1) Explain and compare the conquest of the Inca and Aztec empires. The Aztecs were the most powerful political force in Mesoamerica. The Aztecs were energetic, strategic and powerful. They included many Native Americans who made up the Aztecs. The two main groups of people that made up the Aztecs were the Mexica and Nahuatl speakers. Politically, socially and economically, the Aztecs were strong and important. This is what helped them stay in power for so long, but ultimately led to their demise. They conquered much of central Mexico; conquering parts of Oaxaca, Guatemala and the Gulf Coast. They built temples, roads, worked on the religious hierarchy and created a working society. The Incas began their rule in 1438, in southwest America, after Prince Cusi Yupanqui forced his father to retire and renamed himself Pachacuti. The capital of the Incas was Cuzco. Because Pachacuti had no real story, he probed one and had it “predict” his arrival. He actually took the title of emperor from someone else after forcing his father to retire. Unlike the Incas, the Aztecs had a rich history and structure. The Aztecs began their rule in 1427 and their leader was Itzcoatl, who ruled until 1440. Of the two groups that made up the Aztecs, the Mexica were the more powerful and aggressive. are generally those referred to when describing the Aztecs. From 1427 to 1440, the Mexica allied with two surrounding city-states: Texcoco and Tlacopan, forming the Triple Alliance. The new alliance eventually conquered the city of Atzcapotzalco and took control of much of central Mexico and their capital was Tenochtitlan. By the early 16th century, only a few unconquered people existed in various parts of central Portuguese America. They both chose to displace the natives. The Spanish Americas were more successful than the Portuguese due to the diseases inflicted on the Native Americans by the Portuguese. Each power (Spanish and Portuguese) wanted to regulate the Native Americans. Once again, the Spanish were more successful. Even though the Spanish were greedy and wanted to take advantage of the land and the fruits it had to offer, they first established structure by forming some sort of government. The Portuguese left power in the hands of the group of people who possessed wealth and could rise to powerful positions.BibliographyMark Burkholder and Lyman Johnson, Colonial Latin America. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2012. Matthew Restall and Kris Lane, Latin America in the Colonial Era. New York, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011.