Were the Incas Before the Aztecs?

Key differences between Maya vs Aztec vs Inca
The Maya were native people of Mexico and Central America, while the Aztec covered most of northern Mesoamerica between c. 1345 and 1521 CE, whereas Inca flourished in ancient Peru between c. 1400 and 1533 CE and extended across western South America.

Did the Aztecs meet the Incas?

(Professor Cecelia Klein, also on our Panel of Experts, adds: There is no evidence, either documentary or archaeological, that the Aztecs ever met the Inkas.) ... Though the Aztecs in Mexico and the Incas in Peru built empires at much the same time, it seems they never knew of each other's existence.

Who were there before the Aztecs?

Many matured into advanced pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations such as the: Olmec, Izapa, Teotihuacan, Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, Huastec, Purépecha, Totonac, Toltec, and Aztec, which flourished for nearly 4,000 years before the first contact with Europeans.

Elena Rostova

Elena Rostova

Lead Health, Wellness & Medical Journalist

Elena Rostova holds a Master's degree in Public Health Journalism. She covers groundbreaking medical research, holistic wellness trends, mental health awareness, and nutritional science.