The Maya, Aztec, and Inca

Civilizations

Name: _________________________Due: _______________________

Label the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations, Mexico, South America, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Andes Mountains, Yucatan Peninsula, and Peru on the map. Create a map key.

The Maya: People of MysteryChapter 1

Vocabulary

City-state-a city that is an independent political state with its own ruling government

Hieroglyph-a picture or symbol representing an idea, an object, a syllable, or a sound

The Vanishing CivilizationThe Maya lived in southern Mexico and Central America more than a thousand years ago.

After hundreds of years or prosperity, the people left the cities and seemed to vanish into the jungle.

Discovery in the JungleThe Maya controlled a large group of city-states on the Yucatan Peninsula in southeastern Mexico and in the modern-day countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize.

The Maya civilization is believed to be at its mightiest from about 200 to 900 A.D.

The largest buildings in Maya cities were pyramids and temples used for religious purposes.

Mysterious WritingHieroglyphs were carved into Maya buildings and walls.

Maya hieroglyphs had more than 800 different symbols.

Breath on the MirrorMaya daily life revolved around family, farming, and service to the gods.

The Popol Vuh is the Maya’s sacred book.

Serious PlayA game called pok-ta-pok was played in giant ball courts.

The goal of the game was to drive a solid rubber ball through a stone ring.

A game with religious importance; a battle between good and evil.

Human sacrifice was a part of the Maya religion.

Maya Science and Daily LifeChapter 2

Vocabulary

Equinox-one of the two days in a year when there is an equal amount of daytime and nighttime

Maya CalendarsThe Maya, working without scientific tools, calculated that there were 365.2420 days in a year.

The Maya used a solar calendar, or a calendar based on the sun.

They divided their years into 18 months.

Maya astronomers produced another calendar called the Sacred Round.

The Sacred Round was used to track religious holidays and other important events.

Astronomy at WorkTemples were built so the sun would shine on the most important part of the temple on important days.

During the spring and fall equinox, the rising sun shines on a statue of a serpent.

Inventing ZeroThe Maya developed a powerful system of number symbols.

The Maya were the first people in the world to develop the concept of zero.

Where Did They Go?The Maya left their cities sometime in the 900’s.

There are many theories as to what may have happened to the Maya, but no one knows for sure what happened.

1. Farmers rose up against the priests and nobles.

2. Disease wiped out the Maya population.

3. Earthquake.

4. Famine.

5. Drought or heavy rainfall.

The Aztecs: Soldiers of BloodChapter 3

The Eagle and the CactusThe Aztec were originally a nomadic tribe.

The god of the sun told the people to “where you find an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak, build your city there.”

The Aztec found a swampy island in Lake Texcoco, in central Mexico.

The Aztec settled on the island building their city called Tenochtitlan.

Conquering City-StatesThe Aztec conquered the neighboring city-states and incorporated then into their empire.

They forced the inhabitants of the conquered people to send valuables to Tenochtitlan.

The Legend of the Five SunsThe Aztecs believed that the universe and the sun has been created and destroyed four times in the past.

The Aztec believed they could help their god find strength by offering human sacrifices, often provided by captured soldiers.

Tenochtitlan: City of WonderChapter 4

Vocabulary

Causeway-a raised road built over water to connect islands to a mainland

Litter-a chair attached to two beams and carried on the shoulders of several men

A Floating ParadiseThe city was built on an island in the middle of a lake.

Three causeways connected the city to the mainland.

City Tour“Floating gardens,” or raised garden beds, ringed the city.

In the center of the city is the largest temple called the Great Temple.

Smaller temples, dedicated to different gods, surround the Great Temple.

Montezuma IIAztec emperor in the early 1500’s.

He was carried in a fancy litter.

During his reign, there was a drought, a comet appeared in the skies, and lightning struck one of the temples.

The Incas: Lords of the MountainsChapter 5

Vocabulary

Conquistador-the Spanish word for “conqueror”

Alpaca-a South American mammal valued for its long wooly coat

Llama-a South American mammal valued for its endurance and for its woolly coat and meat

Census-a count of the number of people living in a certain area

The Empire of the SunThe Incas were a people who built a

great civilization on the western coast of South America, what is modern day Peru.

Their civilization was so successful that when the conquistadors arrived, it was the largest civilization in the Americas.

Inca LifeThe Sapa Inca was the emperor of the Incas.

The Incas were organized into tribal groups of clans.

Each clan was responsible for farming a piece of land.

Inca farmers raised lives stock, such as, alpacas and llamas.

For the Good of the EmpireInca families worked for themselves, but they were also required to spend

part of their time working for the empire.

Warehouses stored excess goods for the old and sick, as well as for when crops failed and times were hard.

Officials were sent throughout the empire to make sure laws were obeyed.

One official was called He-Who-Sees Everything.

He would take a census to see how much was owed.

Inca empire only lasted a century.

Inca EngineeringChapter 6

Vocabulary

Terrace-a flat piece of land carved out of the side of a mountain or hill

The Royal RoadThe Incas main road, known as the Royal Road, stretched for more than 2000 miles.

Inca engineers fitted the paving stones together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

They cut each paving stone so exactly that it fit snugly and stayed together without mortar.

Bridges Built for the CenturiesIn order to build roads across the mountains, streams, and canyons of South America, the Incas had to build lots of bridges.

The Incas built a suspension bridge over the Apurimac River that was used and maintained for over 500 years.

Mountain StaircasesThe Inca built terraces into the sides of mountains, creating flat farm fields that could be planted and harvested just like valley fields.

Keeping It All TogetherThe Inca invented a record-keeping called a quipu.

A quipu was a piece of string from which dangled shorter strings of various colors.

Government officials would tie knots on a quipu to record how many warriors were headed for a village or how much corn was in a storehouse.

The Incas also used messengers trained to run short distances at great speeds to carry news throughout the empire.

City in the CloudsMachu Picchu is a mountain fortress that sits in a high valley between two peaks of the Andes.

It was a vacation spot for the Inca emperors.

Expanding the EmpireThe Incas placed less emphasis on sacrificing conquered people and more emphasis on having those people become loyal Inca subjects.

The Incas taught their language to the local people and asked them to worship the sun god Inti.

If the people were uncooperative, the people were shipped to villages where they were surrounded by local Inca citizens, and loyal citizens would move into new conquered villages.

The End of Two EmpiresChapter 7

Hernan CortesCortes was a Spanish explorer.

Gathered support from conquered people on his way to Tenochtitlan.

Cortez the ConquerorThe Spaniards took Montezuma hostage and demanded that he order the Aztec to stop sacrificing to their gods.

Montezuma refused and fighting broke out.

The Aztec had no immunities against European diseases, and the epidemic killed warriors, commoners, and nobles alike.

The End for the IncasThe Incas fell ill to European germs.

When the Sapa Inca died, his two sons claimed the throne, and a civil war broke out.

Francisco PizzarroPizzarro led a group of men to find the Inca empire.

Pizzaro met with Atahualpa, asking his to surrender and become Christian.

When Atahualpa refused, Pizzarro’s men attacked, and captured Atahualpa.

A Deadly Bargain

Atahualpa offered to pay a large ransom.

Pizzaro accepted the offer and killed Atahualp anyways.

The Maya, Aztec, and Inca

Civilizations

Name: _________________________Due: _______________________

Label the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations, Mexico, South America, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Andes Mountains, Yucatan Peninsula, and Peru on the map. Create a map key.

The Maya: People of Mystery

Chapter 1

Vocabulary

City-state-a city that is an _________________________ political state with its own ruling government

Hieroglyph-a picture or _________________________ representing an idea, an object, a syllable, or a sound

The Vanishing CivilizationThe Maya lived in southern Mexico and Central America more than a _________________________ years ago.

After hundreds of years or _________________________, the people left the cities and seemed to vanish into the jungle.

Discovery in the JungleThe Maya controlled a large group of city-states on the ________________________ Peninsula in southeastern Mexico and in the modern-day countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize.

The Maya civilization is believed to be at its _______________________________ from about 200 to 900 A.D.

The largest buildings in Maya cities were pyramids and temples used for ____________________________ purposes.

Mysterious WritingHieroglyphs were _____________________ into Maya buildings and walls.

Maya _______________________________ had more than 800 different symbols.

Breath on the MirrorMaya daily life revolved around family, farming, and service to the _________________.

The Popol Vuh is the Maya’s sacred _______________________.

Serious PlayA game called ____________________________ was played in giant ball courts.

The goal of the game was to drive a solid rubber ball through a ___________________________.

A game with __________________________ importance; a battle between good and evil.

Human _____________________________ was a part of the Maya religion.

Maya Science and Daily Life

Chapter 2

Vocabulary

Equinox-one of the two days in a year when there is an ______________________ amount of daytime and nighttime

Maya CalendarsThe Maya, working without scientific tools, __________________________ that there were 365.2420 days in a year.

The Maya used a _______________________ calendar, or a calendar based on the sun.

They divided their years into ___________ months.

Maya astronomers produced another calendar called the ________________________________.

The Sacred Round was used to track _____________________________ holidays and other important events.

Astronomy at WorkTemples were built so the sun would ___________________ on the most important part of the temple on important days.

During the spring and fall _________________________, the rising sun shines on a statue of a serpent.

Inventing ZeroThe Maya developed a powerful system of ________________________________ symbols.

The Maya were the first people in the world to develop the concept of _________________.

Where Did They Go?The Maya _______________ their cities sometime in the 900’s.

There are many ______________________ as to what may have happened to the Maya, but no one knows for sure what _______________________.

1. Farmers _______________________ against the priests and nobles.

2. ___________________ wiped out the Maya population.

3. ___________________________________.

4. ___________________________________.

5. _______________________ or heavy rainfall.

The Aztecs: Soldiers of Blood

Chapter 3

The Eagle and the CactusThe Aztec were originally a __________________________ tribe.

The god of the sun told the people to “where you find an ______________________ perched on a cactus with a ________________________ in its beak, build your city there.”

The Aztec found a swampy island in Lake __________________________, in central Mexico.

The Aztec settled on the island building their city called __________________________.

Conquering City-StatesThe Aztec ______________________________ the neighboring city-states and incorporated then into their empire.

They forced the inhabitants of the conquered people to _________________ valuables to Tenochtitlan.

The Legend of the Five SunsThe Aztecs _______________________ that the universe and the sun has been created and destroyed _________________ times in the past.

The Aztec believed they could help their god find strength by offering human ___________________, often provided by captured soldiers.

Tenochtitlan: City of Wonder

Chapter 4

Vocabulary

Causeway-a raised ___________________ built over water to ______________________ islands to a mainland

Litter-a chair attached to two beams and _______________________ on the shoulders of several men

A Floating ParadiseThe city was built on an _____________________ in the middle of a lake.

Three ______________________________ connected the city to the mainland.

City Tour“Floating gardens,” or ____________________ garden beds, ringed the city.

In the center of the city is the largest temple called the ________________________.

Smaller temples, dedicated to different ______________, surround the Great Temple.

Montezuma IIAztec ______________________ in the early 1500’s.

He was carried in a fancy _______________.

During his reign, there was a ______________, a ______________appeared in the skies, and________________ struck one of the temples.

The Incas: Lords of the Mountains

Chapter 5

Vocabulary

Conquistador-the Spanish word for “____________________________”

Alpaca-a South American ____________________________ valued for its long wooly coat

Llama-a South American ________________________ valued for its endurance and for its woolly coat and meat

Census-a count of the ___________________________ of people living in a certain area

The Empire of the SunThe Incas were a people who _____________________ a great civilization on the western coast of South America, what is modern day _____________________.

Their civilization was so _________________________ that when the conquistadors arrived, it was the ________________________ civilization in the Americas.

Inca LifeThe Sapa Inca was the ___________________ of the Incas.

The Incas were organized into tribal groups of ____________________.

Each clan was responsible for __________________ a piece of land.

Inca farmers raised lives stock, such as, __________________ and _____________________.

For the Good of the EmpireInca families worked for

_____________________, but they were also required to spend part of their time working for the __________________________.

Warehouses stored ___________________ goods for the old and sick, as well as for when crops failed and times were hard.

Officials were sent throughout the empire to make sure _________________ were obeyed.

One _____________________ was called He-Who-Sees Everything.

He would take a _____________________ to see how much was owed.

Inca empire only lasted a _____________________.

Inca EngineeringChapter 6

Vocabulary

Terrace-a flat piece of ______________________ carved out of the side of a mountain or hill

The Royal RoadThe Incas main road, known as the ______________________, stretched for more than 2000 miles.

Inca engineers fitted the paving stones together like pieces of a __________________ puzzle.

They cut each paving stone so _________________ that it fit snugly and stayed together without mortar.

Bridges Built for the CenturiesIn order to build roads across the mountains, streams, and canyons of South America, the Incas had to build lots of _______________________.

The Incas built a suspension ___________________ over the Apurimac River that was used and maintained for over 500 years.

Mountain StaircasesThe Inca built _________________ into the sides of mountains, creating flat farm fields that could be planted and harvested just like valley fields.

Keeping It All TogetherThe Inca invented a record-keeping called a ____________________.

A ___________________ was a piece of string from which dangled shorter strings of various colors.

Government officials would tie knots on a _____________________ to record how many warriors were headed for a village or how much corn was in a storehouse.

The Incas also used _________________________ trained to run short distances at great speeds to carry news throughout the empire.

City in the CloudsMachu Picchu is a mountain ___________________ that sits in a high valley between two peaks of the Andes.

It was a ________________________ spot for the Inca emperors.

Expanding the EmpireThe Incas placed less emphasis on sacrificing _______________________ people and more emphasis on having those people become loyal Inca subjects.

The Incas taught their language to the local people and asked them to _______________________ the sun god Inti.

If the people were ____________________________, the people were shipped to villages where they were surrounded by local Inca citizens, and loyal citizens would move into new conquered villages.

The End of Two EmpiresChapter 7

Hernan CortesCortes was a Spanish ____________________.

Gathered ___________________________ from conquered people on his way to Tenochtitlan.

Cortez the ConquerorThe Spaniards took ______________________ hostage and demanded that he order the Aztec to stop sacrificing to their gods.

Montezuma refused and _____________________ broke out.

The Aztec had no _________________________ against European diseases, and the epidemic killed warriors, commoners, and nobles alike.

The End for the IncasThe Incas fell ill to European ___________.

When the Sapa Inca died, his two sons claimed the throne, and a ____________________________ broke out.

Francisco PizzarroPizzarro led a group of men to ______________ the Inca empire.

Pizzaro met with Atahualpa, asking his to ______________________ and become Christian.

When Atahualpa _______________________, Pizzarro’s men attacked, and captured Atahualpa.

A Deadly Bargain

Atahualpa _______________________ to pay a large ransom.

Pizzaro accepted the offer and ______________________ Atahualp anyways.