Download Intro to Indians Notes - Effingham County Schools

Latin American
Indians
Aztec
• Located in central Mexico 1200 – 16th century
when they were taken over by the Spanish
• Fierce warriors, conquered many people and
offered them as human sacrifices to please
their gods
• 1325: built their capital, Tenochtitlan on Lake
Texcoco
Aztec
• At one time included 5 million people
• Built floating gardens to grow on the lake
• Built causeways to travel in and out of the capital
• Knew how to metalwork and make pottery
• Used a calendar to plant, harvest, and have
religious rituals
Aztec
• Doctors developed 1,000s of medicines from
plants.
• Astronomers predicted movements of the
planets; designed an accurate calendar!
• Priests kept extensive records using hieroglyphics.
• Schooling - Boys studied either religion or military
skills; girls learned cloth spinning and cooking.
Aztec
• Cities were religious centers; they worshipped
their gods in pyramid-shaped temples.
• Sacrifice was an important part of the
religious ceremonies (meant to honor the
gods).
• Polytheistic (worshipped many gods): Sun,
Death, Maize, Rulers, Rain, etc.
Inca
• Located in South America
• By 1400, the Inca empire included 12 million
people
• Capital city: Cuzco “City of the Sun” (Sun god
was very important)
Inca
• Came up with ways to farm on the
mountainsides
– built stone terraces so they had flat
land to farm
– Created irrigation systems to bring
water to their crops
• Extra food was kept in storehouses
and brought to villages when crops
died
• Farmed: tomatoes, maize, lima
beans, peppers, grain
Inca
• Created stone roads that are still used
today
• Had no written language, Inca runners
carried messages in a relay
• Built swinging bridges made of rope
• Built the city of Machu Picchu made out
of stone.
• Used gold to make decorations and
jewelry
Early Civilization Write Page 50
Directions:
• Part 1: Design a mask
– 8pts: Draw a picture of your
mask
– 8pts: Describe how you would
make it
Next: Decide which civilization
you would rather be from, the
Aztec or Incan civilization
Early Civilization Write Page 50
Directions:
• Part 2: Write about a
typical day in your
civilization. What jobs or
duties do you have? What
do you eat? What do you
do for fun? Do you go to
any special ceremonies?
– 4pts: Paragraph format
– 8pts: Job description
– 8pts: what do you do for
fun
– 8pts: Special Ceremonies