aztecs incas mayans

8/7/2019 Aztecs Incas Mayans

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The World of the Aztecs,

Incas, and Mayas

Grade 5 Social StudiesKennedy Middle School


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The AztecsThe Aztecs

` The Aztecs were a Native American tribeThe Aztecs were a Native American tribethat lived in what is now Mexico.that lived in what is now Mexico.

` They called themselves theThey called themselves the MexicaMexica or or TenochcaTenochca people and, according to their people and, according to their history, came from the land of Aztlan.history, came from the land of Aztlan.

` They built a capital city in a swampy sectionThey built a capital city in a swampy sectionof Mexico. They called this cityof Mexico. They called this city TenochtitlanTenochtitlan ..It is present day Mexico City.It is present day Mexico City.


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The Aztec LifeThe Aztec Life

` The Aztec life was basedThe Aztec life was basedon believing in many gods.on believing in many gods.

` As part of this belief, theAs part of this belief, the

Aztecs conquered other Aztecs conquered other groups of people aroundgroups of people aroundthem.them.

` They used these people toThey used these people togrow food for themselvesgrow food for themselvesand their gods. They alsoand their gods. They alsooffered the people to their offered the people to their gods.gods.


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Aztec CultureAztec Culture

The Aztecs did manyThe Aztecs did manythings, such as:things, such as:` make chocolatemake chocolate

popular.popular.` made a strong systemmade a strong system

of trade.of trade.

` farming.farming.` conquer many lands.conquer many lands.


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Some important things to knowSome important things to know

` The Aztecs began moving into the area of The Aztecs began moving into the area of Mexico City between the 1200s and 1300s.Mexico City between the 1200s and 1300s.

` The Aztecs had a strong belief in manyThe Aztecs had a strong belief in manydifferent gods.different gods.

` The Aztecs leaders were consideredThe Aztecs leaders were consideredemperors and had a lot of power. Someemperors and had a lot of power. Some

were thought to be gods.were thought to be gods.` The Aztecs believed in human sacrifice asThe Aztecs believed in human sacrifice as

part of their religion.part of their religion.


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Aztecs and the SpanishAztecs and the Spanish

` In the 1500s, MontezumaIn the 1500s, Montezumabecame the emperor .became the emperor .

` In 1519, the SpanishIn 1519, the Spanish

conquistador conquistador HernanHernanCortez came to the AztecCortez came to the Aztecregion hoping to find gold.region hoping to find gold.

` Supposedly, the AztecsSupposedly, the Aztecsbelieved one of their godsbelieved one of their godswould arrive in their landwould arrive in their landon that same day thaton that same day thatCortez arrived.Cortez arrived.

` Cortez resembled one of Cortez resembled one of the Aztec gods. Thethe Aztec gods. TheAztecs welcomed him intoAztecs welcomed him into

their city.their city.` The Spanish took over theThe Spanish took over theregion, keepingregion, keepingMontezuma in power butMontezuma in power butholding power over him.holding power over him.

` The Spanish and AztecsThe Spanish and Aztecsended up having a war ended up having a war and frequent battles.and frequent battles.


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The End of the Aztec EmpireThe End of the Aztec Empire

` In 1521, the Spanish hadIn 1521, the Spanish hadconquered most of theconquered most of theAztec land and claimed it.Aztec land and claimed it.

` The Spanish destroyed theThe Spanish destroyed theAztec capital and built their Aztec capital and built their own city on it.own city on it.

` The Aztecs eventuallyThe Aztecs eventuallybecame part of thebecame part of theSpanish empire.Spanish empire.Descendents live there toDescendents live there tothis day.this day.


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The Incas

The Incas were a group of Native Americans that livedin South America.

The Incas lived in a mountainous area stretching fromnorthern Peru and Ecuador to Chile.The capital of the Inca lands, Cuzco (also called Cusco)is the oldest American city that has had peoplecontinually living in it.


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The Inca Life

The Incas created a long-lasting civilization.

The Incas grew crops andused llamas to move items.Incas often painted their faces for ceremonies. Boyspierced their ears.Emperors ruled the Incanpeople.

Life was tough in themountain areas and peopleworked hard.Incas relied on animals suchas alpacas for wool.Incan artists were known tomake beautiful pottery, cloth,

and statues from gold andsilver.


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The Inca Culture

The Incas relied on storytellers to remember their history.The Incas built temples,buildings, and 10,000 milesof roads.The Incas sometimes

sacrificed children to their gods.The Incas used a quipa (ropewith knots), to keep track of time and other items.


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Some important things to know

The Incas began to conquer weaker tribes around 1200AD. They started to formtheir own large civilization.Between 1440 and 1493, theIncas made their largestgains in land.

In 1532, the Inca way of lifewould change forever.


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The Incas and the Spanish

In 1532, Spanishconquistador FranciscoPizarro landed in SouthAmerica.That year, Pizarro met withthe Incan leader, Atahualpa.Pizarro tricked Atahualpa to

meet him at his camp. Duringthe meeting, Pizarro had theIncan leader killed.

In 1533, Pizarro made avoyage to the Incan capital atCuzco. He hoped to take itover because they no longer had a leader.From there, the Spanishslowly gained control of Incan land.Some Incans fought back,but the Spanish eventuallytook over their land.


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The Mayans

The Mayans were a group of people wholived in Central America, including

Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras.They were known for their study of math,calendars, and astronomy.Their culture is often called a stone age

culture because they worked little with metalsand mostly with primitive tools.


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Mayan Life

Mayans were mainly farmers. They spentmost of their life growing maize, squash,

beans, and sweet potatoes.Mayans had a class system. That meanspeople were in different levels of their society.At the top were kings and their family. These

were called the nobles. The kings pickedpriests to help them run their government.After this, came commoners and slaves.Mayan families lived together. Only those

from noble, or royal, families went to school.


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Mayan Culture

While most cultureslooked for gold, Mayans

liked something else.They preferred thegreen gem called jade .The Mayans lived in ahumid area. Their rainyseason lasted from Mayto December. Humiditytends to be 80%

The Mayan populationwas not large becausethey were often on themove.The Mayans used slashand burn farming. Thismeans they cut down

trees, burned the woodfor fertilizer, and farmedon it.Corn, called maize , wasthe chief crop.


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Some important things to

know.The Mayans created an early number system based on dots and lines.The Mayans had a sophisticatedcalendar that kept track of days quitewell.

The Mayans were one of the earliestcultures that developed a symbol for zero.


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The Mayans and the Spanish

In the late 1400s and1500s, the Spanish

visited Central America.During their stay, theSpanish conquistadorstried to take over theMayan lands.The Maya fought backagainst the Spanish.

The Mayans often burntSpanish settlements or offered safety to nearbyMayan villages as a way tostop the Spanish fromdestroying their civilization.The Spanish never took toomuch control of Mayan land.

However, Mayan populationof 400,000 slowly dwindledbecause of diseases thatEuropeans brought.


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A look back

The civilizations of the Mayans, Incas, andAztecs still exist today. People from these tribeshave become part of other populations. Yet,many still hold on to some cultures, traditions,and beliefs found from these ancient tribes.

These serve as a proud reminder of three greatgroups of people who lived in early America.

aztecs incas mayans

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