Aztec Empire vs Inca Empire

[jgsn]

Aztecs vs Incas - who wins if these nations be at war?
PS: Without the intervention of Europeans, Chinese, etc.!

[Coltonians]

Aztecs. Hands down. Aztec society revolved around war. They made sacrifices for war.

[Pompadoodle]

The Incas were a lot better organized. I'd go for them.

[jgsn]

I prefer Incas (they had vast Empire) but facts are that Aztecs killed more Spaniards during the Fall of Tenochtitlan than the Incas during Battle of Cajamarca and 2 Sieges of Cuzco (1533 and 1536).

It seems to me that Aztecs had a stronger attacks on spanish conquistadors than Incas.
Inca to win a campaign, often resorted to tricks such as launching boulders from mountaintops to the enemy.
In general battle, they were counting on their preponderance in numerical quantity.
Thanks to this they kill some Spaniards.
Aztecs drowned many Spaniards during La Noche Triste.
Conclusion: I think that Aztecs better coped with Spaniards than Incas, so they probably would have a chance to beat Incas. On the other hand Aztecs never defeated Tarascans and Tlaxcallans..
And Aztec Empire had population around 20-25 million and Inca Empire around 10-15 million (But some people argue that 20 million).

[Pompadoodle]

The Aztec 'Empire' wasn't a true empire- more a group of tributary regions. The Incas had a real state.

Not sure if their respective records against the Spaniards are terribly relevant.

[jgsn]

Aug 19, 2010 11:41:50 GMT -5 Pompadoodle said:

The Aztec 'Empire' wasn't a true empire- more a group of tributary regions. The Incas had a real state.

Not sure if their respective records against the Spaniards are terribly relevant.

Yes, Aztec Triple Alliance wasn't a true empire, but under the reign of Moctezuma II Aztecs strove to centralizing the entire federation in the strict state with its capital in Tenochtitlan. Privileged position of cities Texcoco and Tlacopan has been weakened, there were plans to establish a system of garrisons and governors (from Tenochtitlan) headquarters. Flower wars were a cover to terrorize the neighbors, and the expression of imperial policy.
Incas had a true Empire, divided into four provinces with caste of officials and governors and fortresses. Sapa Inca had to marry the daughter of ruler of conquered tribe due to increased unity of the state.
Inca Empire was also tributary (Inca elite was mainly interested in profits from the provinces), but much more centralised and strictly controlled.
But this system collapsed when Spaniards captured Cusco and defeated Manco Inca's Rebellion. Really circle of elites wanted to fight (because wanted to defend its 'divine' position among society, wanted to defend the order in which only it ruled),while ordinary people were indifferent to the change of masters from Incas to Spaniards - they so had to work and pay tribute.

[Pompadoodle]

The toughest of all of the Indians were the Mapuche in Chile. From the wiki:

The indigenous inhabitants of Araucanía, the Mapuche, had resisted for more than three hundred years Spanish attempts at conquest known as the Arauco War. They had also previously defeated the Incas. Whilst their frontier with the Inca empire had been along the Maule River, the Spaniards succeeded in establishing it at the Bío-Bío River.

They were only defeated by the Chilean Army in the 1880s.

[jgsn]

Aug 19, 2010 12:49:05 GMT -5 Pompadoodle said:

The toughest of all of the Indians were the Mapuche in Chile. From the wiki:

The indigenous inhabitants of Araucanía, the Mapuche, had resisted for more than three hundred years Spanish attempts at conquest known as the Arauco War. They had also previously defeated the Incas. Whilst their frontier with the Inca empire had been along the Maule River, the Spaniards succeeded in establishing it at the Bío-Bío River.

They were only defeated by the Chilean Army in the 1880s.

Well, Aztecs had undefeated Tarascans and Incas had undefeated Mapuche people - both groups stopped expansion of two ambitious states. Battle of the Maule shows that the inca army was not so great in battles with the indigenous populations.
I don't prefer the comparison of Inca Empire to the Roman Empire of pre-Columbian Americas, for me Inca Empire was closer to Achaemenid Persian Empire.
Of course Incas didn't have chariots and horses. But they just as easily lost the battles with foreign invasion as the Persians. Persian Empire also had system of royal roads.
Thanks for source about Mapuches, this is pity that they lost independence
But maybe in Amazonian Jungle is mysterious city of Manoa

[JGNS]

Well, this topic is dead.