They Were Compared to Make a Point.
All civilizations go through some of the same growth patterns such as advancing in agriculture, religious
complexity, and social hierarchy. Both the Inca and Aztec empire were no exception to these general growth patterns. Strictly speaking in terms of the advances in hierarchy one can see the growth of the Aztec in that they began with a class system and ended with a dictatorship. Similarly,Conrad an Demarest quote the Jesuit scholar Cobo in order to portray the Inca growth in political/religious system, "...they did not cling to same few beliefs or worship the same few gods. At various times they were adding and discarding many notions." (109).
Despite the commonality of the two empires, Conrad and Demarest have not compared the Aztec and Inca empires in order to create the impression that they were in any way related. What they have done is compare two empires that were subjected to western ethnocentrism. For instance, Conrad and Demarest debunk the theory of Sanders and Price pertaining to the Inca, "agricultural systems that arose in response to political pressure."(161) They explain that "vertical control" is a process that does not need governmental or military supervision and was probably being done by commoners without any pressure from the empire.The same cultural materialistic assumptions are applied to the Aztec in that many assume that sacrifice was a result of a protein shortage. This according to Conrad, Demarest and the many anthropologists that they have quoted, cannot be true because due to their diet of maize, beans, squash and chili peppers, they only lacked protein in times of severe famine.These are a classic examples of what the authors describe as "confusing ecology with origin." (198)
The Aztec and Inca were far apart and although there is trace evidence that they may have had some contact the rose and fell independently of one another. Conrad and Demarest do not compare the Inca and Aztec to stress upon their commonality, rather they highlight similar western misconceptions that have risen from etic interpretations, ethnocentrism, and cultural materialism.
complexity, and social hierarchy. Both the Inca and Aztec empire were no exception to these general growth patterns. Strictly speaking in terms of the advances in hierarchy one can see the growth of the Aztec in that they began with a class system and ended with a dictatorship. Similarly,Conrad an Demarest quote the Jesuit scholar Cobo in order to portray the Inca growth in political/religious system, "...they did not cling to same few beliefs or worship the same few gods. At various times they were adding and discarding many notions." (109).
Despite the commonality of the two empires, Conrad and Demarest have not compared the Aztec and Inca empires in order to create the impression that they were in any way related. What they have done is compare two empires that were subjected to western ethnocentrism. For instance, Conrad and Demarest debunk the theory of Sanders and Price pertaining to the Inca, "agricultural systems that arose in response to political pressure."(161) They explain that "vertical control" is a process that does not need governmental or military supervision and was probably being done by commoners without any pressure from the empire.The same cultural materialistic assumptions are applied to the Aztec in that many assume that sacrifice was a result of a protein shortage. This according to Conrad, Demarest and the many anthropologists that they have quoted, cannot be true because due to their diet of maize, beans, squash and chili peppers, they only lacked protein in times of severe famine.These are a classic examples of what the authors describe as "confusing ecology with origin." (198)
The Aztec and Inca were far apart and although there is trace evidence that they may have had some contact the rose and fell independently of one another. Conrad and Demarest do not compare the Inca and Aztec to stress upon their commonality, rather they highlight similar western misconceptions that have risen from etic interpretations, ethnocentrism, and cultural materialism.
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