Download Unit 12 Mesoamerican Civilizations Study Guide

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Block: ___________
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Unit 12 Mesoamerican Civilizations Study Guide
Directions: Fill in the chart below, writing at least ONE important facts and ONE contribution for each civilization.
Write in complete sentences. Put a number beside the civilization from 1 to 4.
__1___OLMEC
____2_MAYA
___4__INCA
___3__AZTEC
Fact #1 They were the first
Fact #1 Developed a
Fact #1 They lived in the
Fact #1 They were known for
civilization. Referred to as a
glyph writing system.
Andes mountains in
being fierce warriors.
cultural hearth because
South America.
others copied what they did.
Contribution: Most well
Contribution They
Contribution They used
Contribution They built a huge
known for their large
created a 365 day
terrace farming to
capital city that had a
sculptures of stone heads.
calendar based on the
irrigate their crops.
population of over 300,000.
stars.
1. Which civilization was the only one to live in South America; specifically, the Andes Mountains?
Inca
2. What are chinampas? Write the definition and draw a picture to illustrate what they would look
like. Chinampas are floating islands used to grow crops.
Picture:
3. What is a conquistador? Conquistador is the Spanish word for conqueror.
4. Which Spanish conquistador defeated the Incas? Francisco Pizarro
5. Give an example of one thing the Olmec did first that influenced and was used by civilizations
that came after them.
The Olmec developed a calendar and the groups that followed, especially the Mayans, used the
calendar and made it better.
6. What are the Olmec, the first ancient Mesoamerican civilization, most well known for?
Their large sculptures of stone heads.
7. What is the name for a knotted cord that was used as counting tools by the Incas?
Quipus
8. Put the civilizations in order from earliest (1) to most recent (4)
Aztec: _____3 Inca: _____4________ Olmec: ______1________ Maya: _______2_________
9. Who was the Spanish conquistador that conquered the Aztecs?
Hernan Cortes
10. Which ancient civilization lived on the Yucatan Peninsula?
Mayan
11. What is an isthmus?
An isthmus is a thin strip of land connecting two places.
12. What does the Central American isthmus connect?
North America and South America
13. What is a glyph? Which ancient civilization is most well known for their glyph writing?
A glyph is a carved symbol that stands for a word. Mayans developed glyph farming.
14. What is terrace farming?
Terrace farming was a type of farming developed by the Incas to bring water to their crops in the
mountainside.
15. Which ancient civilization used it?
Incas
16. In ancient times, Mexico City was known as __Tenochtitlan. This was the Aztec’s capital city,
which was built on a swamp and had a large population.
17. How were the Aztecs able to build a strong empire?
They had a strong military and collected taxes from the people they conquered.
18. Why did the Incas build canals in the Andes Mountains?
To irrigate the land (bring water to the crops)
19. Why did these ancient civilizations all come to an end?
Nobody knows for sure; however, some of the civilizations faced invasions and disease.
20. Why were Mesoamerican civilizations easily taken over by conquistadors?
The Europeans had better weapons. They also had horses and brought over diseases that the
Mesoamericans were not used to.