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I want to know what people think about these American civilizations. While they did not all peak at the same time (e.g. I believe the pinnacle of the Mayan empire was ~700 A.D., well before the height of the Aztecs in the 16th Century), if we were to compare all of them at their respective highest point in time, which one would stand out? Which was most advanced?
I don't know much about the Aztecs or Incas, but the Mayans are the most impressive to me. Their temples and palaces are just awe inspiring, and I'd love to visit them someday.
I had the opportunity to visit the Mayan ruins at Tikal, Guatemala, some years ago. It was really an amazing place. Lots of temples and other structures made of stone in the middle of this hot and humid jungle, in a somewhat remote area. In itself, the jungle was uncanny – walking through it reminded me of something out of Predator, as the sounds made by insects gave off an eery background drone. The monkeys would also throw thing from the trees at us while we walked the trail. I can't imagine how the Maya were able to survive in such a location, but obviously they did it somehow. I almost lost my leg after it got infected – I was racing a friend up one of the Tikal temples, and the steps are rather high. Toward the top, I hit my shin hard on one of the steps and it broke the skin (it got infected a day or two later when I took a dip in a lake).Anyway, a trip to see the Mayan ruins at Tikal is well worth it.
Sucks about your leg. Glad you didn't lose it.How did they survive? Well, there's the obvious answer that they were used to it, but I think what it was more than anything was that there was really not fear of the environment in their culture. We are scared of snakes, bugs, all kinds of things. I find it hard to believe they would fear anything in their surroundings. They made sacrifices. They were not Christian, rather they believed that blood was a way to worship their gods.
my vote goes to the Incas.the aztecs ruled more people and territory, but they were kind of mean, and liked to sacrifice people. not good.at any rate, the incans were big into astronomical observation, which i think is a huge sign of an advanced civilization.
I believe the Incans had a system of long roads which connected the Incan lands. The Incan kingdom was pretty vast from what I understand, probably moreso than the Aztec empire. It's a wonder, though, why the Aztecs didn't expand north instead of remaining in the hot Mexican sun.
It's a wonder, though, why the Aztecs didn't expand north instead of remaining in the hot Mexican sun.
I'm no expert on Central and South American civilization, but north of Mexico is nothing but desert. Some of it is nice, like that in say… New Mexico, but most of it is pretty bad, like… Texas. To the south, however, there was at the very least some fertile ground, even if you did have to burn through the jungle to get at it.
Good point. I have been through Arizona, New Mexico, and have lived in Texas for a number of years, and there is a lot of desert and/or dry land in those places as well. I find it interesting, though, that American Indian settlements popped up throughout the continental U.S., in places of rivers, plains, etc. However, I don't believe any of them rivaled the empires of their Central or South American neighbors. Why was that? Was there something in terms of geography which prevented it, or was it because of the socio-political dynamics of the northern tribes themselves?
I believe it was really a social thing. The Sioux for example would have factions break off and go their own way, and really it was expected. Sometimes nescessary because the area they lived in could not support a large number of people (As they were not farmers) So some would break off and move on to an area they could hunt and gather on to support their families.
I never thought to compare them, since they arose at different times and places. How about them Olmecs, building those huge heads out of basalt, and floating them up the river? And why did they depict the heads with Negroid lips?I agree about northern Mexico and the SW USA being desert and virtually uninhabitable, compared to the lush jungles of Central America. The Nahuatl language of the Aztecs can still be seen in southern Nicaragua, in place names such as Coyotepe (coyote hill).
I just watched Apocalypto last night. I wonder if Mel Gibson went over the top in trying to depict the Mayans as these bloodthirsty savages? The film was quite disturbing.
