Mukhtar's Ancient Civ

A Look at the

Mississippian, Maya,

Aztec and Inca

AnciCenivtilCizivaitliiozantsions
of the WBy: estern
HemBisyp:here

Mukhtar Ali

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 B.C. Stands for, Before christ
for when looking at A.D. Stands for, Anno Domini

dates?

What does A.D. stand
for when looking at

dates?

What does B.C.E. stand B.C.E Stands for, Before Common Era
for when looking at
dates?

What does C.E. stand C.E Stands for, Common Era
for when looking at

dates?

What do c. and ca. C. Stands for, Circa
stand for when looking

at dates?

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

The mississippians were very creative and created a lot of
interesting things. For example, Mounds, effigy heads, little
statues of people, pottery, shells and chunky, deities, blades,
and iconography. They also did a lot of activities like hunting
food, farming, they even fished. Some things that they used
to hunt are bows and arrows, arrowheads, hammerstones,
scrapers, and even knifes. The things that they hunted with
those tools were deer, turkeys and other small animals like
them. For farming they used stone axes, digging sticks, and
fire but corn, bean, squash, sunflower, goosefoot, sumpweed
and some other plants were cultivated.

How the mississippians lived was not that far different
from how we lived. They have their own beliefs like we do.
The government in their period was called the chiefdom and
whoever was the chiefdom had to be a great leader and
other mississippians often respected them and prayed to
them a lot. The chiefdoms job was to look over the crops and
to make sure other mississippians land was maintained. Do
you remember how i said that mississippians are very
creative and created some mounds. Well, those mound
builders worship the sun. The leader of the mound builder
gets the name/title the great sun and the leader of war AND
a tattooed serpent. When the leader dies the wives and kids
get killed to to join the leader in the afterlife

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 approximate Latitude is 30° and the approximate longitude is 92°
What might the climate be like in this location based on the latitude and longitude?
How would this affect the way people live in this area?

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!

Text goes here What is
this?

Text goes here What is the
Text goes here circle on the
Text goes here left side of the
Text goes here
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?

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?

The serpent mound is Archaeologists think that

about 1,300 feet long native americans made

and 3 feet high and it has this mound because it

seven winding coils. points to east and west

and they attributed

spiritual powers to

snakes.

Archaeologists believe The relationship I can Danielle Knight GO Interactive, 2015
that the serpent mound make with the
was influenced by the mounds and the

contemporary people who made
Mississippian culture. them is that everyone
believes in their own
Who is believed to have created
it? thing.

What relationship generalization
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? The government in the mississippian period was
Did powerful relationships exist called the chiefdom. A chiefdom was an organization
based on leadership. Their leader was a chief and he
between the people and their looked over crops. And made sure peoples land was
leaders? maintained. The people often respected their leader

How was their society set up? and prayed to him
What were the types of jobs
people had? Were the jobs people The society was divided to chiefdom and ranked by
did purposeful for the civilization? their societies a chiefdom is a human organization

with social ranking as a fundamental of their
structure.

Describe their religion. Did the The mound builders worshiped the sun. The mound
relationship the people had with builders had their religious leader get the title the
their gods and religious leaders
great sun and the leader of war and a tattooed
follow rules? serpent. Their religion centered around a sun
temple. When Great sun or tattooed serpent died
What did the people invent, create, the wives and kids of them got killed to join them in
or trade that allowed them to
exchange ideas or values with the afterlife.
others they had relationships
with? The mississippians were very creative and created a
lot of things like Mounds, effigy heads, people

(statues), pottery, shells and chunky, deities, blades,
and iconography.

What was the agriculture like? The mississippians grew corn, beans, squash,
What food did they eat? How sunflower, goosefoot, sumpweed, pipes, and the
others were cultivated. They grew much of their food
did they grow it? What in small gardens using simple tools like stones, axes,
relationships did the people
have with their environment? digging sticks, and fire they are almost always
outside and only inside when the weather got too
cold outside. They hunted animals for fur coats and

meat to eat.



● Tribes back then were very different
then how we live right now

● Their were mostly tribes in the U.S
● All tribes had a unique way of

surviving
● Some tribes were nomadic so they

can stay with the bison so they can
feast on them but others stayed in
one place and mostly farmed.

● The Mayans developed in
Central America

The Maya

At the end of this unit,
you will insert at least
three images on this page
that you feel represent
the Mayan people. *You
must discuss these
pictures in your
paragraph on the next
slide!

Delete this text box when
this is complete.

At the end of this unit, write a well-developed
two-paragraph essay in this space. Your first
paragraph should explain who the Maya people
were and details about their civilization (fact based
EXPLICIT information). Your second paragraph
should be your interpretation of the information
(INFERENTIAL) and answer one of these three
questions:
● How did the relationships the Maya had with

each other and their environment affect their
civilization
● How did the Mayans beliefs influence their
actions?
● How did where the Mayan people live affect
how the Mayan people live?

*Note: Your pictures on slide 12 should relate to
this paragraph!

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?

5.2 North. 86 South. Relative
Location: Honduras

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

It will be very humid and they will live
in rainforest and get a decent amount
of rain.

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

It will help them make it easier for
them to farm to get food.

The Mayan Government/
Social Structure

King/ Rulers
Priests
Nobles

Military

Comuners
Overview of Mayan government:

Mayan Religion Mural

or Our Mural We Chose To Draw 3 Different Layers Being
Comuners, Kings, and Gods. Why We put the gods at the top is
becauses the mayans worshipped

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.

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? During the mayan time there were independent
Did powerful relationships exist city states that were mostly ruled by a king and

between the people and their priest. Their were no standing armies but
leaders? warfare played an important part in political
scenarios were they were worshipping the king.

How was their society set up? There are many different levels of the mayan
What were the types of jobs society. The highest standards are the kings. The
people had? Were the jobs people kings are the most valued. Then comes nobles
did purposeful for the civilization? and priests. These people also live in luxury but

Describe their religion. Did the not as respected. Then comes the craftsmen
relationship the people had with who live a hardworking life but still have a little
their gods and religious leaders
respect. Finally, there are the peasants who
follow rules? have rights but no respect.

What did the people invent, create, The Mayan religion wasn’t just simply worshiping gods of nature.
or trade that allowed them to Instead they the gods that they worshipped composed into 3
exchange ideas or values with groups and they were; The Heavens, The Earth, and The
others they had relationships
with? Underworld. The worshippers strongly believed in a relationship
between the supernatural and human beings. The early Mayans
What was the agriculture like? believed in human sacrifice practiced partially by priests. Some
What food did they eat? How ways that they worshipped gods were by; Preparing food without

did they grow it? What salt or chilli, Periods of celibacy, fasting, praying and burning
relationships did the people incense, and offering of flowers and fragrant herbs.
have with their environment?
Mayans often trading materials. They traded things such
as salt, cotton, mantels, slaves and quetzal feathers.

They often had to make or plan these things in order to
trade with other tides. They often had to trade by

sending things over sea. Some items that were traded
were grown by outside farmers and then set to the city.

Trading was a big part of the mayan civilization

The mayans were skillful farmers. They used their knowledge
of calendars and seasons to help. The soil was dry and rocky

with little lakes. They grew a large variety of fruits and
vegetables. They used simple tools such as digging sticks, fire,

and wood tools. They also domesticated animals such as
turkeys and dogs for eating.

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?

19 north, 99 west. By Mexico City

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

Rain is very common so they would
have a lot water and plants. And also
humid.

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

Even though they are near the
equator they still have to prepare for
colder climate because of elevation.

The Aztec Government/

Social Structure

Emperor/ King/ Huey
Tlatcani

The Government was
similar to a monarchy.
The Emperor or king

had the power and
decided when to go to

war

Tecuhtli
Tecuhtli is right below the
emperor in power. They ruled
every state besides the
capital that the emperor

ruled.
Pipiltin
The Pipiltin are right below Tachuhtli.
They are the only class that can wear
fancy and rich cloths. They also get
pretty high ranks in the army and in the
government. They are also do court.

Pochteca
The Pochteca job was very important to the aztec civilization.
Their job was to walk far distances to gather valuables like

gold and resources.

Macehualtin
Macehualtin people were basically people who did work for the society like farm hunt food fish

and all of that stuff.

Slaves
People could only become a slave if they did a crime or have to pay a debt. The children of

Aztec Sun Stone
Calendar

Why I drew this kind of sun stone calendar that
looks like a butterfly is because the sun is in the
air and only shows in the day like butterflies.
Why I put heat waves under the wings is
because the sun's radiant.

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 unlike any other
Did powerful relationships exist kind of government their government was like
a tribute that conquered cities tending to show
between the people and their
leaders? an increase in resources. The cause of this is
because they have better forms of
How was their society set up? communication to others.
What were the types of jobs
people had? Were the jobs people The Aztec society was made up of tecuhtli as the most powerful to
did purposeful for the civilization? the pipiltin, pochteca, macehualtin, slaves as the least powerful.
Tecuhtli is the rulers of the society. The rights and respect keep
Describe their religion. Did the
relationship the people had with going down as each tier. The pipiltin was the ruler of the city
their gods and religious leaders states. The pochteca was the last tier of the easy life. They would

follow rules? help rule the city states. The Macehualtin was the commoner
group. Most people were from this tier. Finally, the slaves got no
What did the people invent, create, rights. Although, the slaves could buy their respect and freedom
or trade that allowed them to
exchange ideas or values with unlike the other Ancient Civilizations.
others they had relationships
with? Aztecs were primarily warriors. Wars weren’t only
to gain territory, it was to capture prisoners for to
sacrifice to gods that they worshipped. Although if

they lost in war it was a disgrace to whoever
caused it and eventually led to their sacrifice.
Sacrifice was probably the aztecs number one way

of worshipping gods.

The Aztecs invented many things. One of these things
is the sunstone calendar. They made it out of molten
lava in the late 15th century. It helped them to tell

when certain days were favorable and others that
weren't. They had tools made from obsidian, bone,
and stone. They made medicine to help treat illnesses

from plants. They also invented aquadocs.

What was the agriculture like? Aztecs were pretty skilled farmers let me show you
What food did they eat? How why. One way they were skilled is they were one of the

did they grow it? What first civilizations to make paper out of Bark. Another
relationships did the people cool thing they did did was make beer out of cactus.
have with their environment? They farmed some Crops some such as Squash, Cactus
and Beans. Agriculture was hard to maintain because
huge swarms of Locust could descend on their crops

and destroy them. One cool food they made was
grinding chillies in a chilli paste.

Ancient Aztec
Concept Map





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?

21 degrees south, 67 degrees west.

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

The climate would be very humid but
pune to drought.

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

It wouldn’t be that hard to farm ut
they could get in some danger if
there's a drought.

The Inca Government/
Social Structure

The Inca Government:

Inca Social Structure

The noble class includes the Sapa Inca (which was
literally a god on earth and was sacred), the Villac Umu,
the royal family, the inca class (the noble class), and the
Inca-by-privilege. These people established the city of
Cuzco and were respected. The inca-by-privilege were
almost as high in class as the nobles, but were not
considered real inca.

Public Administrators
Curacas- They were the leaders of Inca tribes that they conquered. If they reported to the Inca
they could keep their position
Tax Collectors- They kept watch over a family to make sure that they paid their taxes.
Record Keepers- They kept track of who paid their taxes and they worked in the government.

Communers class was the lowest rung of the Inca SOcial Structure. They
were usually Farmers or Craftsman. They had to pay the Taxes the

government put out and had to work on projects such as build temples
and bridges. Even though they were so low in the Social Class the

Craftsmen were very skilled and no Mortar was required to keep objects
together. Craftsmen were also paid but not with money but food.

The Ayllu The ayllu was made up of a number of families that worked
together almost like one large family. Everyone in the empire was
part of an ayllu. The ayllu also had to pay tax.Women married as
young as twelve and were generally married by the age of 16. Men
were married by the age of 20.

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’’s leader was the Inca in the family meaning they had Inca as there
Did powerful relationships exist middle name. They Inca government was a functioning Theocracy. This meant
that they thought the Sapa inca or the leader was both god and man. The Inca
between the people and their government was in Charge of taking care of people This meant for example if
leaders? there was a drought the government would distribute food. The government
also had a imperial system which meant every place they conquered had to pay
public tax which meant they had to work on bridges and building temples. This

is how the Inca government worked.

How was their society set up? The Inca had a very interesting Society. To start they had four base positions, The Noble
What were the types of jobs Class, Public administrators, Commoners and the Alyts.. The Noble Class included all the
people had? Were the jobs people
did purposeful for the civilization? high end afficals and of course the leader of the Inca the Sapa inca. In the Public
Administrators you had the Curacas, who were the leaders of the different tribes. You
also had the Collectors who watched and collected Taxes from the families, there were

also the Record Keepers who kept public records of everything that happens in the
society. Next, were the commoners who were either Craftsmen or Farmers. Another part
of Society was the Allies who were a bunch of families who worked together as one large

family.

Describe their religion. Did the The Inca religion consisted of gods and goddesses and they worshipped them
relationship the people had with so much that they would sacrifice themselves for the gods. They most
their gods and religious leaders important deities would include Hanan Pacha were Inti which was the sun god
and Mama Quilla which was the moon god. In some Inca religions gods and
follow rules? goddesses showed overlapping divine powers. The upper pantheon consisted
of crater sky weather complex with three main points. This includes Viracocha,
the creator;Inti, the sun god and ancestor of ruling destiny and finally Illipa,
the thunder of weather god.

What did the people invent, create, One thing that the inca invented was their own secret language
or trade that allowed them to Quechua which is pretty smart. They also invented perfect
exchange ideas or values with sculpted building that came out to look pretty good in those
others they had relationships
with? days. The invented miles of road. Everyone was well fed and no
one was homeless. Although they never invented the wheel or a

way of righting they still lasted 100 years.

What was the agriculture like? Inca were great farmers. They mostly grew potatoes, corn
What food did they eat? How
and quinoa, which was used to make soup. They kept
did they grow it? What domesticated bees for honey. They also grew many other
relationships did the people things, including pineapples. They grew more food than
have with their environment? they needed, even and stored them in store housing for
later use. They used terrace farming which helped them to
farm in mountain areas. They used llamas to get around

Ancient Inca
Concept Map