Transcript Mesoamerica Unit

Mesoamerican Civilizations –
The Maya
The Land of the Maya

 Answer the following questions as you read:
1. What modern countries are the remains of the
Mayan civilization found in?
2. What crop was an important part of Mayan life?
3. What two subjects were the Maya very skilled in?
4. About what year did Mayan civilization begin to
decline?
5. What two things killed as many as 90% of the
Maya?
6. What evidence do we have of Mayan civilization
today?
Exit Slip
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 Write one question from today’s lesson you feel
should be on the quiz at the end of the week.
Bell Work

 Choose one of the four pictures below and briefly
explain how it reflects your culture:
Bell Work

How can you use the sky to keep track
of time?
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 http://www.history.com/topics/mayan-scientificachievements/videos/mayan-galactic-alignment
Mayan Calendar

Bell Work

How do the sports we play reflect our
culture?
Mesoamerican Ball Game
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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-RW4JJZvDs
Quiz

YOU MAY USE YOUR CLASS NOTEBOOKS
1. What is an ajaw?
2. Name at least one of the modern countries where
the Maya civilization was located.
3. Name 2 subjects the Maya were very skilled in.
4. What did the Maya develop to keep track of time?
5. Describe the sport played by the Maya. (What
equipment did they use? How could they score?)
The Aztec Empire

The Aztecs’ Journey

 Read the article.
 Underline all of the important dates regarding
Aztec settlement.
The Origin of the Aztecs

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9g9vaIvCfc
Bell Work

Does the way we build our houses,
churches, and other structures reflect
our culture? Why or why not?
Aztec Architecture

 The Aztecs were very skilled builders.
 They shared a lot of building techniques in common
with the Maya (e.g. – pyramids).
Aztec Architecture

 The main difference between Aztec and Mayan
architecture is the way they built their cities.
 Aztecs built their cities on a grid whereas the Maya
had no set layout for their cities.
 The city was built around a central square where
temples, palaces, barracks, and the ball court would
be located.
Aztec Architecture

 The Aztecs also built a series of aqueducts to carry
water into their cities.
Aztec Architecture

 They also built causeways to connect their island
cities to the main land.
City Planners
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 Work with a partner and plan an Aztec city.
 It needs to have the following:
 A city square:
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At least two temples
A palace
Places for priests and soldiers to live
A ball court
 Places for people to live and shop.
 At least one causeway
 At least one aqueduct.
Bell Work

 What is something you think other people would
find strange about your religion if they had never
heard of it before?
Reading Review

1. Why did the Aztecs believe human sacrifices were
necessary?
2. Was being chosen as a sacrifice a punishment or an
honor? Why?
3. How did an Aztec learn to become a priest?
4. What were three responsibilities of the priests?
5. Which priests performed the human sacrifices?
Bell Work

 Make a list of things that you know have more than
one name (e.g. soccer – football, pop - soda). Write
down both names you know.
Aztec Hieroglyphs

 Aztecs spoke a different language than the Mayans,
but used a similar system of writing.
 Both systems were based on glyphs that
represented both complete words and sounds.
Aztec Hieroglyphs
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Aztec Calendar

 The Aztec Calendar was virtually identical to the
Mayan Calendar.
 Both were based on ceremonial cycles and solar
cycles.
 Each had 20 day months, with a 5 day short month at
the end of the year.
 The primary difference between the calendars was
the names of their days and the glyphs used for
them.
Aztec Calendar

 The Aztec Calendar was virtually identical to the
Mayan Calendar.
 Both were based on ceremonial cycles and solar
cycles.
 Each had 20 day months, with a 5 day short month at
the end of the year.
 The primary difference between the calendars was
the names of their days and the glyphs used for
them.
Aztec Calendar
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Aztec Day Names
Mayan Day Names
Quiz
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Did Aztec civilization develop before or after Mayan
civilization?
According to legend, what did the Aztecs see that told them
where to build their capital city?
In what way was Aztec architecture similar to Mayan
architecture?
What is an aqueduct?
What was at the center of every Aztec city?
What was similar about the Aztecs and Mayans way of writing?
Although the Aztec and Mayan calendars were very similar,
what was different about them?
How many days are in a month in the Mayan and Aztec
calendars?