COMMON CHARACTERISTICS Like the Old World empires, those in America had common features, although there
were also differences:
They were born after an evolution of centuries. They reached their peak and
declined. Some of them declined abruptly.
Its rulers proclaimed themselves intermediaries with the Gods or directly as
sons of God.
These Gods were represented as mythological beings, a mixture of man and
animal or of different animals
They usually made human sacrifices to these Gods
Society was divided into very marked social classes.
The subjugated people were enslaved and provided large contingents of labor for the cultivation and construction of
cities, buildings, and pyramids.
The conquered peoples were forced to give tributes in
minerals or agricultural products.
They based their subsistence on agriculture.
In the coastal empires, fishing was an essential part of
their diet
They built large and complex irrigation systems
Common images in art: fish, toads, snakes, felines, eagles, condors and
trophy heads of their defeated enemies
Similar techniques in ceramics, metallurgy, weaving and feather art.
Permanent exchange between regions, for the variety of ecological floors