Early American civilizations, most notably the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans, were far advanced and demonstrated their developed cultures with references towards their high organization, complex architecture, and technological innovations. Considering that these three civilizations had very little contact from the Eurasian and African worlds, their progress should be rightfully commended. Through generational inheritance of previous cultures, these early societies received and expanded upon the primitive cultures existing prior to their initial foundings.
A highly organized structure is a key foundation for most advanced civilizations. In many ways, early American civilizations demonstrated their elevated institutions by having large cities, linked together over a vast area forming an empire. For example the capital city of Tenochtitlan was a vital and flourishing center for Aztec life. It contained “more than sixty thousand” people who enjoyed a bustling marketplace where anything from “food products” to “jewels of gold and silver” could be obtained. (Doc. 3) To help control a vastly stretching empire, the Incas connected their urban centers with a highly organized system of roads. (Doc.5) This not only was conducive to imperial unity, but also aided in the transmission of communications and ameliorated the need for alternative forms of transportation through the mountainous Incan terrain. Thus, this system of roads helped the Incan economic system by improving the rate of trade along the western coastline of South America.
The Term Paper on Developing Early Warning System for Peace and Security in Nigeria
1. Brief Demographic Background of Nigeria: The demographic characteristics of Nigeria set the platform for an understanding of the case for conflict based National early warning system. A historical analysis of major conflicts in Nigeria since independence points to strong linkages to its demographic composition. It has been unarguably regarded as the most populous country in the Africa and also ...
The first subjects that most explorers lay their eyes upon are the monuments of newly discovered civilizations. Buildings may be well regarded for their design, size, or uniqueness. These massive structures require strength, skill, and time. The early American civilizations had proven their community strength by erecting substantial monuments. One example is the Mayan pyramid temple in Tikal, which was the tallest structure in the Americas until the twentieth century. (Doc.1) By assuming that this religious structure had been built with arduous labor and an extended period of time, it is plausible that the Mayans had a long established religion and a large following. This supports claims of their advanced society through study of their artifacts, an invaluable skill for every historian.
Technology is an element of societies that serves as an important scale of how developed a civilization was. By definition, technology is described as an application of science used to achieve a certain objective. For example, the first calendars were developed to help judge the peak growing seasons for agriculture. The intricate glyphs of the Mayan calendar demonstrate the importance a detailed calendar to them. (Doc.2) Another scientific application used to advance the growth of agriculture was irrigation and terrace farming. The Incas utilized these methods to a great extent. (Doc. 6) For example whenever the Incas conquered a neighboring land, the ruler ordered irrigation channels to be dug to support the growing of corn in areas that were not in near reach of water.(Doc.4) Since most of the Inca lands consisted of mountainous highlands, they fully utilized this space by carving terraces into mountainsides, thus maximizing both living space and farming land.
The greatest accomplishment contributed by the Aztecs, Incans, and Mayans was the establishment of several advanced civilizations in a once uninhabited land. Without contact with Eurasian, and African worlds, they had even surprised some Spanish explorers with their achievements. (Doc.3) This advancement was developed by organization of the people through structured rule and popular religion. These features are proved and exhibited through the study of human artifacts such as the Mayan Temple at Tikal and the vast reaching road system of the Incas.
The Term Paper on The Aztec civilization and the Mayan civilization
The Aztecs civilization and the Mayan civilization where the most important civilizations from the new world that amazed many of the Europeans that came to conquer this wonderful rich land. The Europeans where amazed with the Aztec and Mayan culture, their ways of life, their geographical surroundings and their technology. The Europeans and historians today find that the Aztecs and the Mayans ...
Overall, each of the three early American civilizations will reveal a high level of advancement with a careful study of every one of their societies.
