Qings vs Aztecs

"Apples and oranges" is normally said in response when one begins to describe things that
are not usually compared to one another, when these two things seem to be on opposite sides of
the spectrum like apples and oranges. When comparing two early civilizations that originated
with hundreds of years and thousands of miles in between them , that response would seem
completely appropriate due to those huge factors of time and distance. As mentioned, it would
seem completely appropriate; however, that is not necessarily the case. With the Qing ynasty
and the Aztec !mpire, these two, even with the time and distance, shared some eerily similar
customs and practices along with some ma"or differences. #echni$ues on managing
heterogeneous populations and the role that violence played in the society are two themes these
ancient civilizations took part in that can be easily compared and contrasted to show the
fascinating similarities and interesting differences.
#o start things off, the Qing ynasty and Aztec !mpire shared a same approach to managing
each of their heterogeneous populations. %nlike today where most countries have policemen and
women enforcing the laws of his or her government, the &anchus, people of the Qing ynasty,
and Aztecs had the #usi 'ystem ()ensors* and the )alpulli, respectively. #he #usi 'ystem
involved the process of leaving local leaders alone and to themselves as long as they did their "ob
that was re$uired of them ()asey +ecture*. ,f they did their "ob effectively and efficiently, the
Qing government at the time would see no problem with them at all and no harm would be
caused. #he #usi 'ystem also involved people called )ensors (+ecture*. )ensors were selected
individuals who went around the civilization to make sure that all of the Qing officials in the area
were doing his or her "ob. #hese officials were all of the ones who took and passed the tests of
)onfucianism (+ecture*. -or instance, if they were to see a male of the Qing )ivilization not
partaking in the re$uired hairstyle, either he listen to the )ensor.s commands or meet the
conse$uences of an earlier than e/pected death. #his was the &anchu.s way of making sure that
the population was managed and the gears of their empire were well0oiled and running smoothly
at all times.
'imilarly, the Aztecs had the )alpulli. #hey were basically the same idea as the )ensors with
one e/ception. #he )alpulli were people that made sure households and neighbors stayed clean,
stayed tidy, and stayed regulated, the e/ception being that rather than certain individuals it was
more of a "oint effort to keep everybody in line (+ecture*. #he &anchus and )ensors both saw fit
to put others in charge of each other because there is only so much one person can do for a
sprawling nation. #hese ideas of having others in charge while the big governing bodies do their
work has clearly been carried on today with the use of the -1,, local police forces, and other
such entities that make sure every citizen is doing his or her "ob while working for the betterment
of himself or herself and the civilization2society in general.
3n the other side of the spectrum, these two were not all the same when it came to managing
their melting pots of populations. When it comes to managing a population, it helps to be able to
provide for your population in order to let them know that everything is okay and things do not
need to be changed. #he Qing ynasty, overall, were more self0sustaining when it came to
providing for their population. #he &anchus built granaries in their civilization in order to
combat famine (%pshur 445*. -arming was also no strange occupation to the &anchus with their
output of sweet potatoes, maize, and peanuts. 'uch foods became a staple for the wealthy and the
poor of the &anchu population (446*. 1eing able to provide for one.s people is an empowering
act.
#he Aztecs felt $uite differently about providing for its own people. 7ather than farm the
land, themselves. #he Aztec !mpire took what they saw as the easy route and wage war against
smaller local groups and basically bully them into giving them what they needed, whether it be
food or other necessities ()asey +ecture*. #hese items were known as #ributes in the Aztec
!mpire, and they are what kept the civilization thriving for the longest time until their untimely
demise at the hands of the 'panish (+ecture*. #hese #ributes would be given on a per month
basis, and if they were not met or the group refused, conse$uences would be handed out, which
almost always meant death (+ecture*. ,n order to manage these populations by providing, the
Qing saw it better to provide themselves while the Aztecs forced handouts from surrounding
groups. #his shows the clear different mindset of both early civilizations.
#he ne/t theme to e/plore is the role of violence played in the society. Although $uite
uncommon now in places like the %nited 'tates, sacrifices were a normal thing with the Qing
ynasty and the Aztec !mpire. With the Qing ynasty, sacrifices would be made to the local
gods and heroes (%pshur 445*. #his could be seen as a violent appeasement and ceremonious
occasion. #his violent act was an embracement of )hinese cultures and values which the people
saw as custom, and it basically gave the society.s own culture a meaning, a culture with some
value (445*. ,t might have given it some meaning even though it is definitely taboo to think about
in today.s world.
#he Aztecs partook in the same activity of sacrificing, but with a slightly different approach.
#here sacrifices were normally prisoners of wars or outsiders that they took in as tributes ()asey
+ecture*. #hey were same as the &anchus by sacrificing to their own gods as a religious
function, but it was more of an act of showmanship. ,t served as more of a political function in
order to intimidate others and prove dominance while also showing its own people who e/actly
was in charge (+ecture*. 'acrifices in both civilizations were a powerful tool used to improve
society.s relations with its own gods, embrace maintain older cultures while making their own, or
to simply show the people and its enemies the power of the empire.
8iolence also played different roles in each society. #he Qing ynasty used violence in a
way in order to control its own people. #he Aztec !mpire used violence in order to sustain itself
()asey +ecture*. With the Qing ynasty, the men of the dynasty were re$uired to wear their hair
a certain way. #he hairstyle was known as #he Queue, and it involved shaving the hair in the
front while maintaining a ponytail of hair in the back. ,f the men did not consent to the hairstyle,
dire conse$uences would follow such as death (+ecture*. #his violent action to conform to a
simple hairstyle forced the people to adopt their ways or basically die, causing them to remain
under their control due to fear.
+ooking at the Aztecs, violence was used in order to sustain its own society. !arlier in the
essay, #ributes were discussed as the main, more like the only, source of food and goods for the
Aztecs. ,n order to get these tributes from the surrounding areas, violence was used with Aztec
soldiers. Aztecs thought of itself as constantly being at war in order to bring about these sources
of necessities (+ecture*. #hey used violence, rather than producing its own goods, as the main
path to take in order to improve its society. #hanks to violence, the Aztecs were able to keep its
society afloat.
As it turns out, these civilizations did not seem like apples and oranges in the long run after
all. #hey did have some differences, but when looking at the details closely and seeing the
relationships of the two, they are a lot more alike than meets the eye especially when considering
the amount of time and distance that separated the two. )ivilizations had a way of controlling its
mi/ bag of a population that shared many similarities such as the use of the #usi 'ystem or the
)alpulli. #hey also had a way of incorporating man.s natural animal0like violence as an
important tool in controlling or supporting its society. As different as these two seemed at first,
they are not so different after all.