Incas, Mayans and Aztecs were pre-columbian civilizations that inhabited the present American continent at different times. They are known to represent great empires with complex organizational and cultural systems.
These peoples arose before the appearance of the first Europeans in American lands, which is why they are classified as pre-Columbians (reference to Christopher Columbus, one of the first explorers of Europe to reach the Americas).
Currently, many people confuse the location and period in which each of these civilizations emerged, as well as their particularities, for example.
The construction and development of complex social, economic and political organizations, in addition to grand architectural works are some of the common features among the Mayans, the Aztecs and the Incas.
See also: the meaning of Empire.
Differences between the Incas, Mayans and Aztecs
The Mayan civilization emerged around the year 2,500 BC, reaching its peak of development between the 8th and 9th centuries. At that time, the Mayans dominated present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Belize.
The Incas, on the other hand, inhabited the region of the Andes Mountains, in South America, where Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia are currently located.
The Inca empire would have emerged around 3,000 years before Christ and resisted until the mid-sixteenth century, with the arrival of European invaders. Even being so old, the development of the Inca culture only intensified from the 13th century.
The Aztecs, in turn, are the “youngest” and those who have had the shortest time of existence. They appeared in the middle of the 14th century and went into decline in the 16th century, when their territory began to be attacked by Spanish invaders.
Unlike the Aztecs and the Mayans, the Incas did not develop a writing pattern. However, they created an elaborate mathematical system based on knots distributed along different strings.
Another particularity of the Incas is their official language: o Quechua, which today continues to be used in several locations in Peru.
The Mayans did not have an official language, but different dialects. The Aztecs, in turn, spoke the Nahuatl.
In Mayan society there was no social mobility, that is, members of the lower classes could not ascend to higher social levels. However, social ascension was possible among the Aztec peoples.
Learn more about the meaning of Mayans, From Incas and of the Aztecs.
