Descendants Of The Aztec And Maya Civilizations example essay topic

The Aztec and Maya were both American Indian people. The Aztec were ruled by a mighty empire in Mexico during the 1400's and early 1500's. The Maya however, developed a magnificent civilization in Central America and Southern Mexico. Both civilizations contributed a great deal to the modern world and invented items that are still used today. According to the Aztec Legend, the ancestors of the people who founded Tenochtitlan, came to the Valley of Mexico. The Aztec wandered for many years before settling in the valley in 1200's.

At first, they were subjects of people who lived in the area, but later, in the mid 1300's, the Aztec founded their own city, Tenochtitlan. By the early 1400's, Tenochtitlan had become a powerful city and controlled the region around it, nearly forming a city-state. Tenochtitlan became the most powerful member of the alliance with Tex coco and Tla copan. It began to build up to what eventually became the Aztec empire. Many years before the Aztec empire was created, the heart of the Maya civilization was also developing. The first farmers settled in the area of El Pet " en as early as 2500 BC, in search for fertile land for crops.

By 800 BC, the Maya lowlands were completely settled. Just after this time, was the classic period, which lasted from 250 to 900 AD. During these years, the Maya founded their greatest cities and made their remarkable achievements in the arts and sciences. The city of Teotihuacan had the strongest influence on Maya art and architecture; it was similar to their capital city.

The collapse of Teotihuacan, about year 600, affected the Maya greatly. As a result of this, the Maya stopped construction work in their cities and halted the erection of stela e. After a short period of time, the Maya civilization recovered and continued to grow for another 300 years. Today people are still trying to discover the reasons for the collapse of the Teotihuacan. They believe it may be due or caused by disease, crop failure, and the movement of other groups into the Maya area. The culture of these two civilizations are also similar and different in many ways.

Religion was very important in the lives of the Aztec as well as the Maya. Both civilizations worshiped many gods. The Aztec and Maya worshiped gods such as the "corn god". They believed in this god, because the economy of both civilizations was based on farming. The Family life was also similar. The typical Aztec and Maya households consisted of both families, and all members of the extended family, such as the husband's relatives.

Each member of the family helped with most of the work. The husband's responsibilities were to support the family usually by doing craft work. The wife's duties included weaving the families clothing, and cooking their food. However, the Maya had no schools. The children learned various skills by observing adults and helping them. On the other hand, the Aztec's did things differently.

Boys were educated by their father until about the age of 10. Then they attended school fun by their calpolli, or a school connected with the temple. Girls also attended some temple schools, but the majority of them learned household skills at home. The Aztec also married at an early age. Women about 16 years, and men about 20. The unique lives of the Aztec and Maya lead them to invent many unique things.

The Aztec and Maya invented multiple things. Both civilizations produced exceptional arts, paintings, pottery and sculptures. They built pyramids from limestone, with temples on top. Many of these temples were decorated with brightly colored murals that featured lifelike figures taking part in battles and festivals. The Aztec craft workers used feathers to make beautiful cloaks, headdresses, and other garments.

Unlike the Maya, the Aztec produced various forms of oral literature, including poetry, However the Maya created a system of writing called hieroglyphics. Music also played an important role in these civilizations, especially religious ceremonies. The chief instruments were drums, flutes, and rattles. Today, their creativeness is appreciated. Today, Descendants of the Aztec and Maya civilizations are found often. No one knows what really happen to the American Indian people, of the Aztec and Maya.

Hopefully one day, the success of their finding will lead archeologists to the clues they need to establish how they faded and died out.