Download - World History. Today’s Date Early Civilizations of Mesoamerica Page # (Your next available page)
The AmericasWorld History
Today’s Date Early Civilizations of Mesoamerica Page # (Your next available page)
Interactive NotebookTable of Contents
Given instructional sources, the student will demonstrate understanding of the civilization of early Mesoamerica by completing an organizer
Objective
People
Location
Religion
Architecture
Year/Reason Declined
As you read, create a separate chart, like the one shown below for each of the cultures discussed in this lesson. You may use your book, pp. 372-379 to find the information you will need.
When archaeologists first began investigating in Mesoamerica in the 1940s, they discovered a civilization they called the Olmec
The Olmec were also known as the “rubber people” because of the rubber trees that grew in the area
The Olmec were the first civilization that grew in the area, appearing around 1200 BC
They farmed along the riverbanks in the swampy lowlands along the coast of Mexico near Veracruz
They traded for jade and obsidian to make their tools, jewelry and monuments
The Olmec cities were religious centers, containing pyramids in such cities as La Venta and San Lorenzo
Olmec artisans also carved massive stone heads 10 feet high and weighing 20 tons
For unknown reasons the Olmec declined and collapsed around 400 BC They influenced later Mesoamerican cultures with their ballcourt game,
their jaguar gods and their calendar and number systems
The Olmec
Open your book to page 373 Read the story, examine the picture and
read the caption Answer the following questions Name the different objects created by
Olmec stone carvers Based on their large sculptures, what can
we conclude about the Olmec peoples?
Critical Thinking Skills
The first major city in Mesoamerica was Teotihuacan This city was the capital of an early kingdom that arose around
250 BC and collapsed around 800 AD Located 30 miles northwest of Mexico City in a fertile valley,
Teotihuacan occupied an area of 8 square miles It had as many as 200,000 inhabitants at its height It was dominated by the Avenue of the Dead, lined with temples
and finished with the massive pyramid of the Sun – 200 feet high Most of the people of Teotihuacan were farmers, blessed with
fertile soil that made their valley one of the richest areas in Mesoamerica
Teotihuacan was also known for trade, especially obsidian which was used in weapons and tools, their network spread throughout Mesoamerica
For unknown reasons, in the 8th century the city declined, the elite left and the city was destroyed and abandoned
The City of Teotihuacan
Open your book to page 380-381 Read the story, the inset captions and look
at the artist’s representation of the city Answer the following questions How does the evidence of city planning
support the presence of a civilization? What might the placement of the pyramids
at Teotihuacan indicate about the role of religion in this society?
Social History
Far to the east of Teotihuacan, on the Yucatan Peninsula, another civilization arose which was the most sophisticated in the Americas: the Maya
The Maya built splendid temples and pyramids and developed a sophisticated calendar as accurate as any in the world at that time
The Maya were a farming people, clearing away the dense jungle in slash and burn farming in southern Mexico and western Guatemala
Sometime around 800 AD the Maya civilization went into decline and the cities abandoned to the jungle
Why? No one knows but the most recent theory is that overuse of the land produced food shortages and revolts
The Maya cities would not be discovered again until the 19th and 20th centuries
The Maya
Maya Accomplishments
List some of the accomplishments of the Maya. Use a chart like the one below to make your list. You may use your book pp. 374-376 to find the information you will need.
Open your book to page 376 Read the story and examine the picture Answer the following questions Name the celestial events that shaped the
design of the pyramid of Kukulcan Why might the Maya have constructed a
pyramid to show these solar events?
Critical Thinking Skills
After the fall of Teotihuacan, new kingdoms arose in the Central Valley of Mexico, the most prominent being the Toltecs
The Toltec Empire reached its high point between 950 and 1150 AD, their capital being Tula, about 30 miles northwest of Mexico City
The Toltec irrigated their fields from the Tula River and grew a number of crops including beans, squash and chiles
The flourishing agriculture allowed the Toltecs to support a population of 50-60,000 with another 60,000 living in the surrounding countryside
The Toltec were also builders, constructing temples and palaces They were also the first to bring metalworking to Mesoamerica, working
with gold, silver and copper (soft metals) The Toltec were also influential in religion, worshipping the plumed
serpent god called Quetzalcoatl, which was also worshipped at Teotihuacan and the later Aztec culture
The Toltec began to decline around 1125 AD, falling prey to civil war Tula was plundered by the Aztec, destroying much historical evidence so
what we know of the Toltecs comes from legends told by later cultures
The Toltecs
Open your book to page 374 Examine the map and the key Answer the following questions Which cultures developed in the same
heartland? Suggest reasons for patterns you can see in
areas where cities are located.
Geography Skills
On a half-slip of paper, answer the following question
How do you suppose the Mesoamericans were so good with architecture and engineering? Explain
Closure
Today’s Date The Aztec and the Inca Page # (Your next available page)
Interactive NotebookTable of Contents
Given instructional sources the student will demonstrate understanding of the Aztec and Inca cultures by completing an organizer
Objective
The origins of the Aztec are uncertain Sometime in the 12th century they began a long migration that
brought them to the Central Valley of Mexico They eventually settled in the middle of Lake Texcoco, building
their city Tenochtitlan, from which they would rule until the Spanish conquest
Tenochtitlan was a wonder of engineering, built in the middle of the lake, with causeways connecting it to the mainland
Soon the Aztecs used their ferocious war making ability to bring the other lake tribes under control
It was just a matter of time before the Aztec expanded outward, reaching into Guerrero, Michoacan, Oaxaca and the Gulf Coast
From the subject tribes, the Aztec exacted tribute, goods flowed in to Tenochtitlan, enriching the Aztec
The Aztec
The Aztec were ruled by an emperor who had absolute power, and who claimed lineage from the gods
He was advised by a council of lords and government officials The nobility held positions in the government Noble children were sent to temple schools where they learned to be
warriors Once adults, they could continue their military training or become a
priest or a government bureaucrat Most people were farmers, using chinampas to plant as many as
three crops a year Aztec traders did business throughout the empire, also acting as
spies to keep the Aztec informed The main god was Huitzilopochtli, the war god, who demanded a
steady diet of human hearts to keep the sun in the sky Another important god was Quetzalcoatl, who had gone into exile
but promised to return to wreak vengeance upon his enemies
Aztec Society
Open your book to page 378 Read the story, examine the picture and the
inset with caption Answer the following questions According to the illustration, at what age
would a girl learn to weave on a loom? How does the different educational focus of
Aztec boys and girls reflect the different roles of Aztec men and women?
Document-Based Questions
The Inca were just one tribe in Peru, centered on their capital of Cuzco in the mountains
In the 1440s, under the leadership of Pachacuti, they embarked on a campaign of conquest
Eventually they brought the entire region under their control Pachacuti and his successors Topa Inca and Huayna Inca extended Inca control
as far south as central Chile and Ecuador and into the western Amazon basin The empire contained as many as 12 million people The Inca state was built on war so all young men were required to serve in the
army With some 200,000 men, the Inca army was the largest and best equipped in
the region Control of conquered areas was closely regulated, with nobles sent to be
governors, local leaders could stay as long as they were loyal to the Inca Forced labor was an important part of the state – all Inca were required to work
for several weeks a year Laborers could be moved from one part of the empire to another, depending
upon the need
The Inca
Open your book to page 383 Examine the map, read the inset captions Answer the following questions Estimate in miles the length of the Inca
Empire Examine the dates on the map legend.
Then, explain what the map suggests about the relationship between these civilizations
Geography Skills
Open your book to page 384 Read the story about Pachacuti Answer the following question Why did Pachacuti require his other sons to
declare allegiance to Topa Inca?
People in History
Inca Road System
Summarize the ways that the Inca road system unified the empire. You may use your book pp. 384-385 to find the information you will need.
One project that required a great deal of labor was a system of roads to connect the empire
The road system stretched from Colombia to south of Santiago, Chile
People lived by farming, developing a system of terracing on the mountain sides
They grew corn, potatoes among other things The Inca were easily the best engineers among the
Native American peoples Besides the roadways, they built suspension bridges
and aquaducts Buildings and temples were made of stone cut so
precisely that they didn’t need mortar
Inca Culture
As you read, complete a pyramid diagram showing the hierarchy of the Inca’s political organization. You may use your book pp. 384-385 to find the information you will need.
Closure On a half-slip of paper, answer the following
question Why do you suppose the Inca needed such
an intricate road system? Explain.
That’s it for the Americas! Ready for the quiz?