Brazil :: essays research papers fc

The similarities between the societies found in Brazil andthose found in the Andean Highlands are relatively few. TheAndean Highland dwellers were mostly Incas, found ingreatest numbers in Peru. The inhabitants of Brazil weremainly concentrated around the virago River Basin area.The Andean Highland people consisted in large plane section of theInca civilization (the name of the ruling family, not anethnicity). However, the geographic location of thesesocieties is not the only disparity that exist between thesegroups of people. Perhaps the most striking of thedifferences is the characteristics of these societies and theadvancements, or lack of, that where achieved in each. Witheach group having distinct characteristics in the way of life, regime, and labor, this affected the colonizing groups insignificantly different ways and ultimately lead to the prosperity or decline of the colony at that specific time. Theforms of rule in the Amazon Basin and the Andean Highlandswere of great c ontrast. At the time of European stripping ofthe New World, there existed very little political hierarchy inthe areas of the Amazon River Basin. At most, and this wasfairly uncommon, there was a local tribal chief. However, thegovernment did not extend any further. There was nonetwork of higher ruling. This may have stemmed from thefact that villages were scattered around the Amazon, dividedby dense forest. The tribal chiefs would make some villagedecisions and be a liaison with other local villages. Still,territorial war was a major sight of the Amazon Basindwellers lives. This is in sharp contrast to the political systemthat existed in the Inca civilization. The Inca had aprofoundly intricate political system that was based on rulethat was inherited through blood lines. There were local,regional, and empire ruling leaders. These statesmendemanded tribute from the lower classes and also forcelabor upon them, but they did provide function for the goodof the people and the empire. The leaderships had relativelyfew physical duties other than overseeing the domain that heruled. Territorial war was also a characteristic of the Incasociety. This society has oft been labeled either a socialistempire or a welfare state. Specifically, the people of theAmazon Basin lived in small villages around the AmazonRiver and relocated often (when the soil became fallow).They were a tribal society maintained itself through shiftingagriculture and hunting and gathering. The staple of their dietwas of the tuber variety, a kind of potato. The society hadno classes that differentiated between the rich and poorbecause the people had very little or no private property.