lesson 1: geography of south america use with pages 186–189. · 42 unit 3, chapter 7, lesson 1...

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42 Unit 3, Chapter 7, Lesson 1 Summary Quick Study

Name Date

Lesson 1: Geography of South AmericaVocabulary

Lesson 1 Summary

Use with pages 186–189.

wetland an area of very moist soil, such as a swampbiome a place that has a particular climate and types of plants and animalsscrub land an area where plants grow lowarchipelago a group of islands

A Land of World RecordsSouth America is a land of world records. It hasthe world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls. It hasthe world’s second longest river, the AmazonRiver. It has the world’s largest rain forest, theAmazon rain forest. It has the world’s largestwetland, the Pantanal. And it has the world’slongest mountain chain, the 4,500-mile-longAndes Mountains. High in the mountains thereare glaciers. People have lived in the harshAndes for thousands of years, including on theAltiplano. The Altiplano is a region of highplains and plateaus. People could farm potatoes,grain, and maize (corn) in this cold, dry place.Two animals, the llama and the alpaca, werefirst domesticated on the Altiplano.

Lake TiticacaLake Titicaca lies on the Altiplano in thepresent-day countries of Bolivia and Peru.Some ruins at Lake Titicaca are more than2,000 years old. Lake Titicaca has a mildclimate. One advantage of living near the lakeis that many rivers flow into the lake. Theserivers provide fresh water and fish. The landnear the lake can grow crops such as maize,potatoes, and barley. Reeds grow at the edge ofthe lake. People have been using the reeds tomake boats to sail on the lake since ancienttimes.

Many LandscapesSouth America is home to many differentkinds of biomes. Biomes are places with theirown type of climate and own types of plantsand animals. Grasslands, deserts, and rainforests are types of biomes. The AndesMountains run along the western edge ofSouth America. They run through both thenorthern and southern parts of the continent.The Amazon River is in the north. The riverdrains the Amazon rain forest. The EasternHighlands are mountains in the northeast. Alsoin this region are the Guiana Highlands, a landof tropical forests. Central and southern SouthAmerica are different. This area is a land ofplains. The Atacama Desert is in the northernpart of the present-day country of Chile. Muchof southern and central South America isscrub land, or an area where plants grow lowto the ground. The Pampas, a huge grassland,sits at the southern end of the plains. Thesouthern tip of South America is made up ofan archipelago, or group of islands. It iscalled Tierra del Fuego.

The Peoples of South AmericaPeople have lived in all of the different regionsof South America. Only a few of the earlypeoples created large civilizations. This may bebecause mountains and forests separated peoplefrom one another. Yet a civilization did grow ina surprising place, the rugged Andes Mountains.

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Lesson 2: The Chavín and the Mochica

Lesson 2 Summary


The ChavínFrom about 900 B.C. to 200 B.C., the Chavíncivilization lived in the Andes Mountains inthe present-day country of Peru. The Chavínlived here even though Peru is a rough land.Its coasts are dry and its mountains are high.We know about the civilization because of itsruins, especially the city of Chavín. TheChavín were great artists. Today they arefamous for their art. They made textiles,pottery, and stone carvings. The Chavín styleof art is known for its pictures of jaguars,crocodiles, and serpents. Some people thinkthat the Chavín worshipped jaguars.Archaeologists have found Chavín art over alarge area. This may mean that the Chavíninfluenced and brought together the otherpeoples living in the area. No one knows whythe Chavín suddenly disappeared. After theChavín vanished, the ancient people of Perusplit into many cultures. They would not cometogether for another 500 years.

The MochicaThe Mochica civilization began about A.D. 100in today’s Peru. It lasted for about 700 years.These people are called the Mochica becausetheir artifacts have been found in the MocheValley. Like the Chavín before them, theMochica lived in river valleys between the

mountains of Peru. The Mochica were greatartists too. They left behind ceramic pots,woven textiles, murals, and amazing metalobjects. The Mochica were also skilledfishermen, builders, and farmers. Theyirrigated their crops with the water that floweddown from the Andes. Mochica city-states hadpyramids, stone courtyards, and plazas. Theruins of these city-states tell much aboutMochica life. Water jars were painted withpictures of gods and ceremonies. Thesepictures give us information about Mochicareligion. The disappearance of the Mochicaremains a mystery.

Solving a MysteryArchaeologists are still finding artifacts fromthese two civilizations. Every new artifact tellsus a little more about these people’s lives. TheAndes Mountains might not seem to be a goodplace for an empire to begin. But hundreds ofyears after the Mochica disappeared, a greatempire did begin in this region.

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Lesson 3: The IncaVocabulary

Lesson 3 Summary


quipu a rope with different lengths and colors of knotted cord used to keep track of things

A Vast EmpireThe Inca Empire was the largest and richestempire the Americas had ever seen. Theempire stretched down the western side of theAndes. It included dozens of different peoples.Little is known about the Inca’s beginnings.Much of what we do know comes from thearchaeological site of Machu Picchu. It was a mountaintop city that may have been hometo about 1,000 people. Many buildings therewere temples. The city may have been areligious center. Cuzco was the Inca capital.About A.D. 1200, the Inca civilization was not very large. But by conquering someneighboring peoples and forming allianceswith others, the empire became huge.

An Empire Is BornA man named Pachacuti may have been themain reason the Inca built a huge empire. In1438 a people called the Chancas attacked theInca. The Inca ruler, Viracocha, ran away. Butone of his sons, Pachacuti, stayed to fight.Pachacuti defeated the Chancas and becamethe Inca emperor, or ruler. He expanded theInca territory by conquering nearby peoples.Conquered men became Inca soldiers. TheInca army grew in size and strength. Pachacutialso was a great builder. Under his leadershipmany buildings went up in Cuzco. In 1471Pachacuti’s son, Topa Inca, became emperor.Topa Inca conquered many peoples in theregion. He nearly doubled the size of the IncaEmpire.

Empire BuildersThe huge Inca Empire held together becauseof smart government. When the Incaconquered a people, they allowed the old rulerto stay in power as long as he was loyal to theInca. Conquered rulers then had little reason

to fight the Inca, although they did pay taxesto the Inca. The Inca government carefullywatched over the people in the empire. Therewas a chain of command. It included theministers of the empire, the travelinginspectors, and the governors of the provinces.Each governor was in charge of about 10,000Inca subjects, as well as other governmentworkers. When the emperor gave an order, itwent down the chain of command to everyonein the empire. The Inca never developed asystem of writing. But they did use quipu, orknotted cords, to keep records for manythings. We have learned about the Incagovernment from quipu. The Inca also weregood stoneworkers. They cut stones and fitthem together so well that they did not need to use cement.

Inca RoadsThe Inca built excellent roads. In fact, theybuilt more than 14,000 miles of roads to linktogether the empire. The Inca did not usewheels to move things, so their roads did nothave to be of a certain width. Some roadswere not much more than footpaths. Otherswere wide and paved. Inca roads were used byonly the government and army. Some roadsare still around today.

The Inca LegacyThe Inca Empire did not last very long. Yettheir ruins show us that their cities weremagnificent. In 1527 civil war broke out in theInca Empire. Just as the war was ending, theSpanish explorer Francisco Pizarro arrived. Hehad only 167 men. But he did have horses andguns. This helped him conquer the alreadyweakened Inca Empire.

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Quick Study Unit 3, Chapter 7, Lesson 1 Review 43

Name Date

Lesson 1: Review1. Compare and Contrast Complete the diagram below.

2. What world record is held by the Andes Mountains?

3. Why did ancient peoples settle near Lake Titicaca?

4. What are several types of landscapes that can be found in South America? Use the wordbiome in your answer.

5. Critical Thinking: Make Generalizations In which part of South America do you think itwould be easiest for people to live? Why?

Lesson 1 Review


NorthernSouth America

rain forest

SouthernSouth America

desert

Both

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Lesson 2: Review1. Main Idea and Details Complete the diagram below.

2. Where did the Chavín and Mochica live?

3. Describe Chavín art and explain how it has helped us learn about Chavín culture.

4. How do we know about the Chavín and the Mochica?

5. Critical Thinking: Accuracy of Information Do the artifacts that archaeologists havefound tell us how the Chavín and Mochica disappeared? Explain your answer.

Lesson 2 Review


Chavín and Mochica were twoimportant early Andean civilizations.

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Lesson 3: Review1. Main Idea and Details List some of the main accomplishments of the Inca in the boxes

below.

2. Who was Pachacuti?

3. What was the Inca capital?

4. How did the Inca system of government help hold the empire together? Use the wordquipu in your answer.

5. Critical Thinking: Make Inferences Do you think the Inca roads would have been builtdifferently if the Inca had used wheels for transport? Explain your answer.

Lesson 3 Review


The Inca had many accomplishments.

lesson 1: geography of south america use with pages 186–189. · 42 unit 3, chapter 7, lesson 1...

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