Introduction
The three pre-Columbus civilizations, The Maya, Aztec, and Inca, are three groups indigenous tribes that settle in Mesoamerica, middle America ranging form the 1500 B.C.E as the start of Maya civilization and ending with the Inca civilization in 1533 C.E. These three civilization learned to thrive and evolve with the diverse landform and changing weather. These indigenous tribes are known for their advance skills in math, engineering, and agriculture. Even though these civilization thrive and had advance skills, the decline of the tribes was due to the harsh living environment and foreign invaders.
Task
The students will be able at to at the end of this Webquest:
- Learn about Early American Civilizations
- Differentiate between the different Early American Civilizations
- Be able to write an essay based on learned information
Process
Aztec: This empire existed between 1325-1521. The Aztec empire invented chocolate. The capitol of the civilization was called Tenochtitlánand and Mexico City is built on the ruins of this city. They chose the location of their capital when one of their religous leaders saw an eagle eating a snake on a cactus. This culture was the first to celebrate the day of the dead. The Aztecs died out because of a small pox break out. The calendar that was invented by the Aztecs was 365 days long.
Mayan: This empire existed between 1500B.C.E. - 900C.E. The Mayan were master builders. They had the most complicated writing system in the ancient world. There writing consisted of over 800 symbols. They played a game called Pok-a-Tok that sometimes had life or death stakes. The loser was sometimes sacrificed to the gods. They had advanced agricultural techniques such as terrace farming and crop rotation. The Mayan's had advanced calendars based of the sun moon and stars.
Inca: This empire existed between 1438-1533. The Inca did not have a written alphabet, but instead used a system called khipu. They domesticated very few animals such as llamas, alpacas, ducks, and guinea pigs. The llamas and alpacas were used as pack animals, wool and leather. Where as the ducks and guinea pigs were used as a food source. The Incas were a society that believed in helping each other to grow and prosper.
Evaluation
Conclusion
These are three of the greatest Early American Civilizations that did a lot of things for todays society. They provided examples of farming, math, and astrology. They all were effected by invaders that eventually caused them to be wiped out. These civilizations spanned over many years and helped multiple societies.
Credits
Teacher Page
Target: Middle School ELA
Lesson Expository Writing