1. Mesoamerican & Andean Civilizations
Chapter 8, Lesson 1 -2
EQ: In what ways were the civilizations in Mesoamerica and South America unique?

2. Define Vocabulary: Chapter 8. Lesson 1 & Lesson 2
Mesoamerica (in the reading)
Tenochtitlan (in the reading)
Chinampas (in the reading)
Quipu (lesson 2)
Maize (lesson 2)
REVIEW QUESTIONS #4, #5, and #6.
4. Identifying: What made the Maya one of the most sophisticated civilizations of the early Americas?
5. Summarizing: What contributions did the Toltec make to early Mesoamerica culture?
6. Analyzing: How did the Aztec continue the tradition of building successful civilization in Mesoamerica?

3. Rise and fall of the Maya
The Maya civilization arose on the Yucatán Peninsula and dominated a large part of Mesoamerica between a.d. 300 and 900.
The reasons for the civilization's decline are not clearly understood.

4. The Maya
Maya civilization is composed of several different city-states.
Some city-states with populations of more than 100,000, each governed by a hereditary ruling class.
These city-states often fought with one another.

5. Townspeople (merchants and artisans
Mayan Society
Maya rulers claimed to be descended from the gods.
Peasants and townspeople worked as merchants, artisans, and government officials, but most peasants were farmers.
(COPY PYRAMID instead)
Men engaged in warfare and hunting, whereas women supervised their homes and children.
Rulers
Nobles
Priests-Scribes
Peasants (farmers)
Townspeople (merchants and artisans

6. Mayan Religion Polytheistic religion Divine powers controlled life.
Gods can be “good” or “evil.”
Gods were ranked in order of importance.

7. Mayan Gods
Mayan performed human sacrifices because they believed it will satisfy the Gods
Performed sacrifices as part of special ceremonies.

8. Activity: Mayan Contributions
Read about the Maya (pg )
Identify and describe four major Mayan contributions using a web-diagram

9. Mayan Contributions Video
Watch the following video and list additional Mayan contributions in your web diagram.

10. Activity: Primary Sources
Based on what you have learned about the Maya.
Complete Document #1 and #2.
You may discuss the document with your partner, but your explanation must be your own.

11. Mayan Contributions
Maya writing: hieroglyphic writing system, which they used in books and inscriptions, many of which record important events in Maya history.
Maya calendar: The calendar, or Long Count, of the Maya was based on cycles of creation and destruction.
Mathematics: Priests used mathematics for astronomical and religious purposes.

12. The Aztecs

13. Settlement of Tenochtitlan
Aztec migrated from an unknown location to the Valley of Mexico.
1300s they founded the city of Tenochtitlan
Chinapas (“floating gardens” ) allowed them to sustain themselves

14. Political Power
Aztec empire was a collection of small states controlled by chiefs.
The Aztecs' alliance with the neighboring city-states of Tetzcoco and Tlacopan made them so powerful that they came to control most of what is now Mexico.

15. Aztec Religion Polytheistic religion
Aztec religion was a mix of ancient and contemporary religious traditions and was shaped by a belief in the conflict between good and evil.
Religion based on struggle of forces of “good” vs. “evil”

16. Aztec Social Structure
The Aztec king claimed descent from the gods, ruled through a council of nobles and officials.
Noble males served in the military, in government, and in the priesthood.
Lowest class: workers, slaves, and commoners—most of the Aztec population.

17. Aztec Contributions Astronomy: knowledge of the stars and planets
Sun Calendar: The Aztec developed an elaborate calendar that reflected the cosmic cycles of their religion.
Number system based on number 20.
Aqueduct System

18. Aztec Contributions Notes
In your notes, watch the following video and write down additional Aztec contributions.

19. Activity: Primary Sources
Complete Primary Source #3.

20. The Incas: Children of the Sun
Chapter 8, Lesson 2
Vocabulary: Maize, Quipu
EQ: In what ways were the civilizations in Mesoamerica and South America unique?

21. Who Were the Incas?
The Incas were a small tribe of South American Indians.
Lived in the city of Cuzco, high in the Andes Mountains of Peru.

22. Geography Geography helped the Inca grow
Three main geographical regions:
1. The Andes Mountains
2. The Amazon jungle
3. The coastal desert
Teacher’s notes:
Amazon jungle: The Incas must have entered the jungle occasionally, as they knew about the valuable things that could be found in the Amazon, such as wood, fruit, and natural medicines. However, they never established settlements there.
Coastal desert: Between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean is a coastal desert 2000 miles long and from 30 to 100 miles wide. However, it was not completely barren; a few fertile strips occur where small rivers and streams run from the Andes mountaintops to the sea. The Incas traded with the people who lived there.
Each was a natural barrier.

23. The Inca Empire expanded into what are now the modern countries of Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.

24. Inca Government Strong central government.
Sapa Inca: The head of government was the Inca, sometimes called the “Sapa Inca” (“the Only Inca”). The Sapa Inca was all-powerful.
Pachacuti was the leader that brought the Inca together in 1440s.
Teacher’s notes: The Sapa Inca was at the top of the pyramid. Next came the four members of the Supreme Council. Each member ruled one of the Four Quarters that made up the Inca Empire. Each quarter was divided into regions. Each region was divided again, and so on. Judges, army officers, top officials, and tax collectors were all relatives of the Sapa Inca.

25. Activity
Read The Inca and complete the following pyramid which shows the hierarchy of the Inca political organization.
Pg. 155
Complete Questions #1-4 on the back.

26. Inca Society The Incas were divided into nobles and common people.
Nobles govern regions.
Common young men required to serve in the army.
Teacher’s notes: Workers were organized into family units. Each unit had 10–20 people. Their life was not all work: there were many joyous religious festivals. However, they could not do anything without the governments permission. They could not even walk along the roads without permission.
When the Inca made a new law, he told the top tax collectors. They told the tax collectors who reported to them, who told the next level down, and so on, until everyone in the empire heard the news. Since the workers could not vote or voice an opinion, that would then be the law until the Inca made a new decree.
NOTE: The Incas did not invent the alarm clock. It is used in this illustration for humor and to emphasis that every minute of every hour of every day was controlled by a government official. If caught wasting a single minute, a commoner could be severely punished.

27. Service Tax
Local officials kept a detailed census—an official count of all the people in an area.
Each person listed had to pay a tax = forced labor.
People paid their tax each year in physical labor—serving in the army, working in the mines, or building roads, temples, and palaces.
Teacher’s notes: Although the people had no freedom, everyone in the empire was well-fed, and no one was homeless. Everyone had warm clothes to wear. The common people were well treated because they were needed as workers. When times were tough or people retired, the state looked after them.

28. The Incas connected their empire with 14,000 miles of well-built roads.
The roads belonged to the government. No one could travel the roads without special permission.
Inca Roads

29. 1. Making Inferences  Judging by the pictures of the Inca Trail, how did the Inca usually travel? What types of transportation were well suited to the trail? What types of transportation were not well suited to the trail?

30.  Machu Picchu
2. Drawing Conclusions What do the ruins of Machu Picchu suggest about the civilization of the Inca?

31. Quipu The Inca had no writing system.
Kept records using a system of knotted strings called the quipu.
The quipu enabled the Inca to record the number of men who went to war and goods that were exchanged.

32. Complete the Documents #4-6
Activity
Complete the Documents #4-6

33. Before you go…
Think about the Mayan civilization. List 2 facts about the Mayan you remember.
Now, think about the Aztec civilization. List 2 facts about the Aztec civilization you recall.
Find a similarity between the two civilizations.