Inca vs Aztec Empires: Who wins in battle? | Ed Barnhart and Lex Fridman

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*GUEST BIO:*
Ed Barnhart is an archaeologist and explorer specializing in ancient civilizations of the Americas. He is the Director of the Maya Exploration Center, host of the ArchaeoEd Podcast, and lecturer on the ancient history of North, Central, and South America. Ed is in part known for his groundbreaking work on ancient astronomy, mathematics, and calendar systems.

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[LexClips]

See below for guest bio, links, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.

*GUEST BIO:*
Ed Barnhart is an archaeologist and explorer specializing in ancient civilizations of the Americas. He is the Director of the Maya Exploration Center, host of the ArchaeoEd Podcast, and lecturer on the ancient history of North, Central, and South America. Ed is in part known for his groundbreaking work on ancient astronomy, mathematics, and calendar systems.

*CONTACT LEX:*

*EPISODE LINKS:*

*SPONSORS:*
To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:
*MasterClass:* Online classes from world-class experts.
*Shopify:* Sell stuff online.
*NetSuite:* Business management software.
*AG1:* All-in-one daily nutrition drinks.
*Notion:* Note-taking and team collaboration.

*PODCAST LINKS:*

*SOCIAL LINKS:*

[mr.b]

This was supposed to be about a great battle between Aztecs and Incas and it ended up being about Lamas

[therrshow]

i can imagine legions of lama mounted Incans charging the Aztec Pyramids

[dunkelsteinen]

Whoever doesn't get why the Inca would win, Barnhart did mention here the 'hearts and minds' issue, where an empire or state is more strongly held together the more people believe in it, and less as people become disillusioned. Here he mentioned how the king or emperor of the Inca empire (which didn't call itself Inca, but rather that was the title for their leader) owned all the llamas, and how that caused friction with the peoples they took over. However the Aztecs built an empire essentially on peoples that hated them, no one wants to offer people up for sacrifices, among other things. The Aztecs were easy to fracture because people switched sides as soon as an alternative showed up. This is how Mexico was conquered by Cortez, by exploiting the fact the land was fractured when he started his campaign. He was able to muster allies, and eventually used his forces to absorb Mexico into the Spanish realm. I have no doubt something similar would happen if the Inca and Aztecs went to war.

So in short, the Inca would win because they were a more solid state. If they had come into military contact, the war might end relatively quickly depending on how fast the Aztecs splinter and collapse.

[GrayManTraveler]

Llamas are pretty bad ass.. my favorite is Tina, Napoleon’s llama🦙 ..

[silverygrey]

I surmise that the importance of keeping control of the Llamas had to do with controlling the trade networks. Llamas as pack animals could not bear the weight that horsea bore. But Llamas are a hardy animal used to traffick goods throughout the Andes which during the time of the Inca came to includw the Capaq Nian or royal road. Cotrol trade and a meana by which it is fostered on a large scale and you control the extent of the Empire.

[Lwleke]

Greetings, Mexican brothers from Peru, we are both heirs of two empires, the Inca and the Aztec, you would be like Macedonia and we would be like Rome👍

[myflatlineconstruct]

@lexclips Lex didn't edit the clip and post with this title? Two sentences of explanation and then, maybe interesting, but not applicable info lama dump.

[gatacus]

So the takeaway is Incans have a surplus of warrior lamas at their disposal.

[robertopena]

In present they Mexicans are better are better fighters

[johnnyflores]

The Incan population at the time of discovery, was about 10 million inhabitants. While the Aztec Empire, was about 25-30 million inhabitants. Pretty, shure, the Aztecs, would win, in the long run.

[nyc.blvdbullyz]

the funniest part is that a guy who is not aztec or inca n looks like eats mcdonald’s every day says inca would win just bcus he read a book 😂 man looking at you & haven’t nothing to say it’s like just talk about something else like how ya stole land fro natives insteada

[jaulloa]

Aztecs vs incas. Is like saying Mexicans vs Peruvians . But of course only a white guy can debate on that. And 🦙? The issue was about power and tribal domination. The Incas lived in mountains. What political power did they have hiding away. Get real

[xaviermusic]

This explains all the world champions coming out of Peru. O wait...they're all Mexican 😂

[malignustotalis]

You're mad because nobody wanted your psychotic Aztecs. 😂🎉

[nenirouvelliv]

Incan Economic Forum: You won't own your llama and you'll be happy.
Also - You will eat ze guinea pigz