y hierarchy, they just picked who they thought was best for the job at that time. Expansion was the cornerstone of the Aztec civilization, because their religion demanded that a large number of human sacrifices be made to the gods. To get these sacrifices the Aztec went to war with other tribes; in this way they captured more slaves for sacrifices and also more land to add to their empire. The Aztec was a strong civilization who had specialized war chiefs and an organized system for amassing large armies in a short time. Each Maya City governed the area surrounding it; some large cities each controlled one or more of the smaller cities. If the leader died his younger brother or son would succeed the ruler. This led generations of a single family to rule for hundreds of years. In the Andes, the Incas, kept their power by providing entertainments and giving luxurious gifts to the people. The people paid taxes in return for these gifts. The Inca emperor married his sister and his generals were normally related to him. This ensured a certain loyalty from them to the emperor. The Aztecs held power through land ownership. In the beginning there existed very little political hierarchy in the areas of the Amazon River Basin; usually they just had a tribal chief. This was because villages were usually separated by dense forest and jungle. Later the Mayans had a ruler and nobles. Families shared a piece of land and part of the land was given to the state as a tax. Entire Maya families lived together and everyone helped with the work. Men provided food and women provided clothing for the family. The Mayans filed their teeth and attached things to their childrens heads to reshape them. This was probably a form of beautification to them. The rank of an Inca family depended on his or her social position in life. Social rank was established in ayllus which were clans and they had to provide food for the whole family or clan. Thi...
