Download Maya, Aztec, Inca Ch 1

The Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations
Chapter 1: The Maya: People of Mystery
1
Maya
archaeologists
civilization
pok-ta-pok
Popol Vuh
2
Yucatán Peninsula
Mexico
Honduras
Guatemala
Belize
3
city-state
Copán
Chichén Itzá
Vocabulary Words
Maya- an ancient people who lived in southern Mexico and Central America
city-state- a city that is an independent political state with its own ruling government
hieroglyph- a picture or symbol representing an idea, an object, a syllable, or a sound
pok-ta-pok- an ancient ball game played by the Maya
Popol Vuh- The Maya sacred book
Chapter 1: The Maya: People of Mystery
1. The Maya people lived in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize.
2. The Maya civilization disappeared and archaeologists are still trying to discover why.
3. This civilization was mightiest from 200 A.D. to 900 A.D.
4. Large temples and pyramids make it clear that religion was very important to the Maya
people.
5. The Maya used hieroglyphs for writing, and many were carved into Maya buildings.
6. Maya life revolved around family, farming, and service to the gods.
7. A popular game among the Maya was pok-ta-pok. This game involved hitting a large, rubber
ball through a small stone hoop without using hands or feet.
8. The Maya took this game very seriously. Victors were often richly rewarded, and losers were
sometimes sacrificed to the gods.
The Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations
Chapter 2: Maya Science and Daily Life
1
astronomy
equinox
famine
Vocabulary Words
astronomy- the study of celestial objects (stars, sun, moon, planets)
equinox- one of the two days in a year when there is an equal amount of daytime and nighttime
mathematics- the study of numbers
Chapter 2: Maya Science and Daily Life
1. The Maya knew a lot about astronomy and created a 365 day solar calendar.
2. They also had a religious calendar called the Sacred Round which had 260 days.
3. The Maya number system consisted of: a dot for one, a bar for five, and a shell for zero.
4. Most Maya people were farmers. Their main crop was corn, but they also grew beans,
squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and pumpkins.
5. Many families lived in one-room huts made from mud or grass.
6. Maya boys and girls began working at age five, and became adults at age 14.
7. Their marriages were arranged, and the gods were always consulted before a marriage
occurred.
8. Archaeologists have many theories as to why the Maya disappeared.
 The farmers rebelled against the priests and nobles
 They were killed by disease
 Famine (no crops due to drought or heavy rain)
 Major earthquake
 Invaded by warriors from other tribes
The Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations
Chapter 3: The Aztecs: Soldiers of Blood
1
Texcoco (tesh KOH koh)
Tenochtitlán (tay noch tee TLAHN)
Aztecs
sacrifice
Vocabulary Words
Tenochtitlán- the Aztec capital city located in central Mexico
sacrifice- an offering to the gods
Chapter 3: The Aztecs: Soldiers of Blood
1. The Aztec civilization began about 300 years after the decline of the Maya (1300 A.D).
2. The Aztecs were originally nomadic until the sun god told them to build their city where they
saw an eagle perched on a cactus holding a snake in its beak.
3. When the Aztecs saw the eagle, it was on a swampy island in the middle of a lake. This is
where they built their capital city, Tenochtitlán.
4. Aztec warriors expanded the empire by conquering neighboring city-states.
5. The conquered city-state would then send valuable items to Tenochtitlán as payment.
6. The Aztecs believed the sun had been made and destroyed four times, and that they lived
under the fifth sun. In order to keep the gods from destroying the sun, they would need to keep
the gods happy.
7. They believed that one way to keep the gods happy was through human sacrifice.
8. When conquering other city-states, the Aztecs would often take prisoners of war back to the
capital city to be sacrificed.
9. People in the Aztec society were born into a certain class and were not able to advance.
10. As a result, brave men would join the Aztec army for a chance at honor and glory.
The Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations
Chapter 4: Tenochtitlán: City of Wonder
1
2
causeway
codex
canal
cacao beans
litter
Montezuma II
Vocabulary Words
causeway- a raised road built over water to connect islands to a mainland
Lake Texcoco- the lake where Tenochtitlan was located
codex- an accordion shaped “book” in which the Aztec recorded lists of rulers, religious
holidays, and payments made by conquered people
cacao beans- beans that were roasted and used to make chocolate
Montezuma II- the Aztec emperor in the early 1500s
litter- a chair attached to two beams and carried on the shoulders of several men
Chapter 4: Tenochtitlán: City of Wonder
1. Tenochtitlán was built on an island in the middle of a lake. It was connected with causeways
and canals.
2. The Aztecs grew crops in “floating gardens” which were piles of mud stacked up from the
river bottom.
3. Aztec girls learned how to weave and take care of the house. Aztec boys often went to school
to become warriors or priests.
4. Near the center of town was a market where people traded goods, food, and slaves.
5. The Great Temple was located in the center of the city. Near the temple was the palace of the
Aztec emperor.
6. The Aztec emperor during the early 1500s was Montezuma II.
7. During Montezuma II’s reign there was a drought, a comet appeared in the sky, and lightning
struck one of the temples.
8. The Aztecs thought these events were signs that the world was coming to an end.
The Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations
9. In reality, the end of the Aztec empire was brought about by Spanish soldiers seeking riches
and glory during Montezuma II’s reign.
The Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations
Chapter 5: The Incas: Lords of the Mountains
1
Sapa Inca
conquistador
alpaca
llama
2
census
Vocabulary Words
Sapa Inca- title for the emperor of the Inca people
conquistador- the Spanish word for “conqueror”
alpaca- a South American mammal valued for its long, woolly coat
llama- a South American mammal valued for its endurance and for its woolly coat and meat
census- a count of the number of people living in a certain area
Chapter 5: The Incas: Lords of the Mountains
1. The Incan empire was located on the western coast of South America. It lasted from14381532
2. This empire was the largest in the Americas. At its height, it consisted of 12 million people
and stretched for more than 2,000 miles.
3. Because the empire was so vast, it stretched across arid plains, the Andes mountains, high
plateaus, and into the jungle.
4. The Inca people were organized into clans, each responsible for farming a piece of land.
5. Most Incas were farmers. They grew many crops including more than a hundred varieties of
potatoes.
6. Llamas were raised by Incan farmers and were used for many things including food, wool,
and transporting goods.
7. The Sapa Inca was the emperor of the Inca people. They believed he was the living son of
Inti, the sun god.
8. The Inca people worked and donated some of their crops to the Sapa Inca for the good of the
empire.
The Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations
9. The rule of the Sapa Inca was absolute, and government officials traveled throughout the
empire to make sure the laws were obeyed, to collect taxes, and to arrange marriages. These
officials were called “He-Who-Sees-Everything.”
The Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations
Chapter 6: Inca Engineering
1
terrace
quipu
Machu Picchu
llama
2
census
Vocabulary Words
The Royal Road- a 2,000 mile road that connected the Inca Empire
terrace- a flat piece of land carved out of the side of a mountain or hill
quipu- a piece of string used as a record-keeping device
Machu Picchu- a fortress located high in the Andes Mountains
census- a count of the number of people living in a certain area
Chapter 6: Inca Engineering
1. To connect the empire, the Inca people constructed a 2,000 mile road called the Royal Road.
It ran from modern day Quito, Ecuador to Santiago, Chile.
2. The road crossed many types of challenging terrain and had a canal to provide water, and
roadside storehouses where travelers could get food.
3. Parts of the Royal Road were paved with cut stones.
4. The Incas were also skilled at building rope suspension bridges to cross mountains, streams,
and valleys.
5. In order to farm in their mountainous terrain, the Incas developed terraces cut into the
mountain sides so that crops could be planted on a level plain.
6. In spite of their great engineering skills, the Inca people did not have a written language.
They used string counters called quipus for keeping records and messengers to carry news
throughout the empire.
7. The Incas build a great fortress in the Andes Mountains called Machu Picchu.
8. Like the Aztecs, the Incas grew their empire by conquering neighboring people, but they
were more likely to convert the people to loyal Inca subjects than to sacrifice them.
The Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations
Chapter 7: The End of Two Empires
1
Hernán Cortés
smallpox
2
Atahualpa (ah ta WAHL pah)
Francisco Pizarro
Cajamarca
Vocabulary Words
Hernán Cortés - a Spanish explorer whose army conquered the Aztec empire
smallpox- a highly contagious disease similar to chicken pox
Atahualpa- the son of the Sapa Inca who took over after his death
Francisco Pizarro- a Spanish explorer whose army conquered the Inca empire
Chapter 7: The End of Two Empires
1. In 1519, the Aztecs first encountered the Spanish explorers. They were surprised by their
unusual appearance, their cannons, and horses. Montezuma II thought they might be the gods
coming to Earth.
2. Hernán Cortés led the Spanish on a march toward Tenochtitlán.
3. Eventually, the Spanish reached Tenochtitlán and fighting broke out. Montezuma was killed
during one of the battles.
4. During a later attack on the city in 1521, Cortés surrounded Tenochtitlán and the people
began to starve. An outbreak of smallpox also killed many Aztecs.
5. Tenochtitlán finally fell to the Spanish in August of 1521.
6. A few years later, the Spanish arrived on the northern shores of the Inca empire. Their arrival
spread diseases that killed thousands of Incas; one of them was the Sapa Inca.
7. After the death of the Sapa Inca, there was a civil war between the two surviving sons over
who would rule. Atahualpa won and soon became the new Sapa Inca.
8. Francisco Pizarro was the leader of the conquistadors in South America.
9. Pizarro and his men ambushed Atahualpa and his escort of 6,000 unarmed men at the city of
Cajamarca.
10. The Spaniards massacred the Incas and took Atahualpa prisoner.
The Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations
11. Atahualpa offered to fill a room full of gold in exchange for his release. After the gold was
brought from all over the empire, Pizarro broke his promise and executed Atahualpa.
12. The Inca Empire fell to the Spanish in June of 1534.