake Texcoco.

More proof showing that the Inca's and Aztec's cultural development makes them an advanced civilization is that the cities which both civilizations had were immense in size and were able of holding hundreds of thousands of villagers. Machu Picchu is an example, as it is made up of 200 buildings. Needless to say the Aztec's and Inca's were greatly advanced, they were blunt in common sense when one was relating to religion as most of their culture and organization was based on beliefs in their religion. Religion was a momentous part of their life. Specific rituals were set for each month of the year, which in all were 5 {months} for them. They were named accordingly, Atlacacauallo, Tlacaxipehualiztli, Tozoztontli, Hueytozoztli, and Toxcatl. For each of these stated months there was a ritual which was to be performed, in which only pertained to that month. For example, on Hueytozoztli, a maiden would be sacrificed as a way to praise Centeotl and Chicomecacoatl, gods which pertained to that month. The Inca's for one were shown as greatly infatuated with their gods as they rejected the offer of Fray Vicente, who came upon the Atagualpa and attempted to convince him and his kingdom of converting to Christianity. This shows the Inca's as strong and self dependent, and important aspect of modern and advanced societies; the more you can depend on yourself, the stronger you are.

Furthermore, the Inca's and Aztec's have great technologies which have utilized them to remain successful for centuries at their time. They created some interesting innovations which still stand today and may have helped them in grand ways. First of all, the Incan Empire had walls to help it stay protected from outside invaders and nomadic tribes. The wall encircled is so tight and perfect, that not even a knife's blade can fit between the stones which comprise it. This greatly developed wall allowed relative relaxation, allowing the ruler to focus on other things without much need of worrying about invaders, which allowed the emergence of the art and music as well as other cultural development's to take place. Secondly, the Inca's had produced straw bridges which facilitated their travel through shortcuts which were cut by chasms and trenches. This most likely allowed them for faster travel, giving trade uplift, making it more efficient and quick. Not only that, but also both had a system of writing formed which gave access to the art of documentation for both of these civilizations. It's lucid to say, that without a system of writing, both civilizations could not by any chance be considered advanced.

The last point to consider is the gargantuan markets. They are so convoluted and elaborate, that they amplify the greatness of the Aztec's brilliance. The markets were referred to as humongous, and nearly impossible to explore in 1 day. There were vast varieties of products and items sold such as fish, cotton, slaves, jewels, gold, silver, paper, medical herbs, and copper. The markets flabbergasted explorers from near and far and even so outstand historians.

These attributes, or features, show the greatness and brilliance that make the Aztec's and Inca's shimmer above other Mesoamerican civilizations. All in all, it's an advanced civilization; I guess that's clear at this point.