EARLY AMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS

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VOCABULARY Define the following terms. STOP 1
THE MAYANS 1. Monarchy A system of
government in which a king or queen holds power.
Title is usually passed on within the same
family. 2. Slave a person who is the property
of another and under their control. Mayan slaves
were often prisoners of war. 3. Polytheistic a
religion in which there are more than one god.
Mayan gods were connected to nature. 4.
Monotheistic a religion in which there is only
one god. There are three monotheistic religions
in the world today. STOP 2 THE INCAS 5.
Irrigate The process of channeling water to
crops. Irrigation allows farmers to grow more
product. STOP 3 THE AZTECS 6. Domesticate
Domesticate means to tame something for human
use. The Neolithic revolution began when people
started domesticating plants and animals. 7.
Nuclear family A family that is made up of the
mother, father, and children. Most families in
America today are nuclear families. 8. Extended
family A family that is made up of the nuclear
family and other relatives such as grandparents,
aunts, uncles, and cousins. A number of related
extended families working together is a clan.
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EARLY CIVILIZATIONS OF THE AMERICAS DIRECTIONS
Fill in the chart below for the 3 early American
civilizations.
MAYANS INCAS AZTECS
LOCATION (Where did they live?) Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize
DATES (When did the civilization exist?) 200AD-900AD
GOVERNMENT (What type of government?) (Who ran the government?) Monarchy Hierarchy with the King at the top
SOCIAL CLASSES (List the social classes that they had.) King, nobles, priests, warriors, merchants, artisans and farmers
RELIGION (What type of religion did they have?) (What were the names of their god(s)?) (Who ran the religion?)(What types of rituals/ceremonies did they perform?) Polytheistic Celebrations, bloodletting, offerings, of food and human life
ACHIEVEMENTS (What did they create, invent, or do that helped others?) First writing system in America Complex mathematics Highly accurate calendar
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CRQ 1 COMPARISON OF AZTEC AND MAYAN
CULTURES DIRECTIONS Study the diagram and then
answer the questions.
1. List 3 characteristics of the Aztec Empire that they DID NOT share with the Mayan Empire. The Aztecs were ruled by an emperor The Aztecs built floating gardens The Aztec capital city was Tenochtitlan. 2. List 3 characteristics of the Mayan Empire that they DID NOT share with the Aztec Empire. The Maya understood and used the number zero. The Maya had an advanced understanding of astronomy. The Mayan civilization was made up of city states. 3. According to this diagram, which feature was a characteristic of both the Mayan and Aztec civilizations? (a) creation of floating gardens (c) improvement of fishing methods (b) use of the number zero (d) creation of a writing system
CRQ 2 AZTEC SOCIETY DIRECTIONS Study the
diagram and then answer the questions.
Who ruled the Aztec Empire? The Aztec Empire was ruled by an emperor chosen by the nobles and priests. What jobs did the priests perform in the Aztec civilization? Aztec Priests performed rituals, gave advice, ran schools, and participated in choosing the emperor. 3. Explain one way in which the role of the warriors was important to the Aztec religion. Many of the human lives used as sacrifice by the Aztec religion were those of prisoners of war. These prisoners were taken by the Aztec warriors.

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CRQ 3 AZTEC HUMAN SACRIFICES DIRECTIONS Study
the picture and then answer the questions.
What was the reason that the Aztecs used human sacrifices? The Aztecs used human sacrifice as a way to make their gods happy. Who did the Aztecs use for their human sacrifices? Prisoners captured during war were sacrificed to the Aztec gods. 3. Explain the relationship between the Aztec warriors and the Aztec religion with regard to the human sacrifices. Aztec warriors captured prisoners if possible who would later be sacrificed to the gods.
CRQ 4 SPANISH CONQUERING THE AZTECS DIRECTIONS
Study the picture and then answer the questions.
1. What two things shown in the picture helped the Spanish conquer the Aztecs and other Native American groups? The Spanish had armor made of steel and horses. 2. Why does the picture show Native Americans fighting with the Spanish against the Aztecs? Many natives who had been subjugated by the Aztecs helped the Spanish to defeat their opressors. 3. What was one result or effect of the Spanish victory over the Aztecs? The Spanish shipped thousands of tons of Aztec gold back to Europe.
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CRQ 5 INDIAN POPULATION OF CENTRAL
AMERICA DIRECTIONS The line graph below shows
the population of Native Americans in Central
America between 1500 and 1620. Study the graph
and then answer the questions.
1. What was the population of Native Americans
in Central America around the year 1515?
There were approximately 25 million Native
Americans in Central America around the year
1515. 2. What was the population of Native
Americans in Central America around the year
1605? Around 1605 the Native American
population in Central America was less then 2
million people. 3. (a) Did the population of
Native Americans in Central America increase or
decrease during this time period? (b) By how
many people did the population increase or
decrease? (a) Between 1515 and 1605 the Native
American population of Central America
decreased. (b) From 1515 to 1605 the Native
American population of Central America decreased
by approximately 24 million people. 4. Using
this graph and your knowledge of social studies,
explain why the population of Native Americans
changed so dramatically between 1500 and 1620.
A number of factors may have contributed to the
population change shown by this graph. Frequent
conflict between the Spanish conquistadors and
the Native Americans of Central America is one
possibility. Most experts agree that European
diseases such as smallpox were responsible
killing off a significant portion of the native
populations.
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CRQ 6 ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG DRAWING
CONCLUSIONS DIRECTIONS Read the information
below, study the diagram showing an
archaeological dig site, and then answer the
questions. Archaeologists are scientists who
study artifacts left behind by earlier people in
order to learn how they lived. Archaeologists
search for artifacts by digging in areas where
they suspect earlier people once lived. The
following items were found in three different
levels of a Native American archaeological dig
site by archaeologists.

• 1. At which level of the dig site would
  archaeologists expect to find the most recent
  (newest) objects? The newest object would be
  found at the top most level, level 1.
• At which level of the dig site would
  archaeologists expect to find the oldest objects?
  The oldest objects would be deepest, level 3
• Based on the objects found in level 3, how did
  Native Americans live during this time period? At
  level 3 we find a spearhead and sharpened flint
  making it appear that these Native Americans are
  primarily hunters
• 4. Based on the objects found in level 2, how
  did Native Americans live during this time
  period? A level 2 we begin to find pottery and
  corn kernels suggesting that these Native
  Americans have begun farming as part of their
  lifestyle.
• 5. Based on the objects found in level 1, how
  did Native Americans live during this time
  period? At level 1 the Native Americans are
  using tools manufactured by Europeans such as the
  iron cooking pot showing us that they are in
  contact with Europeans and adopting some European
  ways of life (cultural diffusion).

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THE CONQUISTADORS SEARCH FOR GOLD by an Aztec
Eyewitness, 1550s
In the early 1500s Spanish conquerors, known as
conquistadors, explored both North and South
America. One of these conquistadors was
34-year-old Hernando Cortes. Like Christopher
Columbus, Cortes hoped to find gold and other
riches. In 1519 Cortes and about 500 Spanish
soldiers marched through present-day Mexico and
conquered one of the largest empires in the
world, the Aztec Empire. In the 1550s an
historian interviewed an Aztec eyewitness who had
seen the Spanish conquest. This witness
described how Cortes and his men acted when they
seized the fabulous treasures of the empires
capital city, Tenochtitlan.
STOP 1
When the Spaniards were installed in the palace,
they asked Montezuma, the emperor, about the
city's resources and reserves and about the
warriors' ensigns and shields. They questioned
him closely and then demanded gold.
Montezuma guided them to it. They surrounded
him and crowded close with their weapons. He
walked in the center, while they formed a circle
around him.
STOP 2
installed settled Montezuma Aztec
emperor reserves valuables ensigns flags
When they arrived at the treasure house ... the
riches of gold and feathers were brought out to
them ornaments made of quetzal feathers, richly
worked shields, disks of gold, the necklaces of
the idols, ... gold greaves and bracelets and
crowns .... The Spaniards burst into smiles
and their eyes shone with pleasure they were
delighted by them. They picked up the gold and
fingered it like monkeys they seemed to be
transported by joy, as if their hearts were
illumined and made new.

STOP 3
quetzal kind of bird idols statues of
gods greaves leg armor transported carried
away illumined lit up
The truth is that they longed and lusted for
gold. Their bodies swelled with greed, and their
hunger was ravenous they hungered like pigs for
that gold. They snatched at the golden ensigns,
waved them from side to side and examined every
inch of them .... The Spaniards immediately
stripped the feathers from the gold shields and
ensigns. They gathered all the gold into a great
mound and set fire to everything else, regardless
of its value. Then they melted down the gold into
ingots. As for the precious green stones, they
took only the best of them ....



STOP 4
lusted wanted strongly ravenous
intense ingots bars
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Next they went to Montezuma's storehouse ...
where his personal treasures were kept. The
Spaniards grinned like little beasts and patted
each other with delight. When they entered the
hall of treasures, it was as if they had arrived
in Paradise. They searched everywhere and coveted
everything they were slaves to their own greed.
All of Montezuma's possessions were brought out
fine bracelets, necklaces with large stones,
ankle rings with little gold bells, the royal
crowns and all the royal finery, everything that
belonged to the king and was reserved to him
only. They seized these treasures as if they were
their own, as if this plunder were merely a
stroke of good luck. And when they had taken all
the gold, they heaped up everything else in the
middle of the patio.



STOP 5
Paradise heaven coveted wanted finery jewels
and fancy clothing plunder stealing patio
courtyard
DIRECTIONS Answer the questions below as you
read the above article. STOP 1 Define the
following term Conquistador This is a term
used to describe the Spanish conquerors of the
early 1500s STOP 1 What did the conquistadors
hope to find in the Americas? The
conquistadors were in search of gold and other
riches. STOP 1 How many men did Cortes have
with him when he conquered the Aztec Empire?
500 STOP 2 Who was Montezuma? Montezuma
was the Aztec Emperor when Cortez arrived in
Tenochtitlan. STOP 2 Why did Montezuma lead the
Spanish to the Aztec gold? The Spanish
intimidated him using their weapons and demanded
he take them to it. STOP 3 In this section, who
does the eyewitness compare the conquistadors to?
The conquistadors are compared to
monkeys. STOP 4 In this section, who does the
eyewitness compare the conquistadors to? The
conquistadors are compared to pigs
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STOP 5 In this section, who does the eyewitness
compare the conquistadors to? The conquistadors
are described as little beasts. STOP 5 Why do
you suppose the eyewitness chose to make this
comparison between the conquistadors and the
animals? It is obvious this eyewitness did not
like the conquistadors and wants to portray them
as less then human. STOP 5 How did the
Spaniards react when they saw the gold? The
conquistadors were delighted at finding such an
enormous treasure. STOP 5 What types of
treasure did the conquistadors find in the hall
of treasure? The conquistadors discovered fine
bracelets, necklaces with large stones, ankle
rings with little gold bells, the royal crowns
and all the royal finery
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MAP EXERCISE GREAT EMPIRES OF THE
AMERICAS DIRECTIONS Use maps to complete the
following map exercise. 1. Locate the
following geographic features on the map and
write the name next to the feature.
-Caribbean Sea -North America
-Pacific Ocean -Andes Mountains
-South America -Atlantic Ocean
-Cuba -Central America
-Hispaniola 2. Locate the following early
American empires and shade in their locations
using different colored pencils. Place this
information in the key. -Aztec Empire
-Maya Empire -Inca Empire 3. Create a
key in the blank box on the map showing the
necessary information.
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READING ACTIVITY BERNAL DIAZ THE TRUE HISTORY
OF THE CONQUEST OF NEW SPAIN DIRECTIONS Read the
selection on the Spanish in the New World and
then answer the questions that follow. Bernal
Diaz del Castillo (1492-1581) accompanied Hernan
Cortes on his conquest of the Aztecs in
present-day Mexico. Diaz wrote his history many
years later to refute what he viewed as
inaccurate accounts of the conquest. The
following excerpt describes a meeting between
Cortes and Moctezuma, the Aztec King, in the
Aztec city of Tenochtitlan.
When we climbed to the top of the great temple there was a kind of platform, with huge stones where they put the poor Indians to be sacrificed, and an image like a dragon and other evil figures, with a great deal of blood that had been shed that day. Moctezuma, accompanied by two priests, came out from an oratory dedicated to the worship of his cursed idols. Then Moctezuma took him (Cortes) by the hand and bade him look at his great city and at all the other cities rising from the water, and the many towns around the lake. There we stood looking, for that large and evil temple was so high that it towered over everything. From there we could see all three of the causeways that led into the city. We saw the fresh water that came from Chapultepec, which supplied the city, and the bridges on the three causeways, built at certain intervals so the water could go from one part of the lake to another, and a multitude of canoes, some arriving with provisions and others leaving with merchandise. We saw that every house in this great city and in the others built on the water could be reached only by wooden drawbridges or by canoe. We saw temples built like towers and fortresses in these cities, all white-washed it was a sight to see. After taking a good look and considering all that we had seen, we looked again at the great square and the throngs of people, some buying and others selling. The buzzing of their voices could be heard more than a league away. There were soldiers among us who had been in many parts of the world, in Constantinople and Rome and all over Italy, who said that they had never before seen a market place so large and so well laid out, and so filled with people.
1. The scene described in this excerpt is
of a. a view of Tenochtitlans market and
surroundings from the top of a tall temple c. a
view of Tenochtitlans temple from the market
place b. an indoor temple with many statues d.
a view of the markets in Rome 2. Which of the
following best describes the authors view of the
Aztecs? a. generous and busy c. loving and
kind b. evil and prosperous d. athletic and
loud 3. Which words and phrases in the excerpt
above reveal the authors opinion of the Aztecs
religion? Diaz describes the poor Indians who
had been sacrificed, an image of a dragon and
other evil figures, and the priests dedicated to
the worship of cursed idols.
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EARLY AMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS TEST REVIEW
SHEET DIRECTIONS Complete the following review
sheet to help prepare for the unit test. PART 1
VOCABULARY Write out the definitions for the
following terms. 1. SLAVE ___________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
____________ 2. DOMESTICATE ___________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
____ 3. IRRIGATE ______________________________
__________________________________________________
________________________________________________
4. NUCLEAR FAMILY ____________________________
__________________________________________________
________________________________________ 5.
EXTENDED FAMILY _________________________________
__________________________________________________
___________________________________ 6.
POLYTHEISTIC ____________________________________
__________________________________________________
_____________________________________ 7.
MONOTHEISTIC ____________________________________
__________________________________________________
____________________________________ 8.
MONARCHY ________________________________________
__________________________________________________
___________________________________ 9. NOMAD
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_____________________________ 10. CIVILIZATION
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_______________________ 11. CULTURE
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
___________________________ 12. TRIBE
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
______________________________ 13.
HIEROGLYPHICS ___________________________________
__________________________________________________
___________________________________ PART 2
MULTIPLE CHOICE Answer the following questions
to help understand the ideas and concepts covered
in this unit. 1. What were the native people
of the Americas known as? _______________________
__________________________________________________
___________________ 2. What type of government
was used by the Mayans, Incans, and Aztecs?
__________________________________________________
______________________________ 3. Which
civilization built a complex system of roads and
bridges to link their empire? ___________________
__________________________________________________
_ 4. Which of the American civilizations was
the oldest civilization? _________________________
__________________________________________________
___________ 5. Which civilization developed a
system of numbers including the concept of zero?
__________________________________________________
______________________
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• 6. Where did the Incans and Aztecs live?
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  _______________________
• 7. What type of religion did the early American
  civilizations have? ______________________________
  __________________________________________________
  ______________________
• 8. List several of the achievements/accomplishmen
  ts of the Aztecs. _______________________________
  __________________________________________________
  ____________________
• __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  ______
• 9. Why did the Aztecs fight so many battles with
  other groups of Native Americans?
  __________________________________________________
  _____________________________________
• __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  ______
• 10. What was the title given to the person who
  ruled the Aztecs? ________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  ______________________
• 11. Which of the early American civilizations
  built their capital on an island in a lake?
  __________________________________________________
  ____________________________________
• 12. Why did the Aztecs use human sacrifices?
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________