The Mayan, Inca, and Aztec civilizations of the Americas were advanced civilizations for their time. They developed complex writing systems, adapted their environments to support advanced agricultural systems, and developed accurate calendars. They had similar class systems with the emperor at the top supported by a class of nobles (usually priests or warriors.) Most of the population were peasants and slaves existed below the peasants in Aztec and Maya culture. While the Incas were the most peaceful of the three empires, they all had very strong military traditions.

The religion of the three empires was similar in a number of ways. They all were polytheistic with a particular reverence towards the sun gods. It was important for priests to perform rituals to please the gods with blood being very important. All three civilizations practiced human sacrifice to varying degrees, with the Aztecs utilizing the practice to the greatest extent. While the three civilizations were different in fundamental ways, these were some of the ways in which they were similar.