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Directions: Below is a Compare and Contrast Essay. Using the Compare and
Contrast Rubric, I want you to grade it, using the 1-9 scale. Defend your grade in
the “Compare and Contrast” Discussion.
The Incan and Aztec Empire were two of the largest Mesoamerican empires to be
created. Religion was one of the most important aspects in these two civilizations. The
two religions had similarities and differences.
Aztec religion involved the worshipping of many gods. There was a god for
almost any aspect of nature. There was a god of fire, a god of rain, a god of water. Gods
were also used to symbolize other aspects of life as well. The gods could be grouped into
three main groups. The first group consisted of gods of fertility and agriculture, like the
god of maize (corn), which was extremely important to the Aztec people as it was their
staple food, the god of water, and the god of the farming cycle, etc. the second group
consisted of the creator gods. This group contained some of the most powerful of all of
their gods, including Tonatiuh, the warrior god of the sun and Tezcatlipoca, the god of
the night sky. The third group contained the gods of warfare, including Huitzilopochtli,
the chief deity of the Aztecs.
The Aztecs were extremely religious. They believed in human sacrificed to the
gods, especially to chief god Huitzilppochtli. The Aztecs sacrificed hundreds of war
prisoners and other people to the gods each year. The Aztecs also had a belief that the
gods before destroyed the world. Human sacrifices were a way to try to appease the gods
and prevent them from destroying the world. However, the Aztecs believed that the gods
would eventually blow up the world, no matter how many people they will sacrifice.
The Incans were also extremely religious. The sun god Inti was the most
important god in Inca religion. The huge temple of the sun in Cuzco was the center of
religion in the vast Incan empire. Other important gods included Pachama, the mother of
the earth, and Wiracocha, who is said to be a creator god. The vast societies in the Incan
Empire also worshipped minor gods. The emperor was also considered holy. Sacrifices
were offered every time anew emperor was enthroned. The Incan people also believed in
life after death. Like the Ancient Egyptians, they mummified the dead and buried them.
Incan deities were worshipped in shrines called huacas, tended by priests.
Incan and Aztec religion had many similarities. However, there were some
differences. Although both empires were based on conquests, the Aztecs were more
warlike than the Incans. The Aztecs had a whole group (the third major group) of gods
dedicated to warfare and related aspects. Another major difference was human sacrifices.
Human sacrifice was common in Aztec religion, and thousands of people were offered to
a variety of gods on a regular basis. Human or animal sacrifice was not as common in
Incan religion. Only in extremely important ceremonies were humans ever offered. These
ceremonies include the throning of the new emperor, when 200 children were offered,
and extremely important religious days. Another difference was that the whole Aztec
Empire worshipped several extremely powerful gods. The whole Incan Empire only
worshipped a few extremely powerful gods, one being the sun god Inti.
Aztec and Incan religion relied heavily on the polytheistic belief of many gods.
The Incans worshipped the sun god most while the Aztecs heavily worshipped many
gods, especially the gods of war. Without religion, these two empires would have
dissolved years before they were conquered.