Download Maya, Inca, Aztec Study Guide Answers

Maya, Aztec and Inca Study Guide
1. What are an indigenous people?
Indigenous people were the first people to live in a land and
were eventually conquered by another people.
2. What does polytheistic mean? Which early American
empires were polytheistic?
Polytheistic means the belief in many gods.
3. What is a caracol and who built them? Why did they build
them? What were they good at?
A caracol was a huge temple with windows positioned to allow
Venus and the Sun to shin through. They were built by the
Mayan’s. The Mayan’s built caracol’s to help them with
astronomy, which they were really good at.
4. Why were noblemen important in the Mayan empire?
Noblemen were important in the Mayan empire because
because each noble family ruled a city-state. Control of the
city-state was passed down from father to son.
5. What are hieroglyphics?
Hieroglyphics are a writing system that uses symbols to
represent words or sounds.
6. What is a city-state? Which empires used them and how did
they work?
A city-state, is a city that has its own government or ruler.
City-states were used by both the Mayan and the Aztecs. A
nobleman would be placed in charge of the city-state by the
emperor and would rule that city-state. City-states followed
the same laws as the other city-states.
7. What is the difference between a subsistence item and a
luxury item?
A subsistence item is an item that would be used on a daily
basis. A luxury item is an item that was desired but not
required to surivive.
8. What crops were important in the early American empires?
The most important crops in the early American empires was
corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, tomatoes, peppers, avocadoes,
sweet potatoes, peanuts.
9. When did each civilization occur? Please list the years they
started and stopped and any important details, like how long
each empire lasted.
The Mayan empire began around 1000 BCE and lasted until
1697 CE. Aroud 250 CE they became experts at farming,
trading, architecture and self-government.
The Aztec empire began in the Valley of Mexico around the
1200’s and lasted through the early 1500’s.
The Inca civilization began in Cuzco around 1200 CE. They
became an empire around 1438 which lasted about 100 years.
10. What were the different names of the Inca ruler?
The different names of the Inca rulers were Sapa Inca,
Capac Apu, Intip Cori and Inca.
11. Describe some of the differences between the nobles
(wealthy) and the commoners (poor) in each of the three
empires. What were their roles?
a. In the Inca empire commoners…paid taxes with labor
instead of currency. Most commoners were farmers or
worked in small units or groups on certain projects. The
wealthy in the Inca empire lived a life of luxury. They
owned land but did not have to farm it. Commoners were
assigned a job as a child and it was their job for life.
b. In the Aztec empire commoners…were usually farmers
but some began trading goods. The nobles would be in
charge of the city-states and the government.
c. In the Mayan empire commoners…were great farmers.
Some commoners might also engage in trading, but this
was likely down by a higher class than they. The nobles
in the Mayan community helped make laws and run the
city-states.
12. Where was each empire located?
a. The Mayan empire was located…in the area immediately
surrounding the Yucatan Peninsula.
b. The Aztec empire was located…northwest of the Mayan
empire in the Valley of Mexico.
c. The Inca empire was located…in the Andes mountains
around the Atacama desert to the Amazon jungle.
13. What climate was important to the Aztecs? What was
unique about this climate?
The tropical lowland climate was very important to the
Aztecs. It provided a great environment to produce, cotton,
papayas, rubber and cacao seeds.
14. Why were sacrifices important to the early American
empires?
Sacrifices were important to the early American empires
because they thought that human blood was precious to the
gods.
15. What did the Mayan’s wear and what was it made out of?
Mayan men wore bracelets, ear plugs, sandals and fancy
headdresses. Working men wore loincloths and no shoes.
Only nobles could wear jewelry. Women wore leather
bracelets, and feathers in their ears like earings. Women
wore a piece of cloth made out of cotton or plant fibers
wrapped around their body. And ponchos were also commonly
worn.
16. What did the Aztec’s wear and what was it made out of?
Women wore a loose sleeveless blouse and a wrap-around
skirt. Men wore a loincloth around their hips and a cloak
knotted over one shoulder. Poorer people wore clothing
made of animal skins or maquey fibers. Wealthier people
wore clothing made from cotton.
17. What did the Inca’s wear and what was it made out of?
The royal of the Inca’s had their heads shaped at an early
age. Men had their ears pierced and wore heavy earrings to
change the shape of their earlobes. The wealthy and poor
often wore the same style of dress, with the quality of the
fabric varyhMen, wealthy and poor, wore the same thing, a
knee length tunic with a poncho for warmth. Women wore
long dresses and wrapped themselves in colorful blankets or
capes. Both men and women wore jewelry.