Mayan, Aztec, and Incan Civilizations Essay Example

many products from faraway regions to the capital city, Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan is a very impressive city, not only because of its impressing trading city, but because of its beauty and complexity. When Spanish conqueror, Hernan Cortes, came to conquer the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, he was awed by its magnificence (Document 3). He was so impressed he wrote a letter to King Charles of Spain, describing the city.

Hernan Cortes wrote, “The city has many squares where markets are held and trading is carried on. ” He then continues on to say that all kinds of merchandise is produced here such as, “Food products, jewels of gold and silver, lead, brass, copper, zinc, bones, shells, and feathers” (Document 3). The diversity and magnificence of this city is noteworthy considering its time frame. The ancient Incans were located in the Andes Mountains of South America and life revolved around agriculture. The Incan empire used a farming technique called terrace farming.

Since the Incans live in high altitude mountains, they had to prevent water from running off too quickly, therefore terracing came into use. Terracing is when the Incans cut into the mountains, creating what look like huge steps. These steps are flat and don’t point downhill, so it’s easier to farm on them and obtain the necessary amounts of water. According to Document 4, various systems to expand farmland were set up as soon as any kingdom was conquered. Irrigation channels were constructed and it was water was supply to the crops more efficiently.