Hadlee's Ancient Civilizations digital interactive notebook

A Look at the

Mississippian, Maya,

Aztec and Inca

Civilizations

Ancient Civilizations
of the WBy: estern
HemBisyp:here

Hadlee Hall

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 Used on the Gregorian Calendar to
mark the time period before Jesus’
dates?
birth
What does A.D. stand
for when looking at Anno Domini.
Also used on the Gregorian
dates? Calendar. It is latin for, “In the year

What does B.C.E. stand of the lord.”
for when looking at
dates? Before Common Era
Used to mark the same dates a B.C.

What does C.E. stand Common Era
for when looking at Used to mark the same dates as

dates? A.D.

What do c. and ca. Circa
stand for when looking Used when you do not know the

at dates? exact time period.

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 great
traders. They made pottery and traded
that for copper, food, clothing, pipes,
headdresses, and masks. They also
grew many things. This includes: corn,
beans, squash, sunflowers, goosefoot,
and sumpweed. Their leaders were
called “suns” because their religion
worshipped the sun. The people believed
that they had connections to the gods
giving them great power They Gathered
around a temple served by shaved head
priests, a shaman, and the village chiefs.
Their greatest mounds were found in the
Mississippi and Ohio valleys.

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 North latitude, 85 West longitude East of Alabama, West of South Carolina
What might the climate be like in this location based on the latitude and longitude?
About 50 to 55 degrees
How would this affect the way people live in this area?

People may need more water, clothing, would need to be lightweight.

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 Serpent mound. What is
this?

I think the circle is a What is the
snake’s eye circle on the
left side of the
Burial ground
drawing?

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

Maybe they chose this shape Why do you
to express a story. think they
chose this
By digging up dirt and
putting it in place. 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?

It is approximately 1,300 feet Maybe the mound was
long, and from 1 to 3 feet high. It shaped like a serpent
is both architectural and because of religion.
sculptural. It has the attributes of
a boa. Its head is to the East and
it’s tail is to the west.

Most archeologists have If you were to make a Danielle Knight GO Interactive, 2015
a theory that the Fort structure like this, it must
Ancient Culture built the have meant a lot to them.
mounds.

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? Led by chiefs called suns who were
Did powerful relationships exist tied to the religion. The people

between the people and their believed the leaders had connections
leaders? to the gods and as such they had
powerful relationships with them.

How was their society set up? Organized with three classes:
What were the types of jobs 1. suns/leaders 2. Elites 3.
people had? Were the jobs people
did purposeful for the civilization? Commoners.
They had traders, merchants,
Describe their religion. Did the hunters and farmers.
relationship the people had with
their gods and religious leaders Their religion worshipped the sun.
They gathered around a temple
follow rules? served by shaved head priests, a
shaman, and the village chiefs.
What did the people invent, create,
or trade that allowed them to They used stone to make weapons
exchange ideas or values with and traded them for copper, food,
others they had relationships clothing, pipes, headdresses, and
with?
masks.

What was the agriculture like? They grew much of their food in small
What food did they eat? How gardens using things like stone axes,
digging sticks, and fire. They grew corn,
did they grow it? What beans, squash, sunflowers, goosefoot
relationships did the people
have with their environment? and sumpweed.

Brainpop Video

● The term ¨Indian¨ is actually not the proper term. They
are actually Asian.

● They American Indians crossed from Russia to Alaska on
a land bridge that is now known as the Bering Strait.

● European settlers made a promise that the American
Indians could keep their land but turned on them.

● Most of the American Indians are gone now. This is
mainly because of disease, Invasion, and some were
even enslaved.

The Maya

The Ancient Maya was a civilization of American
Indians. Their land was near Mexico and modern day
Yucatan. They had their own writing and math
system. They used glyphs to write. Their math
system used shells to represent 0, bars to represent
5, and dots to represent 1. As for religion, their main
focus was the gods. They performed rituals for them
and sacrificed their slaves for them. Their most
important god, Itzamna, was the god of the sun.
Another very important god them was the Maize
God, Hun Hunahpu. The main crop they grew was
corn, or maize. The Mayans were great farmers so
they harvested great crops.

The Mayans beliefs influences their actions in good
ways, and in bad ways. They loved their gods and
would do anything for them, even if it meant letting
someone die. The Mayan civilization sacrificed many
slaves to “please” the gods. This is an example of a
bad influence. They also have good influences too.
Like, the Mayan Civilization believed that their
leaders were chosen by the gods, meaning they
loved their leaders. Therefore, the Mayans had good
influences, and bad influences.

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 west longitude, 17 North
degrees latitude. South of Present
Day Guatemala, West of Belize.

What might the climate be like in this
location based on the latitude and
longitude?
The climate may be very hot and
humid because the closer you are to
the equator, the hotter it gets.

How would this affect the way people
live in this area?
You would have to wear thin clothes,
gathering water would be a huge
struggle.

The Mayan Government/
Social Structure

King/ rulers

Ruling family for each city-state.
Lived life of luxury. Were believed

to talk to gods.

Priests

Most powerful people- The people
believed they could talk to the gods.

Nobles

Did not have to pay taxes. Could choose
if they wanted to have jobs or not. Lived

easy lives.

Merchants and Craftsmen

Some were peasants who wanted a better life and
some were nobles that wanted a job. They made art or

ran businesses.

Peasants and Slaves

Most Mayan people were peasants. They worked very hard. Most were
farmers. Slaves are the lowest class, although they were treated better

than peasants. Usually they were the first sacrifices to god.

Overview of Mayan government:Overall, the Mayan government seems to be based off of
“what the gods choose.” My only question is, how are they actually chosen?

Mayan Religion Mural

By Hadlee, Parker, Jarred, and Nolan

Our Mural is the Mayan people looking
up at the gods. The god they are looking
at is Itzamna. This is the most important
god to the Mayan people.This relates to
the Mayan Religion because the Mayan
Civilization worshiped the gods.

Mayan Language and
Number Systems

This is my birthdate. I was born on
July 21, 2008. In mayan math, they
used bars to represent the number
5, dots to represent the number 1,
and shells to represent the number
0. So my codex says 7, 21, 08.

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 a hierarchical
Did powerful relationships exist government and is ruled by kings and priests. They

between the people and their live in independent city-states consisting rural
leaders? communities and large urban ceremonial centers.
There was no standing armies, but warfare played
an important part in religion, power, and prestige.

How was their society set up? They had farming, hunting, and building
What were the types of jobs jobs. Yes because they needed to live
people had? Were the jobs people off healthy food like meat, and corn,
did purposeful for the civilization? and other grown things to stay alive.

Describe their religion. Did the The Mayans worshipped the gods.
relationship the people had with Itzamna was the most important god to
their gods and religious leaders them. Itzamna was the god of the sun.

follow rules? They highly respected the gods. They
performed rituals for them, and
sacrificed slaves for them.

What did the people invent, create, They made different types of weapons like
or trade that allowed them to swords, spears,clubs, axes, dart throwers,
exchange ideas or values with and more. They created their own advanced
others they had relationships writing system, a math system, and a
with? calender of their own.

What was the agriculture like? The mayans raised beans, maize, squash,
What food did they eat? How pumpkins, potatoes, tomatoes, papayas, and
cacao, tobacco, cotton henequen,vanilla and
did they grow it? What fruit. They ate turkeys, ducks, bees, and
relationships did the people dogs. They had rocky soil.
have with their environment?

Ancient Maya
Concept Map

By Hadlee Hall



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?
25 degrees latitude, 100 degrees
longitude.Located in what is now
central and southern Mexico. North of
Guatemala, West of Belize.

What might the climate be like in this
location based on the latitude and
longitude?
It is probably hot because Mexico is
near the equator. Cold winters.

How would this affect the way people
live in this area?
They would have to wear light
colored clothes to stay cool, and
water their crops more often. Had to
figure out ways to adjust to
temperature change.

The Aztec Government/
Social Structure

Emperor/
King

The people believed
The king was

Given the right to rule
By the gods.

Tuchuhitli

These were the rulers of the individual
city-states. They had the power over

all the people in the city-state.

Pipiltin

This was the noble class. They were able to wear
gold and feathers. They were able to serve as
priests, army commanders, and hold the

government jobs. The king was chosen from this
group

Pochteca

These merchants were valued by Aztec people because they would travel to
trade and bring back luxury items for the nobles.

The Aztec Government:
The next class is the Macehualtin. These were the common people. They held jobs as farmers,
warriors, and craftsmen.
Last we have slaves. People could sell themselves into slavery to pay off debts or crimes. The
slaves were able to buy their freedom. They were protected from abuse , and they couldn’t be
sold without their consent. If a slave escapes and they made it to the palace, they are free.
Slaves can have their own slaves.

Aztec Sun Stone
Calendar

By Hadlee Hall

This is the Aztec stone calendar.
It was carved from solidified lava.
It’s design consists of animals
and many other symbols.

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? For their time the Aztec were very advanced
Did powerful relationships exist in their way of government. The Aztec were

between the people and their ruled by either a king, or Emperor. There
leaders? wasn’t a great relationship, people were

How was their society set up? being forced to pay the leaders of the
What were the types of jobs government.
people had? Were the jobs people
did purposeful for the civilization? The commoners were made up farmers or
traitors to the people. The jobs were

purposeful because some tractors had to
travel the world for the community. The
farmers got the people food to survive.

Describe their religion. Did the The Aztecs had many gods. Their main god
relationship the people had with was Huisilopotchid. They worked a lot on
their gods and religious leaders astronomy and performed sacrifice for the
gods. They worshiped celestial items and
follow rules?
did follow rules.

What did the people invent, create, Money and cacao beans were used to trade.
or trade that allowed them to They also traded a variety of tools, all of
exchange ideas or values with
others they had relationships which were used for trading. They invented
with? the sun stone calendar, their own writing
system. They created aqueducts to bring
What was the agriculture like?
What food did they eat? How fresh water to the cities.

did they grow it? What The Aztecs grew a variety of food.
relationships did the people They grew stuff like beans, tomatoes,
have with their environment?
and squash.They had a passion for
chocolate. They had many rich and
spicy foods. They farmed on lakes.

Ancient Aztec
Concept Map

By Hadlee Hall



Where in the World…
Were the Inca Located?

What is the approximate latitude and
longitude of the center of the Inca
Empire?
72 degrees west longitude
13 degrees south latitude
South of columbia, East of pacific
ocean

What might the climate be like in this
location based on the latitude and
longitude?
High Altitude makes it cool, and at
night it would be cold. Modern amount
of rain.
How would this affect the way people
live in this area?
Thick clothing, grow corn, quina, and
potatoes and adapt to higher
elevation.

Map from ducksters.com

The Inca Government/
Social Structure

Noble Classes:
Sapa Inca - The emperor or king was called the Sapa Inca. He
was at the top of the Inca social class and was considered a god
in many ways. Villac Umu - The high priest was just behind the
Sapa Inca in social status. The gods were very important to the
Inca and the high priest spoke directly to their most powerful
god, the Sun god Inti.
Royal Family - The direct relatives of Sapa Inca were next in
line. They received high positions in the government. The
primary wife of the emperor was the queen called the coya.

Public Administrators:
Kept track of supplies. Each group of families, or ayllu, had a collector who made sure
everyone paid their taxes.

Commoners:
Artisans - Artisans were commoners, but were also considered a higher social class than the farmers.

They worked on crafts for the nobles.

Farmers - At the bottom of the social class were the farmers. The farmers were the most important
class within the Inca Empire. Farmers worked long hard days and sent two-thirds of their crops to
the government. The Inca Empire relied on farmers for its wealth and success.

The Ayllu:

The Ayllu was a group of families that formed together and worked together as noblers or
craftsmen. Craftspeople were paid by the government with food that the government received from
the tax on farmers. Craftspeople also did not have to pay the labor tax called the mit'a.Architects
and engineers were part of the public administration class. They were considered higher in class
than artisans or craftsmen.Certain clothing and jewelry was reserved for the noble and Inca
classes.Nobles and high level leaders, such as curacas, did not have to pay taxes.Nobles were
allowed to have many wives, but commoners could only have one wife.Women married as young
as twelve and were generally married by the age of 16. Men were married by the age of 20.

Inca Religion, Science, Roads, Language

The Inca Technology and Inca roads covered over 40,000
Science was making large km (25,000 miles), principally
roads and bridges, in two main highways running
Quipus, they also they north to south across the Inca
made great inventions
and breakthroughs in Empire, which eventually
Astronomy. spread over ancient Peru,
Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, and
Argentina. Inca engineers
were also undaunted by
geographical difficulties and
built roads across ravines,
rivers, deserts, and mountain
passes up to 5,000 meters high.

The inca math Inca
was called religion,
Quipus. Also, science,
the inca writing roads, and
was the same a language
the mayans,
hylo glyphic The Inca had a very
writing important religion. It
was an important tool
for ruling their society,
and sharing their
beliefs. Their religion
was imposed by Cuzco.
They inherit their own
beliefs and traditions,
and have many major
gods.

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 was a monarchy, led by a king and high
Did powerful relationships exist priest. The government had many other different

between the people and their roles, the highest being the Noble class. The
leaders? Inca government had a high relationship with the
people, having responsibility for caring for them.

How was their society set up? The Inca had many jobs. The lowest ranks
What were the types of jobs normally were farmers, or artisans, making crafts
people had? Were the jobs people for the noble. These jobs help the civilization by
did purposeful for the civilization?
growing crops for food.

Describe their religion. Did the The Inca religion was very important to
relationship the people had with them. They had an immense amount of
their gods and religious leaders gods, and followed rules like having a

follow rules? loving, and compassionate behavior.
They believed in the concept of afterlife.

What did the people invent, create, The Inca traded many crops, and items
or trade that allowed them to hand woven They also invented musical
exchange ideas or values with
others they had relationships instruments, jewelry, and more.
with?
They grew chili peppers, corn, tomatoes, and squash
What was the agriculture like? on floating gardens. They put chili into almost
What food did they eat? How
everything. They made tortillas and flat breads. They
did they grow it? What hunted ducks and turkeys and birds. They ate
relationships did the people
have with their environment? insects, like grasshoppers, and ants. They ate lots of
beans knowing that beans are good for you. The
Incas made a hot chocolate out of the cocoa bean.
They invented a dish called popcorn!

Ancient Inca
Concept Map

By Hadlee Hall