Connor_First-_Final_Ancient_Civilizations_Interactive_Notebook_1 (1)

A Look at the
Mississippian, Maya,

Aztec and Inca
Civilizations

By:
Connor



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.

You will insert a picture in this space of
you holding your completed timeline at

the end of this project!

The
Mississippians

The Mississippians were a very interesting tribe. They have
not had lots learned about them and People are discovering new
things every day! They had many religions combined into one,
They made many revolutionary tools that made their lives easier,
Grew their own food, and finally they had complex governments.
There religion was very cool. In there customs and rituals the
Mississippians worshiped sacred animals such as the serpent.
The serpent was greatly honored they even made a mound for it.
Speaking of mounds the Mississippians built lots of them. They
did this to use them as burial grounds and sacred areas.

The Mississippian government was made of many people.
Many of these people were called chiefs and were like the royal
family. But there was a man called the chiefdom. He gave order
to the city. In return the townsfolk gave him part of their crops
and kills from hunting. People thought of the chiefdom as a
godlike figure who would punish you if you spoke bad about him.
As a result he was very well liked. In the population there were
people called the commoners and the elites. The commoners
were just the normal people but the elites were special. The
elites were people who had a more skilled job than the
commoners. The elites were helpers to the government in many
tasks. The Mississippians also grew many crops. Among these
were crops like beans, squash, sunflowers, goosefoot,
sumpweed, and other plants. They grew these plants in small
gardens. The Mississippians had more squash and corn in their
diets because they grew a lot of it. The Mississippians also
invented many things. These things things include stone axes
and digging sticks (shovels). The Mississippians trade for lots of
things. They traded a stone native to their land and in return they
got food, clothes, pipes, masks, and headdresses. The
Mississippians are a very complex tribe and they also are very
cool one. The things this tribe did are important in history
because they shaped how some places are today.

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?
The states that they are near are Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. The 32.1 north and
82.9 west.
What might the climate be like in this location based on the latitude and longitude?
The climate in this location is warm because it is kind of near the equator.
How would this affect the way people live in this area?
The people would have a greater need for water and would wear less/thinner clothes. Also they
would need more open shelters so they wouldn't get so hot in there shelter.



What is
this?

I think they sculpted the What is the
snake using the mud from circle on the
surrounding areas and left side of the
stones.
drawing?

Why do you
think it was
made? What was
it used for?

Why do you
think they
chose this

shape?

How do you
think they
made this?

Read the Khan Academy article posted in your Danielle Knight GO Interactive, 2015
Schoology course: Fort Ancient Culture: Great
Serpent Mound. After you read, complete the
page below with your team.

Archaeologists believe
that the mound builders
made it like a serpent
because they thought the
serpent was a very
sacred animal or being

and they wanted
To honor it.

The people who
Are believed to have built
this are the Mississippians
better known as the mound
people.

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?

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?



●

●
●

●

●

The Maya

The Mayans are very interesting people. There are many
things we know and many things we don’t. The Mayans
environment and the relationships between the people
affected how they lived in many ways. One of these ways is
that the king looked down on the peasants and never saw
them. This made the peasants feel unimportant but they still
worshipped the king because they believed that he was a
descendant of the gods. Also there civilization was a
agriculture based community because they lived in hot areas
because they were close to the equator.Specifically, in the
Yucatan Peninsula. This also affected what they wore. They
wore thin clothes because the environment was so hot. The
Mayans grew

tomatoes, chote, avocados, breadfruit, papaya,
cotton, tobacco,vanilla, coacao, and a different assortments of
wild fruit. That is why the Mayans environment affected how
they lived.

The Mayans had many beliefs. This in turn made them do
many things that they probably would not have done if they
didn’t believe certain things. One of these things is the Maya
believed that they had to make sacrifices to the gods in order
to keep them happy. They would kill their slaves. This wasn’t
that bad to them because they believed



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?
90 degrees longitude 15 degrees
latitude Relative: Guatemala

What might the climate be like in this
location based on the latitude and
longitude?
The climate is very hot and humid
because it is right by the equator.

How would this affect the way people
live in this area?
People in this location will not wear
lots of clothes so they don’t get to
hot. Also they would wear open
shoes so there feet don't sweat. They
would also need lots of water.

The Mayan Government/
Social Structure

Kings were believed by the
Mayan to been chosen by god

to rule.
The leaders were calle

The nobles are a cabinet of advisors
chosen by the king.

The priest was a very powerful being because the
Maya believed that the gods were very important.
Also the priest told the king the future therefore the
priest had a huge impact on how the king ruled.

The next person iis the Nacom. The nacom was a military leader. This
was a very important rule in the society. The reason is that the city
states were at war a lot and they needed a good war leader.

The least important important people were the commoners The king looked down on the
commoners. They were useless to the king. But they also paid tax with food they grew. The

king also never talked to the commoners.

Overview of Mayan government: The mayan government is a very similar social structure to
many other tribes back then. The mayans system was a hierarchy. This means that they are
sorted based on their importance in the society. The mayan government was centered around
the king.

Mayan Religion Mural

Replace this mural picture with your own.

Our mural has a temple because the temple was
where many people worshiped gods and where
they saw the stars. We drew a sun because they
worshiped a sun gd. We drew a sun dial
because that's how they told time. And finally we
drew the slaves working in the fields.

Mayan Language and
Number Systems

Insert the picture of your artifact
here. Create a text box below to
explain what your codex or stelae
means.

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?
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?

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?

Ancient Maya
Concept Map

Replace this example with your own 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?

Map from ducksters.com What is the approximate latitude and longitude
of the center of the Aztec Empire?

105 west longitude and 19 north latitude
The relative location is Mexico city.It is north of
Guatemala and east of the Pacific Ocean and
West of the Atlantic.

What might the climate be like in this location
based on the latitude and longitude?

The climate will be very hot because it is very
close to the equator. Rain will also be prominent
and this caused it to be humid. They also get
periods of frost in the winter.

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

People in this area will wear thin clothing so
they would not get to hot.They also had to wear
layers to stay warm during frosts. Also they
needed durable crops.They had to have roofs
for the rain.

The Aztec Government/
Social Structure

Huey Tlatoani.
This was their ruler. He

was like a modern
monarch. He ruled but let

the subjects have
freedom.

Tuchuhyili
The Tecuhtli ruled over Tenochtitlan and other
city-states. They had total power over the cities
as long as they made tributes to the emperor.
They were also very rich and lived in very large
palaces within their cities borders.

Pipiltin:The Pipiltin or the noble class were the only the

people who could wear certain types of jewelry and clothes
such as gold and feathers. The pipiltin was the high ranking
person among the army, priests, and the government. They
formed a council which helped to rule the city-states. The
king was chosen from among the pipiltin.

Slaves: The slaves were the lowest step of the society. They had no rights. However, they did have an opportunity
to buy back there freedom with required money. The children of the slaves were not considered slaves. Aztec slaves
became slaves by selling themselves into slavery to pay or punishments of for crimes. The slaves could NOT be
mistreated by their owners, they could buy their freedom, and could not be sold by their masters unless they agreed.
Macehualtin: These were the commoners. This included the farmers, warriors, and craftsmen. Later, the craftsmen
and the warriors began to have a higher position in the society than the farmers.

Aztec Sun Stone
Calendar

The Aztec used the sun stone
calendar to tell the day and
season. They also used it to
know when important holidays
were.

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?
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 Tlaloc the ancient rain god were very
relationship the people had with famous in their religion. The rituals were supervised
their gods and religious leaders by professional priests. Human sacrifices were also

follow rules? part of their religion. They sacrificed humans to
repay the gods. Huitzilopochtli was the god of sun
did the people invent, create,
or trade that allowed them to and war
exchange ideas or values with
others they had relationships
with?

What was the agriculture like? Algae could be made into some kind of cheesecake. Eggs
What food did they eat? How from water insects were very fine meals. The Aztecs also ate
tamales they made from corn dough mixed with chillies and
did they grow it? What beans which were wrapped in corn husks and steamed. Most
relationships did the people Aztecs were vegetarians because the meat was so expensive.
have with their environment?

Ancient Aztec
Concept Map



The Inca

At the end of this unit,
you will insert at least
three images on this page
that you feel represent
the Incan 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 Inca people. You might
want to include who the Incan 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 Inca Located?

Map from ducksters.com What is the approximate latitude and
longitude of the center of the Inca
Empire?
90 degrees west longitude 20
degrees south latitude
It is in the andes mountain region.

What might the climate be like in this
location based on the latitude and
longitude?
The climate will be very hot because
it is so close to the equator.
It can also be cold because the
empire goes far down.

How would this affect the way people
live in this area?
People would have a greater need for
water and they would wear thin
clothes and some people would wear
thick clothes.

The Inca Government/
Social Structure

Noble Classes: The Inca Empire was ruled by the descendants of the

original Inca people. These were the people who established Cuzco. The
emperor or king was called the Sapa Inca. He was was thought to be a god in
many different ways. The direct relatives of Sapa Inca were next in line to the
throne. They held high positions in the inca government. The main wife of the
emperor was the queen. She was also referred to as the coya.The High Priest
was right below the sapa inca in power.Then there was the Inca by privilege as
the inca empire grew, the Sapa Inca needed more people he could trust in the
higher positions in the inca government. There weren't enough of the original
Inca to rule. So a new class was created called Inca-by-privilege. These people
were considered nobles, but they were not as high in class as a true Inca.

Public Administrators:The Public Administrators ran the

government at a lower level. They were the rulers of the conquered tribes.The people
who were part of the Public Administrators were the Curacas, Tax Collectors, and Record
keepers. The Curacas were the leaders of the conquered tribes. They still had to report to
the Inca, but they had to be loyal to keep their job. For every family and ayllu, there was a
tax collector to watch them. He made sure that the family/ ayllu paid their taxes. There
was also a very strict ranking society for all the tax collectors. The highest tax collector in
the society watched over the people below. The record keepers kept track who paid their
taxes and who didn’t. They also kept track where all of the supplies were.

Commoners:Artisan: The artisan were the commoners. But they were higher

than the farmers because they did crafts like pottery and on gold jewelry.

Farmers: The farmers were the most important part of the society. They worked long
hard hours and 2/3rds of their crops went to the government. The government relied
on them for food.

Ayllu: The Ayllu was a group of families that had many rolls. Every family was sorted into

an Ayllu. Each group had its own tax collector. The families all acted like one large family. Also
they had an assigned land that they lived in.

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? Next in line to the Sapa Inca was the
Did powerful relationships exist viceroy, or Inkap Rantin. He was a close relative of the Sapa Inca. He also worked as the sapa inca close

between the people and their advisor. High Priest - The high priest, called the "Willaq Umu", was also a very powerful man. He was
leaders? probably second in power to the Sapa Inca due to the importance of religion in the Inca Empire. Next were
the Governors of a Quarter .The Inca Empire was divided up into four quarters. Each of these quarters was

ruled by a governor who was called a “Apu”. The Sapa Inca kept a council of men who advised him on
major matters. These men were powerful nobles. The were called the council of the realm. Next were the

Inspectors. In order to maintain control and to make sure the inca people were paying their taxes and
following the ways of the Inca, the emperor had inspectors that watched over the inca people. The

inspectors were called "tokoyrikoq". There were also military generals. The head general was usually a
close relative of the Sapa Inca. These generals were called "Apukuna".There were many other government

officials through the Inca Empire such as priests, military officers, judges, and tax collectors.

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 The most important deities of Hanan Pacha were Inti, the sun god, and Mama
relationship the people had with Quilla, the moon goddess. Inti Raymi was the festival of the sun god, the largest and most
their gods and religious leaders
important Inca festival. The lightning deity also resided in Hanan Pacha. Viracocha, the
follow rules? creator; Inti, the sun god and ancestor of the ruling dynasty; and Illapa, the thunder or
weather god. There was also the Vilcas and they travel around the kingdom to supervise the
did the people invent, create, temples and the religion practice.They practiced daily offering and sacrifices. However,
or trade that allowed them to human and animal sacrifices were held only on special occasions such as the enthronement of
exchange ideas or values with the Inca(the king), when 200 children would be killed, or in times of crises such as famine, or
others they had relationships epidemics. They mummified their dead. The family held a funeral for eight days. Women in
with? mourning wore wore black clothes for about a year. They also cut their hair really short.nca

What was the agriculture like? religion was rich with nature worship and festivals.
What food did they eat? How
discs, jewellery, other figures, and also everyday objects were
did they grow it? What made only for Inca nobles, Some textiles were restricted for the
relationships did the people nobles use alone. It is noted that the pottery decorations, their
have with their environment? textiles, and architectural sculptures of the Incas did not usually
include any representations of themselves, their rituals, or such

common Andean pictures such as monsters and half-animal
half-human figures.

Ancient Inca
Concept Map

Replace this example with your own concept map!