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Unit One: Before European Contact
(Pre-1492)
Part 3: “Great Civilizations in the
Americas"
I. The Earliest American Civilizations
A. A ________________ is an advanced culture. Features
of civilizations include:
•the building of __________________
•a well organized _________________
•a system of ______________ ________________
•a complex _________________
•a method of _______________-__________________
B. The earliest known civilization in North America was the
__________________, located along the forested areas of
the ________ ___ ___________. Little is known about this
group of people.
C. The greatest civilizations in the Americas were the
_________, __________, and __________.
II. The Maya
A. This civilization emerged about 3,000 years ago in the
rain forests of present day _______________ and
________________.
B. The Mayas grew ________ in cleared
________________ and ________________.
C. The Mayas lived in homes made of mud _________
and thatched ____________.
Name: ___________________________
Period: ________
“Whole-Brain Connectors”
D. Several large _______________ were built having
separate rulers and pyramids were built for religious
purposes- each having a ______________ at the top.
E. _________________ was common among cities and
warfare also existed from time to time.
F. Advances in Mayan Civilization
•Creating an accurate _____________________
•Studied _________________ and ___________
•Developed a number system with a concept of _______
•Had a form of writing called ___________________
G. Social Classes in Mayan Society
Mayan Social Hierarchy
H. Decline of the Mayan Civilization
Around 850 A.D. the Mayas abandoned their
_______________ for unknown reasons. Possible theories
include civil war, disease, or famine. Mayan
______________ is still spoken today in portions of Mexico
and Guatemala.
III. The Aztec
A. The _______________ were a wandering group of people
until the 1300’s when they settled after finding a sign told to
them previously by an Aztec god. When they found the sign
they were to build their empire at that place.
Sign: An eagle perched on a _____________ with a
___________ in its _________.
The Aztecs found this sign at _______ ____________ in
central ____________. The city was built on an island in the
middle of the lake and was given the name
________________. The city was connected to the
mainland by raised roads of packed earth called
________________.
B. The Aztecs grew crops on floating gardens called
__________________.
C. The Aztecs _______________________ many other
groups of peoples until the 1400’s.
D. Tenochtitlan was the center of ________________ and
________________.
E. ________________ was key to Aztec life. They
worshipped the _______. The _______ told them when to
plant, when to harvest, and other key events of the future.
The Gods were pleased by the offering of _____________
sacrifices.
F. Aztec Society
G. Aztec government was run by an emperor who had
_____________________ over the people he ruled. The
emperor was treated much like a _________.
IV. The Inca
•The Incas were located in South America along the
__________ ___________________ (About a 3,000 mile
stretch).
•The capital of the empire was _______________.
•The Empire had a _________________ of more than 10
million people.
•The head of the empire was known as the ________
_________ and he controlled all the land and riches of the
empire. The emperor was believed to be a descendent of the
sun god.
E. They used ____________ farming along the mountain
sides to grow food, especially potatoes.
F. They built ___________________ to carry water from
rivers to terraced farm areas.
G. They stored _______________ crops in warehouses.
H. _______________ were kept of each family’s
production.
I. The Incas were expert builders and stonemasons.
J. Built a complex network of roads with rope bridges.
K. Had a message system consisting of _______________.
L. Had medicines (quinine) for treating diseases like
___________, performed _______ surgery, and discovered
________ medicines.
M. The ______ _______ was the most important god.
________________ were lined with gold to honor the Sun
God. The gold was taken by Spanish
____________________ in the 1530’s.