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World History: Unit 1
Study Notes
Directions: As you work through the power point slides and read the information on The Ancient Web,
complete the following table and questions. Be sure to be THOROUGH in your answers. Brief,
superficial answers will not receive full credit. Incorporate information from all sources; do not rely on
just one.
Download and save this document to your computer. You can then type your answers directly into the
table. The boxes will expand as you type.
Location
Government
Economy
Size/Population
Science/Technology
Olmec
The low lands of
central and
southern Mexico.
The government
was called a
Theocratic,
strong central
government.
The economy
surrounded
around
agricultural
aspect.
The population
size substantially
less than the other
groups eighteen
thousand.
Development of a
complex number
system through
symbols and
decimal's.
Aztec
“specifically
Mexican people,”
located in now
what is Mexico
city.
Defined as a
system of tribute
also Aztec
Inca
Located in
modern-day Peru
close to the Andes
Mountains
Maya
Central America in
the Yucatan.
Inca government
controlled the
economy.
The developing of
a type of
hierarchical
government.
Identical to the
Olmec used
money for
agricultural needs.
They lacked a
form of currency
which centered
much on trade.
Extensive
economic system
used for trade and
agriculture.
The estimation
was from fiveeleven million.
The range was
from two million
to twenty-seven
million at most.
The population is
seven million.
Included math
whizzes, and
advanced in
astronomy.
These people
carved many
roads, and much
cultural diffusion.
Worshiping the
gods of the sun
religion.
They tracked the
specific movement
of the star, and
created a
substantial 18
month calendar.
Closely related to
the Catholic
church.
Although it took
forty years Pizzaro
was the cause of
Religion
The religion was
called
Shamonism.
Major
Contributions
First civilization
to form, and they
built buildings
and temples.
Part of the
Mesoamerican
religion of human
sacrifice.
Designed roads for
transport, and
created a new
writing system.
Decline
The decline of the
Olmec's was
caused by the
The two main
causes of decline
in Aztec's was due
The contributions
were architecture,
and mass
agricultural.
The Mayan’s
created their own
calendar,and
produced food
successfully
Based upon what
is believed but a
catastrophic event
greed of the
whitement.Also,
by over
population.
to religion , and
ultimately disease.
the decline in the
Inca's. By the end
of four decades
they were all
gone.
is what some think
was the cause of
the downfall.
Define or describe the following people and places:
Quetzalcoatl
Mesoamerican deity whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and has the meaning of
Tezcatlipoca
Huitzilopochtli
Viracocha
Toltec
Chichimec
Teotihuacan
"feathered serpent" (Michael, 2012)
whose name means “Smoking Mirror”, was the Aztec god of night and sorcery, as well as the
patron deity of Aztec kings and of young warriors. (Michael, 2012)
was one of the most important Aztec God's and was the deity who, according to the tradition,
led the Mexican people from Aztlan, their homeland, to central Mexico.(Michael, 2012)
is the great creator god in the pre-Inca and Inca mythology in the Andes region of South
America. (Michael, 2012)
was one of three great empires of the Basin of Mexico, after the fall of Teotihuacan and
before the rise of the Aztecs. (Michael, 2012)
was the name that the Nahua peoples of Mexico generically applied to a wide range of seminomadic peoples who inhabited the north of modern-day Mexico and southwestern United
States, and carried the same sense as the European term "barbarian". (Michael, 2012)
is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, just 30 miles northeast of Mexico
City, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian
Americas.(Michael, 2012)
Answer the following question in a well-developed paragraph (5+ sentences):
What was the purpose and significance of human sacrifice among the civilizations of Mesoamerica?
Aztecs are a focal point in in human sacrifice; nevertheless, few people truly interpret their killing rituals. The
Aztecs featured a analyzable religious view of sacrifice. In truth, captive warriors were by far the most common
sacrifices. The Aztecs in reality held warfare generally for the gaining control of killing individuals. They conceived
that those who disappeared in forfeit loco mote to the promised land of the sun, as opposing to the comparatively
grim netherworld.
Michael, D. (2012). Britannica encyclopedia academic edition. In Encyclopedia Britannica.
Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/