Charlie's Ancient Civilization Notebook

A Look at the

Mississippian, Maya,

Aztec, and Inca

Civilizations

Ancient Civilizations
of the WBy: estern
HemBisyp:here

Charlie Streng

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
for when looking at

dates?

What does A.D. stand
for when looking at

dates?

What does B.C.E. stand Text goes here
for when looking at Text goes here
dates?

What does C.E. stand
for when looking at

dates?

What do c. and ca. Text gosses here
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

I learned that mississippians are a pretty
sophisticated culture that made, created,
traded, and ate many interesting things
including how their society was set up.
The ate mostly native food such as
cornbean, squash, goosefoot, sunflower,
and sumpweed. They made and created
many things such as pottery, effigy heads,
shells, chunky stones and so much more.
There society was set up as a monarchy,
they had many jobs such as

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? Longitude is 35
latitude is 84 west of south carolina and east of alabama.
What might the climate be like in this location based on the latitude and longitude? Warmer
How would this affect the way people live in this area?

The people would need more water clothing, and shelter from the 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!

The great serpent What is
mound this?

It is an egg What is the
circle on the
I beleive that they used it to left side of the
see the reflection of the sun.I
drawing?
think that they built it to
determine what season it Why do you
think it was
I do notwahsa. ve any made? What was
thoughts why they it used for?
would choose this
Why do you
shape think they
They made this by chose this
digging in the ground
to indent this shape. 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?

In the text it said that a They believe that it
astroid might have was shaped like a
crashed into it to create snake to symbol a
the folded rock creating snake god.
the mound.

The fort ancient The mounds are Danielle Knight GO Interactive, 2015
culture related to the people
because they were

both mysteries of
ancient culture.

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? Government was a dictatorship. They each had
Did powerful relationships exist a leader which controlled a group. They
believed that the leader had some sort of
between the people and their connection to the god.
leaders?

How was their society set up? The society was set up as a monarchy. The jobs the
What were the types of jobs mississippians had were farmers, tailers, warriors, and
people had? Were the jobs people making crafts. If there were no tailers nobody would have no
did purposeful for the civilization? clothes or protection. If there were no warriors they would
have no protection over there own land. If there were no
farmers they would not have food.

Describe their religion. Did the They believe in mythological creatures. The
relationship the people had with customs and rituals that had to follow rules.
their gods and religious leaders

follow rules?

What did the people invent, create, Effigy heads , potery, deities, iconography, shells
or trade that allowed them to chunky stones, scepters, war clubs, and pipes.
exchange ideas or values with They received copper, food, clothing, pipes, and
others they had relationships masks.
with?

What was the agriculture like? They raised native food such as corn beans,
What food did they eat? How squash, sunflowers, goosefoot, and sumpweed.

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



The Maya

The Mayan civilization was a very sophisticated
culture known for the fully developed written
language, Rulers, and with its astounding
astronomy system. For example the mayans
believed that a certain person was chosen by a
god to be the next ruler. And the Mayan
calendar was connected to astronomy. The
mayan also used 2 calendars one was called
the long calender and the other was called
Calendar round. As for the mayan language the
invented the number 0!

The question I chose
to answer was how did where they live affect
how they live. The Maya lived in Mexico,and
since Mexico is so close to the equator it is
known to be “Hot” most of the time. So if the
Maya lived in a hot environment the would have
to farm or cultivate differently then they would
have if they lived in a cold environment. For
example you would have to farm differently if
you lived in Ohio and you moved to Ohio from
Australia.

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? 10 latitude North 90
longitude West.

What might the climate be like in this
location based on the latitude and
longitude? The climate would be
warmer because it is closer to the
equator.

How would this affect the way people
live in this area?If would affect them
badly because it would be too hot for
water and bad for farming.

The Mayan Government/
Social Structure

Kings ruled each
Mayan city. And
there was 1 ruling
family.
Queens are similar to
kings they rule citys
too.
Nobles were government
officials, judges Etc. Also did
not have to pay any taxes.

Priests were the keepers of knowledge.
Also most powerful people. And can
predict the future.

Slaves worked for royal residences. These people were
also the lowest class, and first to get sacrificed.

Overview of Mayan government: is a very very
complex and civilized.

Mayan Religion Mural

There are gods with meanings
and names. These gods are
really important to the mayan
people and culture.

Mayan Language and
Number Systems

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 government had many city
Did powerful relationships exist states.Each city state spoke the
same language. If they had great
between the people and their power they usually had a giant
leaders? army.

How was their society set up? There jobs where merchants,
What were the types of jobs craftsman, bakers, teachers, and
people had? Were the jobs people cloth makers. The kings and queens
did purposeful for the civilization? relied a lot for the people to do their
jobs because they needed things like
Describe their religion. Did the cloth and food.
relationship the people had with
their gods and religious leaders They had a very good religion with
their gods. The mayans believed that
follow rules? gods were the people who created
the world.
What did the people invent, create,
or trade that allowed them to They invented a lot of famous things
exchange ideas or values with like chocolate. They traded things
others they had relationships like food, clothing, and tools/battle
with? weapons.

What was the agriculture like? They raised crops like corn, beans,
What food did they eat? How squash, fruit trees, and pumpkin.
They had a good relation with the
did they grow it? What environment they kept their homes
relationships did the people and crops really clean.
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? 90 degrees west and 10
degrees north.

What might the climate be like in this
location based on the latitude and
longitude? It would be hot because
they are near the equator.The
mountains were also capable of
getting some frost so they had to
farm very differently This is because
the mountains were 7,000 feet high..

How would this affect the way people
live in this area? There might be

The Aztec Government/
Social Structure

The emperor
was chosen by
the the gods
with ultimate
power. Also
primary leader
Cihuacoatl kept government
running daily and had
personal servants.

The councel of four were in charge on running the
government on a daily basis.

The Macehualtin were common people . They held jobs as armers, warriors, and
craftmans.

he Inca Government:

Aztec Sun Stone
Calendar

The person in the middle is the
sun god of the Aztecs. It
comprimised a solar year of 365
days.

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 a tribute and more of
Did powerful relationships exist a system. The Aztecs paid tribute to their
leaders/emperors with a form of money as a sacrifice
between the people and their and with respect.Their leaders were chosen by gods and
leaders? the leaders chose tribute.

How was their society set up? The Aztec society believed in being independent and
What were the types of jobs was a really well-ordered out existence. The Aztec
people had? Were the jobs people society pretty ordered with strict laws to enforce
did purposeful for the civilization? discipline. If they did not follow these rules they were
punished by paying fines and fees. Also warriors, and
priests were the highest rank of the noble class and
were often revered for their powers.

Describe their religion. Did the The Aztecs believed that different gods watched over
relationship the people had with their seeds and plants. Each god had a different purpose
their gods and religious leaders and needed to be pleased with the people in order to
bless them . The gods worked together for the crops.
follow rules? The people believed that their gods needed rest like
them.

What did the people invent, create, The Aztecs made canoes and filled marshes with reeds
or trade that allowed them to and stones to create farmland . They built dams and
exchange ideas or values with dikes for free land and eventually their engineers built a
others they had relationships bustling city with wide plazas and many shops,on a
with? swamp.

What was the agriculture like? One fact about the aztec agriculture there was an
What food did they eat? How ancient god named Tlaloc. He was the god of rain and
fertility. Moctezuma believed that if the aztecs and
did they grow it? What himself didn’t worship the god as he wanted, the food
relationships did the people supply would be wiped out almost instantly. They also
have with their environment? grinded chilli up to make a fine paste.

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 Incan 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?

What is the approximate latitude and
longitude of the center of the Inca
Empire? The center of the inca tribe empire

was located near the city of Cuzco Peru. Peru
is bordered by the east of the pacific ocean.
Columbia and Ecuador are to the north. South
of Peru is the country of Chile. Brazil and
Bolivia are located to the east. The absolute
location of Cuzco is approx. 13’S 72’W.

What might the climate be like in this
location based on the latitude and
longitude? The high Altitude made the temperatures cool during the day

and cold at night. There is a moderate amount of rain especially during the months of
December-March.

How would this affect the way people
live in this area? People would need to dress for

the cooler temps and grow food such as corn, quinoa, and
potatoes the were adapted to the higher elevation.

Map from ducksters.com

The Inca Government/
Social Structure

The Inca Government:

Inca Social Structure

Noble Classes

Public administrators:
Commonners
The Allyu

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? Laws were created by the king and
Did powerful relationships exist passed down by the tax collectors
who also collected taxes from
between the people and their people.
leaders?

How was their society set up? In addition to the noble class, there
What were the types of jobs were also public administrators who
people had? Were the jobs people held jobs of tax collectors and record
did purposeful for the civilization? keepers.

Describe their religion. Did the The people believed that their kin
relationship the people had with was part god Inti the sun god was the
their gods and religious leaders most important of the gods.

follow rules?

What did the people invent, create, The Incas made different instruments
or trade that allowed them to like the flute. They also built a
exchange ideas or values with complex road system That they used
others they had relationships to facilitate trade throughout their
with? civilization.

What was the agriculture like? Corn squash and bean were the
What food did they eat? How primary crops grown by inca. In some
areas the people also ate tomatoes,
did they grow it? What fish and ducks.
relationships did the people
have with their environment?

Ancient Inca
Concept Map