he Aztecs were Mongoloid peoples whose ancestors migrated from Asia over the Siberian-Alaskan route some 30,000 years ago. Before the Aztecs occupied the Valley of Mexico, there was a series of distinct other Indian occupations, with the civilizations of the Chichimec and the Toltec the most clearly delineated. The transition was made from the nomadic hunting and gathering stage to the sedentary agricultural and village stage between 9,000 and 3,000 years ago. the Aztecs were relative latecomers to the region. Their capital, Tenochtitlan, was on the site of the modern Mexico City, and it was founded in the fourteenth century on an artificial island in the valley lake. The Aztecs gradually conquered and subjugated their neighbors and developed a military state that waged aggressive and continuous warfare against surrounding tribes. The ruling classes engaged in human sacrifice and a methodical exaction of tribute.
The civilization of the Incas was found in the Andean highlands of the western coast of South America, and these peoples had developed one of the most remarkable social and political systems outside the European world. Though the Incas lacked some of the more striking traits of the Aztec and early Maya cultures, they had developed the most organized and rational society in native America. They had a paternalistic welfare government headed by a chief who was both emperor and deity. Members of the royal family constituted the court, and they also filled the main administrative posts. Professional architects and builders directed the construction of public buildings, temples, waterworks, terraces, and fortresses. A system of roads connected the center of the empire to outlying posts.
Atahuallpa was the ruler when the conquistadors arrived. The Spanish were under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro. There were a total of 168 Europeans in this group, and they challenged an empire of 6 million people. The Indi...