The Aztec, Inca, and Maya are the most typical native folk of Central and South America. The Incas are the first folk of Peru. The Mayans and the Aztecs are the 1st people of Mexico. The Aztec group of indigenous folk lived a hunter-gatherer life starting in 1325 in Mexico. The Aztecs settled the capital Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico Town . Many native folk of Mexico have some Aztec heritage. The Aztecs trained such plants as cocoa, vanilla, tomatoes, maize, tobacco, onions, bananas, crush, and beans alongside many others. Cocoa beans were valued for making chocolate and were used as early currency. The native Aztecs traded cocoa beans for clothing and tools. Sculpture was necessary to the Aztecs and almost all of their sculptures were carved from limestone. Parts of Mexico remain rich in limestone deposits today. The Incan empire started in 1438 BC. The Incas were also called the Tiwantinsuya. Quechua is the Incan language. The Incan folk expected seasons thru the careful observation of the planets and stars. They used to be a very proficient native clan who designed complicated roads and buildings with their talented use of mathematics.

Peru’s native Incan folk were polytheists as they thought in multiple gods. Viracocha is the god the Incas believe created the Inca and the Incan folks are called the ” Kids of the Sun.” The Incas made adobe dwellings using rocks and mixes of mud and grass. They farmed corn, potatoes, coffee, and grains like quinoa. The Mayan civilization started in 2600 BC in the Yucatan. The Mayan people spread all though Mexico, Guatemala, western Honduras, and north Belize. The Mayans were accomplished potters and weavers who were also talented at clearing land for trade networks.

The Mayans made leading edge underground rainwater storage reservoirs.

The Maya are one of the most cutting edge and creative of all native folk. They built galvanizing stone structures with sculptured ornamental architectural details using very limited tools. The Mayans also made advanced arithmetic and writing systems. Modern Mayans number more than 6,000,000 people, making the Maya one of the planet’s biggest indigenous populations. Many Mayan native groups live in Mexico eg the Yucatecs, the Tzotzil, and the Tzeltal. More than 30 Mayan native groups currently inhabit Central America and each group has another dialect of the Mayan language.