Download Incas - Middle Grades 2013

Rimaykullayki!
(Hello, in Quechua!)
You are a tribe of Indians called known as the Incas.
Using the paper and markers provided choose the facts about your tribe that you think are most important
to share with others. Illustrate one fact per sheet of paper, filling up the entire paper with the picture. Try
not to use any words on the illustration. Each member of the tribe should have one illustration.
After illustrating something about the tribe or the tribe’s history, be prepared to share about your tribe
using your illustrations. (Hint: Know your facts and put them in an order that makes sense for presenting!)

The Incas resided in Peru.

They are famous for building roads that ran along the entire empire. These roads were used for
communication between the different settlements of Inca people.

They never developed a written language.

The Incas built aqueducts as a way of transporting fresh water to their inhabitants.

Francisco Pizarro was the Spanish explorer that found the Incas and conquered them.

The Spanish explorers were looking for a city that was made of gold, as the stories went.

No Incas were ever homeless or went hungry. They grew a surplus of food every year and dried it
out so there would be plenty in times of war and famine.

The Incas resided in the Andes Mountains and built their settlements into the mountainsides and
at high elevations.

The Incas invented terrace farming, which is a method of farming that involves carving a series of
flat steps into the steep mountainside, creating space to plant and grow crops.

Machu Picchu is one of the most impressive ancient cities in the world. On a peak in the Andes
Mountains, the Incas built intricate buildings and religious temples.
Cualli tonalli!
(Hello, in Nahuatl!)
You are a tribe of Indians called known as the Aztecs.
Using the paper and markers provided choose the facts about your tribe that you think are most important
to share with others. Illustrate one fact per sheet of paper, filling up the entire paper with the picture. Try
not to use any words on the illustration. Each member of the tribe should have one illustration.
After illustrating something about the tribe or the tribe’s history, be prepared to share about your tribe
using your illustrations. (Hint: Know your facts and put them in an order that makes sense for presenting!)

The Aztecs resided in Mexico.

The Incas built aqueducts as a way of transporting fresh water to their inhabitants.

The Aztecs worshiped the sun god and built pyramids so they could be closer to their god.

The Aztecs are known for being aggressive and war-like. They made human sacrifices to their god.

They did have a written language.

A law of “correct behavior” was written down and taught to all children.

Hernan Cortez was the Spanish explorer that first made contact with the Aztec Indians and
conquered them.

The Spanish explorers were on a conquest for gold, god, and glory.

The Aztec empire was defeated by the Spaniards best weapon: foreign disease. Small pox killed a
large part of the Aztec population because they had never been exposed to a disease like that
before.

In order to feed all of the inhabitants of the Aztec empire, they invented “floating gardens” where
they built a series of rafts that were anchored to the lakebed. On these rafts, they put soil, reed,
and other vegetation to create an environment where crops could grow. They were successful!