Fall of the Aztecs and Incas

The Incas and Aztecs had an end that was very much the same. First of all, they were both conquered by the Spanish. The Spanish captured the leaders of the civilizations to try and subdue the people both times. Both times they used some form of trickery to set up their attack, and their ultimate goal was gold and silver. In the actual battle, both the Aztecs and Incas were at a disadvantage to the guns and horses, and had been weakened by foreign diseases. This similarity most likely had to do with the similarity of their cultures.

The Aztecs and Incas both were ruled by a monarchy and had a well-defined high class. The Aztecs and Incas had a ruling royal, high priests, and professional warriors that were considered above the lower class of farmers and peasants, and of course, the slaves. The most prominent difference between the two cultures besides their location and language was the inclusion of merchants and traders in the Aztec culture. Unlike the Aztecs, the Incas had no trading system. Instead, they had a tax system of labor. The peasants paid a "labor tax" by farming, weaving, or manufacturing for the government. The goods were distributed all over the empire and the leftovers were added to an emergency stockpile. Both civilizations were remarkable, and alike in many ways, but they still fell to the same Spanish invasion methods.