Aztec, Maya and Inca Activity Answers

Geography:

Religions: Mayans: What did the Mayans believe was at the center of the earth? A huge Ceiba tree What type of things occurred during Mayan ritual ceremonies? fasting, bloodletting by piercing body parts and drinking a special drink

Religions: Aztec Why did the Aztecs believe it was necessary to sacrifice humans? They believed human blood made their gods happy. What functions did Aztec priests perform? Many! They were super important to the Aztecs. They kept the sacred (religious) calendar that helped determine the growing season for the Aztecs. They also helped settle disputes and determine what the Aztecs should do when faced with conflict. What task did the Aztecs believe was being performed by the sacrificial victim? They believed the victim was a messenger to the gods.

Religions: Incas What function did the Inca priests perform? the priests were in charge of teaching the people about their gods, hearing their confessions of wrongdoing or sin, and forgiving their sins Who did the Incas believe the Inca ruler was a direct descendant of? the sun god, Inti

Religions: c. Were the Mayans, Incas and Aztecs monotheistic or polytheistic? polytheistic How do you know? They each worshipped more than one god. Mono = one and Poly = many Theistic = relates to religion d. Why were the pyramids of the Maya, Aztec and Inca built? to house their deities (gods), bury their kings, center or public life, and where they performed human sacrifices.

Maya:Calendar How was the Mayan pyramid used as a calendar? The pyramid had four stairways each with 91 steps and a platform at the top. This equals 365. Why did the Aztec have two calendars? The 365 day calendar was to help them determine when to farm (agriculture) and a 260 day sacred calendar.

Maya: Achievements What were some Mayan achievements? calendars herbal medicine writing system hospitals paper books schools chocolate concept of zero basketball built hundreds of cities

Maya: Decline What were three different theories for the decline of the Mayan empire? 1.Burden on the common people - farming for the king or work on building projects. They may have rebelled 2.Increased warfare - causing a disruption in trade and people may have fled the cities for safety 3.Climate change - droughts = less food and people fled the cities

Aztec: Video What was the name of the Aztec capital/main city? Tenochtitlan Why did they build it where they did? Sorry this was not in the video. Here is the answer: The War God told them to settle where they see an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its mouth. Why were the Spanish so impressed by this city? When the Spanish first saw the city they were impressed with how clean, orderly and the extreme size. It was far larger than any European city.

Aztec: Decline What were the main contributing factors that led to the decline of the Aztecs? Sacrifices - Had a negative impact in three ways: decline in their population, a hatred by the surrounding areas that they took a great deal of people from for the sacrifices (these people tended to side with the Spanish) and the Spanish may have felt they needed to put an end to the mass sacrifices Religion - Due to the fact that they thought Cortes was a god they let him in easily. (This one historians are not 100% sure of today) Disease - One of the spanish slaves had smallpox and spread the disease Tactics - The Spanish used clever tactics in battle

Inca: What do you think the Sapa Inca was? An Inca Ruler Who was Francisco Pizarro and how did he help bring about the end of the Incan civilization? Francisco Pizarro was the first Spanish Conquistador to arrive in time to kill the Sapa and take over the Inca empire.

Inca: Technology Why were Inca roads so impressive? The 14,000 miles of roads was an all-weather highway system that linked the mountains and the lowlands. What is Macchu Pichu and who “found it”? It was a place of worship to the sun god, the greatest deity in the Inca Pantheon. The explorer, Hiram Bingham, “found” it in 1911.

Timeline: