Religion and Empire Blog

Phillip Bauserman

2/12/2012

Week for: Choice #1

In the opening pages of Chapter 1: Introduction, page 4, I was completed shocked to read the following phrase.  “In brief, we will argue that manipulations of traditional religious concepts and rituals played crucial roles in the rise and fall of the Aztec and Incan Empires.”  (Conrad and Demarest, page 4) 

I was uncertain in what he meant.  I was hoping these authors would have been good students of Michael D. Coe and Rex Koontz, two amazing archaeologists who have done a great deal of research on the empires from the Olmecs to the Aztecs.   After seeing the lists of authors in which Conrad and Demarest have gathered their sources, I believed that they might have a good shot at giving a good aspect of religion and empires.   Unfortunately, I feel like they did not provide good evidence, and in a way fail to understand that empires don’t fight wars over religion.

The Aztecs, Maya, and Incas, certainly did not fall due to manipulations of religions.  Above all they did not randomly wage wars.  Wars in this area were fought for trade routes, precious stones (jade), and tribute.

I do not believe Conrad and Demarest fully explain religion.  They fail to mention that most of these grand civilizations from the Archaic, to the Post- Classic period, were great societies who ultimately destroyed their own cities. Why? Drought, famine, disease.  This meant that the Kings and Priests had lost their mandate from heaven.  The priests systematically set fire to their cities and as a result they were abandoned. 

During the period of the Aztecs and Incas, it is evident that religion of course kept the fiber of these grand civilizations together and in order.   Religion provided order from King to a basic slave.   Each person had his duty and it is also important to note that each person in each order of society were protected by religion, from Kings, nobles, priests, merchants, and slaves.   

I also believe that Conrad and Demarest fail to mention, that after Colhua was subdued.  That the Aztecs did not engage in wide scale total war.  Instead, it should be noted that the Aztecs engaged in Flower Wars for sacrifice with neighbors.  The idea of respectful religious war, code, and morality is missing in my opinion.