GODS
OF ORDER, GODS OF WAR
A Comparison of the Major Gods
and Myths of the Inca and Aztec
by Gini Graham Scott
Anthropology 3250
Precolumbian America
Dr. George Miller
For a Copy of the
Original Word Document
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
The World of the Inca
The Organization of Empire
How the Inca Came to Power
The Major Gods and Myths of the Inca
The World of the Aztec
The Organization of Empire
How the Aztec Came to Power
The Major Gods and Myths of the Aztec
Conclusion
BIBLIOGRAPHY - INCA
BIBLIOGRAPHY - AZTEC
PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONS - INCA
PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONS - AZTEC
In the 1400’s and lasting for about 100 years until the
arrival of the Spanish, two civilizations sprung up in Mesoamerica and the
Andeas and dominated their respective regions – the Aztec Empire centered
at the city of Tenochtitlan in the Valley of Mexico from 1426-1519 and
the Inca Empire centered in the city of Cuzco in the highlands of Peru
from 1438-1532. Ironically, both peoples seemed to have come out of
nowhere in founding their great empires, since they were initially both
marginalized tribal groups, struggling to gain land and survive in their
respective areas. But over about 100 years, both peoples, through strong
leadership, strategic alliances, and skill in warfare were able create a
powerful ruling organization that expanded control over and dominated
other peoples in the area. Both of these empires then lasted for another
century, though deep divisions among the peoples in Mesoamerica and civil
war in the Andes contributed to a quick defeat at the hands of the
Spanish.
During this period of Empire, both societies were supported in
their rule by their religious systems, based on a pantheon of major gods,
myths, and rituals led by priests or celebrated locally by the people.
However, despite some historical parallels in how they emerged, came to
quickly dominate the area, and shared commonalities in leadership by a
hierarchically organized elite, both had very different types of gods,
myths, and rituals. While the Inca’s religious system was centered
around its creator god Virochca, its sun god Ati Ini, and a group of gods
of the heavens, earth, weather, and stars, the Aztec’s religious system
was centered around a founding warrior hummingbird deity, Huitzilopochtli,
and other gods devoted to war. Among them was a smoking mirror god of
war and sorcery called the Black Tezcatlipcoa and a god of vegetation and
fertility, called the Xipe Totec, who was honored by priest and warriors
wearing the skin of flayed captives of war.
So why the big differences in the gods that were the focus of
their religious belief system? A key factor is the different
orientations of their cultures. On the one hand, Inca society was
strongly guided by the principle of order. This contributed to a vast
organized bureaucracy that structured its society and infused its
religious system, even as the Inca elite engaged in military conquest to
expand its empire. By contrast, Aztec society was focused around a
tradition of warfare that glorified the warrior, military activity, and
sacrifice to satisfy its gods, at the same time that it employed order to
solidify its gains. In other words, like every society, both the Inca
and Aztec peoples had to develop ways of incorporating both order
and warfare to survive, prosper, and expand in a competitive political
world. While wafare has been essential to conquer and dominate across the
span of prehistory and history, order is needed to consolidate and rule an
empire.
Yet, the particular mix of order and war can differ from society to
society, much as societies have tended to lean more towards one pole or
another in other dimensions that shape society. For instance, other
classic distinctions are the polarity between rational/Apollonian cultures
and emotional/Dionysian cultures, where Germanic and British cultures are
characterized by being more rational; Italian and Brazilian more
emotional. Such distinctions can also characterize a culture as it
changes over time, such as in the swings from a more conservative, order,
rule-following, and traditional orientation, as characterizes the U.S.
today, and a more liberal orientation that emphasizes personal freedom,
individuality, and progressive social change. Still another change over
time is the way societies go through cycles of peace and war. And some
cultures emphasize finding a balance between dualities, such as in the
Yin/Yang of Chinese culture and the concern with harmony and balance in
many Native American cultures, such as the Hopi and Navaho of the
Southwest.
Thus, given differing orientations of different societies
based on different cultural themes, this paper suggests that a key reason
for the difference in the two types of gods and religious systems of the
Inca and Aztec is the way their belief systems express these differing
orientations – the Inca emphasizing order; the Aztecs emphasizing war.
Certainly both have built on their predecessors in developing their
systems. For instance, the Inca have built on traditions dating back to
the Chavin culture, such as by incorporating the images of the storm god
into their own thunder God, while the Aztec have incorporated the imagery
of Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, that traces back through the
Toltecs to Teotihuacan. But while the Inca and Aztec have drawn on the
past, the particular Gods or types of Gods they have chosen to emphasize
reflect these central differences in focusing their society around order
or war.
To this end, I will first focus on the major gods and myths in
Inca society and show how they reflect its emphasis on order. Then, I
will focus on the major gods and myths of Aztec society, and show how they
support its emphasis on glorifying war. Finally, I will conclude with a
brief discussion to compare and analyze these differences.
