1. The Aztec Empire

4. Aztecs entered central Mexican valley from the north. Overthrew Toltecs. Developed independently from Mayans Extended empire based on warfare and tribute into Central America Tenochtitlan: capital city (present day Mexico City) Built on Marshes of Lake Texcoco 100,000-250,000 residents at peak. Larger than major European cities at the time. Rise of the Aztecs

11. Quetzalcoatl. The creator god of humanity represented duality by nature. Half air and half earth, the feathered serpent was one of the most important pre-Hispanic deities, the main protagonist of many of the major Mesoamerican myths and his cult was very ancient. Quetzalcoatl had different avocations: Venus as the morning star, called Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli; Xolotl, the "Precious Twin," Venus as the afternoon star; and Ehecatl, god of Wind. The cult of Quetzalcoatl reached the Maya zone, where he is known as Kukulkan. Among his most important attributes are the cut shell ornament, whether used as a pectoral, earplugs or adornment in some other part of his accouterments. As the wind god, he wears a beak-shaped mask, with which he produces the wind.

12. Tezcatlipoca is Aztec the god of the night sky and the night wind. His name means "Smoking Mirror," the Nahuatl term for the black obsidian mirrors the Mesoamericans used for divination. Tezcatlipoca also had several titles, for He was considered a fearsome god whom the people were careful to call upon by name.As the Lord of the Near and Nigh, Tezcatlipoca governs the fate of mortals, seeing into their minds and hearts with His obsidian mirror. He gives both reward and punishment as He sees fit; having the power to both bestow riches and take them away. As the night wind, Tezcatlipoca would rush through the streets in the night, giving terror or luck to any He came across in accordance with His whims and their worth. He carries five arrows which He uses to punish the wicked.

13. HUITZILOPOCHTLI - (from huitzilin, "hummingbird," and opochtli, "left") was the Aztec sun and war god ... what a name ! Blue Humming Bird on the left.The Aztecs believed that dead warriors came back to life as hummingbirds and that the south was the left side of the world. Huitzilopochtli's name, therefore, meant the Warrior of the South brought back from the dead. His animal disguise, was the eagle. Huitzilopochtli's image, in the form of a hummingbird, was carried upon the shoulders of the priests when the Aztecs invaded, and at night his voice was heard giving orders. Thus, according to Huitzilopochtli's command, Tenochtitlan the Aztec capital, was founded in AD 1325 on a small rocky island in the lake of the Valley of Mexico. The god's first shrine was built on a spot where priests found an eagle poised upon a rock and devouring a snake. Successive Aztec rulers enlarged the shrine until the year "Eight Reed" (1487), when an impressive temple was dedicated by the emperor Ahuitzotl.

15. The Inca Empire The South American Empire of the mountains.

16. The Inca Empire extended for some 3,000 miles making it as long as the lower 48 states of the US. The Incas incorporated ideas and culture from many different peoples and fused them into a truly unique society. Unlike the Aztecs, the Incas had a very sophisticated and effective bureaucracy. Between 9 and 13 million people lived under Incan rule. Truly remarkable when you consider the geography and limited technology of the empire. Overview

20. Incan Rope Bridge Stone Steps

21. Incan Road and Settlement

25. Incan Sun Priest and his Family

28. Incan Engineering

30. Inca terrace farming

32. The Inca Ullo temple of fertility, Chucuito, Lake Titicaca

37. Fortress of Ollantaytambo