A Look at the

Mississippian, Maya,

Aztec and Inca

Civilizations

Ancient Civilizations
of the WBy: estern
HemBisyp:here

JOJO LUNG

Learning About Time

Watch the “Commonly Asked Questions about Dates” video on
Schoology to learn about the abbreviations/key words listed
below. As you watch, pause the video and write in your own
words what each of these means.

What does B.C. stand Before christ, is the
for when looking at meaning in the

dates? christian calendar or
the gregorian
What does A.D. stand calendar
for when looking at
Anno domini latin foro
dates? in

What does B.C.E. stand the year of the lord
for when looking at
dates? Before common era
this used to be B.C.
What does C.E. stand
for when looking at

dates?

What do c. and ca. Common era used to
stand for when looking be A.D.

at dates?

Cerca wich means
around or near

Multiple-tier Timelines

Multiple-tier timelines use two or more rows of events.
While each row represents a different subject, the time
period is the same.

Multiple-tier timelines can be used to help us look at
cause and effect relationships or patterns and themes
among events in a specific period of time.

We will be using a multi-tier timeline to show the rise
and fall of four early civilizations in the Americas: The
Mississippian, Inca, Maya, and Aztec and look for
RELATIONSHIPS between the dates.

The
Mississippians

n tribe had very beautiful craftsmanship
e style of pottery. They also had a very
aftsmanship. This tribe made the
to believe it was another tribe than the
hen they saw their beautiful houses and
shmen came and saw the beauty and

that was there before the mississippian
had a unique style of food. They had a lot
wwww

Where in the World…
Were the Mississippian Located?

What is the approximate latitude
and longitude of the location you
colored?
What might the weather be like in
this location based on the latitude
and longitude?

What is the approximate latitude and longitude of the location you colored?
33 degrees north and 84 degrees west, around atlanta georgia
What might the climate be like in this location based on the latitude and longitude?
There will be very hot climate and the soil will be good for planting but there could be some sea
storms
How would this affect the way people live in this area?
They will have to wear lighter clothes and have shelter from sea storms and the hot hot sun.

What’s This?

Study this picture and then answer the questions
on the next page.

What’s This?

Use the picture on the previous page to answer the following
questions. *Note these answers are all based on your
observations at this point!

I think that this is the What is
great serpent mound this?

I think the circle is the What is the
head of the serpent circle on the
left side of the
I think this was made
as a spiritual burial drawing?

ground Why do you
think it was
I think they chose this shape made? What was
because maybe is was the it used for?

symbol for death Why do you
think they
I think they dug and then chose this
made a mound or hill over
shape?
the dead people
How do you
think they
made this?

The Mounds

Read the Khan Academy article posted in your
Schoology course: Fort Ancient Culture: Great
Serpent Mound. After you read, complete the
page below with your team.

Describe the physical attributes What do archeologists believe
of the Serpent Mound in your might be the reason the mounds

own words: are shaped like a serpent?

It is the shape of a serpent its They think this because of
length is 1,300 feet and is 1-3 tribal beliefs and it shows
feet tall.the head is to the east time.
and its tail is to the west and
has to do a little bit with time.

The fort ancient culture Because it took a lot Danielle Knight GO Interactive, 2015
who were influenced of time making the
by the mississippians. mounds it clearly
meant a lot to the

tribes.

Who is believed to have created What relationship generalization
it? can you make between the
mounds and the people who
built them?

Research the Relationships

Explore the Mississippian links in the Symbaloo posted in your
Schoology course as well as in the books and other resources available
in class to complete this organizer.

What was the government like?
Did powerful relationships exist

between the people and their
leaders?

How was their society set up?
What were the types of jobs
people had? Were the jobs people
did purposeful for the civilization?

Describe their religion. Did the
relationship the people had with
their gods and religious leaders

follow rules?

What did the people invent, create,
or trade that allowed them to
exchange ideas or values with
others they had relationships
with?

What was the agriculture like?
What food did they eat? How

did they grow it? What
relationships did the people
have with their environment?

BRAINPOP

What I learned during this video is that
the indians most likely came through the
bering strait, also that that a lot of tribes
lived in America. I though thought that
there was only a few tribes in America.

The Maya

The maya had a very unique style.
They also invented the letter zero. They had
a writing system where they drew out
glyphs and when you wrote words you
wrote them by syllable. They worshiped
gods and had a powerful relationship with
their gods you know this because they
sacrificed peasants and slaves (Living
Beings). They also worshiped leaders or
rulers and they thought the rulers were
really close to gods and had an even better
relationship.

The maya also worshiped the priests
because people thought the same thing as
they did the rulers. Some examples of the
gods they worshiped were The Great
Serpent, The Sun God, and The Maize
God.The maya also lived in unique homes.
They looked like pyramids but they were
really homes. This is what I learned about
the maya tribe.

Where in the World…
Were the Maya Located?

Map from ducksters.com What is the approximate latitude and
longitude of the center of the Maya
Empire?
105 longitude, 95 latitude
North of guatemala, southwest of
Mexico and west of belize.

What might the climate be like
in this location based on the latitude
and longitude?
This area might be hot and humid,
also wet seeing that the area s close
to the equator and close to the
caribbean sea and pacific ocean.

How would this affect the way people
live in this area?
People would have to wear lighter
clothing and the environment would
be great for farming. But, also bad for
farming based on how the weather is
at the time.

The Mayan Government/
Social Structure

king/rulers

Ruling family of maya city states lived a life of luxury
and were believed to talk to the gods

Priest

Most powerful people believed they could talk to
the gods

Nobels

Did not have to pay taxes could choose if they wanted to work or
not LIVED THE EASY LIFE

Merchants and craftsmen

Some were peasants and some were nobles that decided to work

peasants/slaves

Most maya people were peasants and slaves normally get treated better than peasants sometimes just because they are
a son of a warrior. The peasants worked hard

Overview of Mayan government:

Mayan Religion Mural

My group and I tried our best to represent the Mayan snake/serpent god as the
main piece of the mural. We also added in a sun calendar/dial, It’s a little messy but
we were in a hurry so we weren’t doing the best. We added some spiritual totems,
since we could not copy them exactly the way they were in the picture we
improvised. We tried our best to work out the entire mural and it ended up pretty
good. I think we could have added more.

Mayan Language and
Number Systems

I chose to write my name in glyphs with the syllabic glyph grid and I wrote
both my nickname name and my real first name. I decided this because I
wanted to learn how to write my name in glyphs and my nickname in glyphs.
I changed up a few parts because in the maya religion some letters were not
in their vocabulary/form of writing. The mayan culture had a very unique and
beautiful way of writing that can be very confusing. But it is also elicit or
drawn out in beautiful ways.

Determine the Relationships

Explore the Mayan links in the Symbaloo posted in your Schoology
course as well as in the books and other resources available in class to
complete this organizer.

What was the government like? The mayan government was ruled
Did powerful relationships exist by kings and priests they had

between the people and their relationships with themselves and
leaders? their gods because they sacrificed
peasants and slaves to the gods and
How was their society set up?
What were the types of jobs leaders
people had? Were the jobs people
did purposeful for the civilization? The mayan society was broken up
into four groups priesthood, Nobility,
Describe their religion. Did the the common people, and slaves some
relationship the people had with
their gods and religious leaders of the jobs they had were farmers
cloth makers, Jewelers/tool makers.
follow rules?
The mayan and their gods had a
What did the people invent, create, powerful relationship because they
or trade that allowed them to
exchange ideas or values with sacrificed peasants and slaves to
others they had relationships their gods.
with?
The mayan traded salt, cotton
mantels,slaves flint and ECS.

What was the agriculture like? The maya grew many crops they
What food did they eat? How grew them in crop fields and ate
mostly corn because that was their
did they grow it? What main crop. It was hard to farm in
relationships did the people
have with their environment?

Ancient Maya
Concept Map

The Aztec

At the end of this unit,
you will insert at least
three images on this page
that you feel represent
the Aztec people. Delete
this text box when this is
complete.

At the end of this unit, you will write a
well-developed paragraph in this space explaining
what you learned about the Aztec people. You
might want to include who the Aztec people were,
what they valued, how their society was set up, the
relationship generalizations you uncovered while
learning about the people, etc. *Note: Your pictures
on page 4 should relate to this paragraph!

Where in the World…
Were the Aztec Located?

What is the approximate latitude and
longitude of the center of the Aztec
Empire?they were close to the
equator and the pacific and
caribbean sea/ocean. Also they were
about in the middle of Mexico.

About 18 degrees latitude and 105
degrees longitude.
Of the center of the aztec empire

What might the climate be like in this
location based on the latitude and
longitude?
The climate would be warm or hot
because they were near the equator.
The winters would be cooler and at
times they got frost. This is because
they are about 7,000 feet in
elevation.

How would this affect the way people
live in this area?

Map from ducksters.com This would mean that the Aztecs
would have to wear lighter clothing
and boil the sea water from the water
from the oceans on both sides of the
area they lived in so they don’t get
dehydrated because the salt in the
water. They would also have to drink
more water.Also in the winter they will
have to wear a little warmer clothing
than in the summer and spring and
farming is going to be hard and
vegetation will not be a good food
source because of the weather so
you need to adapt your plants.

The Aztec Government/
Social Structure

King/Emperor
Huey Tlatcani
The people thought the king
was given the right to rule by

the gods

Tecuhtli
These were the rulers of the individual
city-states. They had the power over all the
people i their city-states , lived in large places,
and were able to choose the tributes

Piplitin
This was the noble class. They were able to ear gold and
feathers. They were able to serve as priests, army
commanders, and hold government jobs. The king was chosen
from this group.

Pochteca, Macehualtin, and slaves Pochteca These merchants were very
valued by the Aztec people because they would travel to trade and bring back
luxury items for the nobles. Macehualtin These were the common people.
They held jobs as farmers, warriors, and craftsman. Slaves People could sell
themselves into slavery to pay off debts or crimes. The slaves were able to buy
their freedom, were protected from abuse by their owners and couldn’t be sold
to another owner without their owners consent. If a slave escaped from its owner
and made it to the place he/she was free, slaves could have their own slaves.

Aztec Sun Stone
Calendar

Replace this sun stone picture with your
own.

Use this space to write a 2-3
sentence explanation of your
mural and how it depicts an
element of the Mayan religion.

Determine the Relationships

Explore the Aztec links in the Symbaloo posted in your Schoology
course as well as in the books and other resources available in class to
complete this organizer.

What was the government like? The Aztec government was less of tribute and more of a
Did powerful relationships exist system. The Aztecs paid tribute to their

between the people and their leaders/Emperors with a form of money as a sacrifice
leaders? and with respect. Some citizens had better rights than

others based on their rank in their society.

How was their society set up? The aztec society in being independant and was was a
What were the types of jobs really well ordered existence. The Aztec society was
people had? Were the jobs people really ordered with strict laws to enforce discipline. If
did purposeful for the civilization? they did not follow these rules they were punished by
paying fines and fees.

Describe their religion. Did the The Aztecs believed that different gods watched over
relationship the people had with their seeds and plants. The gods worked together for
their gods and religious leaders the crops. The people believed that their gods needed

follow rules? rest like them.

What did the people invent, create, The Aztecs invented hot chocolate, poporn, chewing
or trade that allowed them to gum, the sun stone, the Aztec ball and the patolli. They
exchange ideas or values with
others they had relationships traded their calendars and anything they considered
with? luxury was up for trade.

What was the agriculture like? One fact about the Aztec agriculture there was an ancient
What food did they eat? How god named Tlaloc. He was the god of rain and fertility.

did they grow it? What Moctezuma believed that if the Aztecs and himself didn’t
relationships did the people worship the god as he wanted, the food supply would be
have with their environment? wiped out almost instantly. They also grinded chili up to
make fine paste. The most popular foods were popcorn,
maize, avocados, beans,chocolate, and peanuts. They farmed

on chinampas which were “floating gardens” .

Ancient Aztec
Concept Map

Replace this example with your own concept map!

The Inca

The inca had a very unique culture. They had
stoage units all over their lands carrying grains.
They grew crops and “floating gardens”. This
all pointed to how powerful they were.

The Inca went to neighboring tribes and offered
items that were luxery if they joined the Inca
and if the tribes didn’t join the Inca the Inca
would capture them and turn them into slaves.

The Inca had many gods and beleived that if
they didn’t follow the laws the gods would be
angry resulting in an imediate change. That
change would be that all of the crops would die
that moment.

Where in the World…
Were the Inca Located?

What is the approximate latitude
longitude of the center of the Inca
Empire?The center of the Inca empire was

located near the city of Cusco Peru. Peru is
bordered to the East by the pacific ocean. Colo
and Ecuador are to the North. South of Peru is
country of Chile. Brazil and Bolivia are located
East. The absolute location of Cusco is approx
72*W

What might the climate be like in
location based on the latitude and
longitude? The high altitude wade the

temperatures cool during the day and cold dur
night. There is a moderate amount of rain espe
during the months of December-March.

How would this affect the way pe
live in this area?

People would need to dress for the cooler tem
grow food like corn, quinoa, and potatoes that
adapted to the higher elevation.

Map from ducksters.com

The Inca Government/
Social Structure

Noble classes: The noble classes

did not have to pay taxes. They could
choose if they wanted to have jobs or
not. All noble classes lived easy lives. I
they were caught stealing they would
get their hands chopped off.

Public Administrators:These people ran day to day

operations of the gov. There was 3 parts of this, The caracus, the tax
collectors, and record keepers.

Commoners:Farmers are at the bottom of this
social class. There was artisans that were
higher on the scale then the farmers.

The Ayllu: Every ayllu had its own tax collector, and

Ayllus were made up of a number of families that worked
together almost like one larger family. Everyone in the
empire was part of an ayllu.

Inca Religion,
Science, Roads,

Language

Replace this slide with the
template you chose or created.

Determine the Relationships

Explore the Incan links in the Symbaloo posted in your Schoology
course as well as in the books and other resources available in class to
complete this organizer.

What was the government like? The Inca gov. Was a monarchy ruled by the king
Did powerful relationships exist and the high priest. The people believed they
could talk with the gods. The royal family of
between the people and their Sapa Inca were given positions in gov. Laws
leaders? were created by the king and passed down by
the tax collectors who also collected taxes from
How was their society set up? the people.
What were the types of jobs
people had? Were the jobs people In addition to the noble class there were also public
did purposeful for the civilization? administrators who held jobs of tax collector and record
keepers.The lowest was the commoners They held the
jobs of potters, ccraftsme, and farmers. These jobs were

essential to the productivity and growth in the Inca
civilization

Describe their religion. Did the The people believed their king was part god. Inti the sun god was the most
relationship the people had with important of the gods.The Inca believed that their gods lived in the sky, the
their gods and religious leaders
inner Earth and above ground as well. The Inca built many temples to
follow rules? honor their gods. They also mummified their people to preserve for the
after life. It was important for the Inca to follow the laws or they believed

they would be punished by the gods.

What did the people invent, create, The Inca people built a complex system of roads and
or trade that allowed them to bridges that they used to facilitate trade throughout
exchange ideas or values with their civilization. In addition , they created Quipu to
others they had relationships keep track of the resources they had in storage and
with? communicate with other tribes. They created stone
buildings and temples that were so closely stacked that
What was the agriculture like?
What food did they eat? How they could withstand earthquakes.

did they grow it? What Corn, squash, and beans were primary crops grown by the
relationships did the people Inca . In some areas the people also ate peppers, fish, and
have with their environment? ducks. The people used the sun to bake adobe bricks that
they used to build their homes. They used the grrasses that
grew in the areas to create the thatched roofs for their
homes.

Ancient Inca
Concept Map

Replace this example with your own concept map!