Comparing Central American Civilisations with those in the Andes
by
dixie85 (student)
In Central America there were three main civilizations, the Mayans, the Aztecs and the Incas. The Mayans and Aztecs were located in Central America, where as the Incas were in the Andes in what is now South America. The Central American civilizations had more differences than similarities when compared to civilizations in the Andes.
The Mayan civilization thrived between 300 to 900 A.D. This group was known for their there large buildings and temples, these were made for their gods. The Mayans believed childbirth was a sign of good fortune and wealth. They had made a spectacle of it, which involved the priest on giving the child its name. Cross-eyed was seen as beauty, they would put beads in the child’s hair and have it dangle between the eyes. Marriages had been prearranged, girls were married around fifteen and boys around eighteen. The Mayan civilization was hierarchal, not one person ran the empire, the empire was ran by religion and social class. The upper class also had flattened their infants heads so they would appear more elongated. The Mayans did lack in certain advances, such as the wheel, arches and ironwork. This made it so there was more intense human labor. In around 800 A.D the Mayan empire began to collapse. There have been many theories such as poor agriculture, tools, wars and disease, but none have been proven.
