AP COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY GRID
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name(s) Isabella
SNAPSHOT #23 Compare and contrast Aztec and Incan economic exchange
INTRODUCTION
Historical context (what, where, when)
Mesoamerican civilization: Aztecs in Mexico
Andean civilization: Incas in Peru
Their economies in 1300-1500s
Thesis similarity
Relying on agriculture to survive
Thesis difference
Different means of exchange (currency)
SIMILARITIES PARAGRAPH
Evidence that supports thesis similarity
Economy based on planting/harvesting
Rarely hunted (special occasions)
Similarity distinct from thesis (with other evidence)
Markets and trade. Largest market in the Aztec empire was Tlatelco in Tenochtitlan
(capital city) Incas were able to able to travel to every corner of their empire b/c they built
Bridges that crossed rivers
Reason why they are similar
Provided a better source of food than hunting did
DIFFERENCES PARAGRAPH
Evidence that supports thesis difference
Aztecs: Cacao beans, valuable cloth called quachtli. If a common man gave 10 quachtli he
could have a place to live for 6 months in Tenochtitlan
Incas: barter system (llama for firewood)
Difference distinct from thesis(with other evidence)
Aztecs used chinampas (floating artificial islands). Created productive gardens
Incas used irrigation systems and terrace farming b/c of the mountains
Reason why they are different
Particular styles of farming that fit their topographies
Conclusion (restate thesis)
They had similar foundations of economies but different in the way they thrived
World History
Isabella
SNAPSHOT #23 Compare and contrast Mesoamerican (Aztec) and Andean (Incan)
economic exchange
From the 1300-1500s, the economy of Mesoamerican and Andean civilizations
such as the Aztecs and Incas were very advanced for their time. Although they had
similar foundations for their economies, the way these societies prospered was quite
different. Both the Aztecs in Mexico and the Incas in Peru relied on agriculture to
survive, but each had their own means of exchange or currency.
The Aztec and Incan civilizations had similar bases for their people to live and
grow as a community. Their economies were based on planting and harvesting and rarely
hunted animals. When they did hunt, it was only for special occasions. They were similar
because both societies realized that farming provided a better source of food than hunting
did. The Aztecs and Incas grew corn, sweet potatoes, squash, beans, tomatoes, and
avocados. Another similarity between the Aztec and Incas economy was that they traded
and had flourishing markets. Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire, had many
markets where people came for anything and everything and most farmers and other
product sellers came to the largest Aztec market called Tlatelco. The Incas were also able
to trade and sell their products through extensive roads they built themselves. The Incas
made use of their mountainous lands by creating bridges that crossed from mountain to
mountain that allowed the Incas to travel to every corner of their empire. The Aztec and
Incan empires had their similarities primarily in the foundation of their economy.
The two civilizations had differences in the specifics of their economy such as
their currency. The Aztecs paid usually with cacao beans as a means of exchange but also
acquired a valuable cloth called quachtli. It was worth much more than cacao beans and it
is said that if a common man were to give 10 quachtli, he could have a place to live for 6
months in the city of Tenochtitlan. The Incan society relied on bartering, such as trading
a llama for firewood. Another very large difference was the way these empires farmed
and harvested their plants. The Aztecs used the method of floating artificial islands called
chinampas to grow their crops. It was a smart way to claim the water and it created very
productive gardens. The Incas, because of their topography, used the method of terrace
farming or leveling a section of a mountain to make it usable for farming. It gave the
mountains step-like appearances. They also had intricate irrigation systems around their
empire. These particular styles of farming were used to fit their topographies and that is
the major reason why the Aztecs and the Incas are different. The Inca, especially being an
Andean civilization, had mountains and other natural barriers to live with. These two
advanced societies had their differences mainly with the method of agriculture and means
of exchange.
The economy of Mesoamerican and Andean civilizations had similar foundations
yet different particular characteristics of the economy, such as their currency and form of
farming. These empires thrived in what they created and even more than 500 years later,
the Aztecs and Incas never cease to fascinate us.