Aztec vs Inca Empire: Two American Empires on a 3D Globe
The two great empires of the Americas rose at the same time, thousands of kilometres apart, and never met. The Aztecs ruled central Mexico from an island city in a lake. The Incas ruled a long strip of the Andes from Cusco, linked by thousands of kilometres of roads. Both fell to small Spanish forces in the 1500s.
Aztec vs Inca Empire at a glance
| Aztec Empire | Inca Empire | |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | 1428 to 1521 | 1438 to 1533 |
| Where | Central and southern Mexico | Along the Andes, from Ecuador to Chile |
| Size | Much of central Mexico | About 4,000 km long, the largest empire in the Americas |
| People | Several million | Around 10 million or more |
| Capital | Tenochtitlan, today’s Mexico City | Cusco, Peru |
| Language | Nahuatl | Quechua |
| Records | Picture writing in folding books called codices | Knotted cords called quipu |
| Farming | Floating gardens called chinampas | Terraces cut into mountain slopes |
| How it ruled | An alliance of cities collecting tribute | A central state with roads, storehouses and labour duty |
| Conquered by | Hernán Cortés and his Indigenous allies, 1521 | Francisco Pizarro, from 1532 |
Two ways to run an empire
The Aztec Empire was a Triple Alliance of three cities, led by Tenochtitlan. Conquered cities kept their own rulers but had to send tribute such as food, cloth and feathers. The Inca state was more tightly run from Cusco. It moved whole communities, kept huge storehouses, and asked people to work for the state for part of the year, a system called mit’a.
Why both fell so fast
The Spanish had steel weapons, horses and guns, but numbers were not on their side. Diseases such as smallpox killed huge numbers of people before and during the conquests. Cortés won with tens of thousands of Indigenous allies who wanted to break Aztec rule. Pizarro arrived just after an Inca civil war between two brothers, Atahualpa and Huáscar.
Quick facts
- Tenochtitlan was probably home to around 200,000 people, one of the biggest cities in the world at the time.
- Inca roads ran for around 40,000 km, with rope bridges across deep gorges.
- Machu Picchu was built by the Incas around 1450.
- Chocolate, tomatoes and maize were grown in Mexico long before the Aztecs.
- The Incas had no wheeled carts and no written alphabet, yet ran an empire of millions.
Aztec vs Inca Empire questions
Which was bigger, the Aztec or Inca Empire?
The Inca Empire. It stretched about 4,000 km along the Andes and ruled around 10 million people or more, making it the largest empire in the Americas.
Did the Aztecs and Incas ever meet?
No. They were thousands of kilometres apart and there is no evidence of contact between them.
Which came first, the Aztecs or the Incas?
They rose at almost the same time. The Aztec Triple Alliance formed in 1428 and the Inca expansion began around 1438.
Who conquered the Aztecs and Incas?
Spanish forces: Hernán Cortés with Indigenous allies took Tenochtitlan in 1521, and Francisco Pizarro captured the Inca ruler Atahualpa in 1532.
Did the Incas have writing?
Not as letters on a page. They kept records with quipu, knotted strings that stored numbers and possibly other information.
More face-offs: see all 3D comparisons.
The 3D History Globe is made by Julian Neagu, a solo founder in London, as part of VisionVix Simulators. It is free to use in the browser on desktop and phone, with no sign-up.