The Aztecs and the Incas are two of the most memorable ancient Indian tribes because of their accomplishments and the way that they flourished and became two of the most prominent tribes in the Americas. The Aztecs, also known as the Mexica, dominated central and southern Mexico from the 14th to 16th centuries and are best known for having established an empire based on conquest, tribute paying and the religious sacrifice of humans and animals. The Quechian-speaking Incas established an extensive Andean empire in South America shortly before the conquest of the New World by the Europeans. .
These two empires arose from lowly beginnings. The Aztecs were forced to occupy the swampy area the western side of Lake Texcoco after the fall of the Toltec civilization. They converted their disadvantageous beginning into a powerfully advanced empire within two centuries, partially because of their belief in a legend. The legend goes.
on to say that they would establish a great civilization in a marshy area where they would.
see a cactus growing out of a rock and perched on top, an eagle eating a snake. Priests.
supposedly saw this in 1325 upon arrival and founded the great city of Tenochtitlan. As.
the Aztecs grew in number, they established superior military and civil organizations. .
The Incas, on the other hand, had no legend to guide them. They were originally a small warlike tribe inhabiting the south highland region of the Cordillera Central in Peru. They moved into the valley of Cuzco in at about 1100 and for roughly the next 300 years, raided and whenever possible, imposed tribute on neighboring peoples. Until the .
middle of the 15th century, however, the Incas undertook no imperialistic expansion or political consolidation. The empire reached it's greatest extent in the reign of Huayna Capac. By this time, the Incas controlled a territory roughly the size of the Atlantic Coast states of the US.