The four civilizations, the Olmec, the Maya, the Aztec and the Inca existed many years ago. Life in Latin America before European contact indicated a contradiction because each of these four civilizations was civilized and educated, but was violent at the same time. It's crazy to think that the Olmecs, Mayans, Aztecs and Incas were all civilized even though they were violent. What makes them civilized is that they all lived in a certain place and that they were not nomads. For example, the Olmecs settled in La Venta, Mexico. Not only did they settle there, but the Olmecs remained there until they expanded across the Gulf of Mexico, and La Venta remains the oldest and most important Olmec city. In addition to living in a set location, they all had religious opinions and beliefs. Every civilization practiced human sacrifice, which can be seen as a violent action. However, the Aztecs also did something else. The Aztecs had priests as leaders. Since they were seen as the leaders of the Aztecs, they told their people what to do and how to do it. But not all leaders had to be priests. In fact, the leaders of the Maya were not priests; the two most memorable leaders were father and son. The first of the two Kings I mentioned earlier was Pacal (615-702 AD). After Pacal's death, his son Kan Bahlam (684-702 AD) took command. Since I'm talking about the Mayans, I would probably mention Yikin Chan Kawill, one of the leaders of the Mayan army. Having an army also makes the Mayans civilized. Another civilization that had an army was that of the Incas. The Inca army probably had the most remembered war of its time. The Incas fought against the Spanish who always had the upper hand during wars. This wasn't just because they had help... means of paper... found in the caves. So there is evidence that the Olmecs contributed to human sacrifices. But the Olmecs were certainly not the only culprits. The Aztecs could be seen as the most ferocious group who practiced human sacrifice. This cruel civilization was said to cut the skin of the people they were sacrificing and wear the skin like a coat. Scary right? But that's not all. The Aztecs also eat the hearts of those who were sacrificed and even tear them out. Sometimes these were done while the victims were alive. Human sacrifice is not the only thing that makes someone violent, war is another deciding factor. What made the Aztecs aggressive was the fact that they fought against surrounding cities to conquer them. In addition to the conquest of the surrounding cities by the Aztecs, the Incas were involved in many wars, many of them were with the Spanish in the Great Inca Rebellion.