Name ______________________________________________________________________________ Period ______

The

Inca, Aztec, Maya

Civilizations
Key:

Inca
Aztec

Maya

Directions:
1.) Using the internet or your
textbook, find the location of the
Inca, Aztec, and Maya civilizations.
Use your resource to shade in the
correct areas on this map. Second,
be sure to label your key! Also,
place a star (and label) where each
civilization's capital city was
located.
2.) Using the internet complete the
web-quest on the back of this map!
There are a variety of questions on
all three of these Mesoamerican
civilizations!
3.) Finally, complete the Greatest
Achievements of the Inca, Aztec,
and Maya Civilizations chart by
using your research, a textbook, or
a computer. After you have found
three achievements, you will be
choosing what you feel is the
greatest and explaining why!

Mr. Educator, 2013

Inca:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_Empir
e#Language

What was the official language of the Inca people?

Who was Atahualpa?

Who was Francisco Pizarro and how did he help end the Inca civilization?

How did the Incas keep records? How did this system work?

What is Macchu Pichu, when was it discovered, and why did it take so long to find it?

http://www.biography.com/people/atahualpa9191364#awesm=~oFI35Gf1J1eshD

(use same)

http://www.incaempire.org.uk/records.PDF

http://www.machupicchu.org/lost_city_
of_machu_picchu.htm

Aztec:

What is Nahuatl?

Tenochtitln is the Aztec capital city, but why was it built where it was?

There are two different Aztec calendars. How are they different?

http://www.aztechistory.com/azteclanguage.html

http://www.livescience.com/34
660-tenochtitlan.html

http://www.class.uh.edu/courses/engl339
6/jtchris2/calendar.htm

http://www.biography.com/peop
le/hern%C3%A1n-cort
%C3%A9s9258320#awesm=~oFI5hjcOM
8A21R

Was Montezuma a leader or a type of Aztec sport?

Maya:

What other civilizations did the Mayans rely on for many ideas and inventions?
Who was Hernando Cortez and how did he help end the Aztec civilization?
What farming method did the Mayans use? How does it work?

(use same)

What dates would you point to as the beginning and ending of the Mayan civilization?

What does archeologist Tom Sever think caused the Maya downfall?

http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibiti
ons/civil/maya/mmc01eng.shtml

http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibit
ions/civil/maya/mmc12eng.shtml

http://www.ducksters.com/history/maya/m
http://science.nasa.gov/scienceaya_civilization_timeline.php
news/science-at-nasa/2009/06oct_maya/

Mr. Educator, 2013

Inca:

What was the official language of the Inca people?

Who was Atahualpa?

Who was Francisco Pizarro and how did he help end the Inca civilization?

How did the Incas keep records? How did this system work?

What is Macchu Pichu, when was it discovered, and why did it take so long to find it?

Aztec:

What is Nahuatl?

Tenochtitln is the Aztec capital city, but why was it built where it was?

There are two different Aztec calendars. How are they different?

Was Montezuma a leader or a type of Aztec sport?

Maya:

What other civilizations did the Mayans rely on for many ideas and inventions?
Who was Hernando Cortez and how did he help end the Aztec civilization?
What farming method did the Mayans use? How does it work?

What dates would you point to as the beginning and ending of the Mayan civilization?

What does archeologist Tom Sever think caused the Maya downfall?

Mr. Educator, 2013

Name ______________________________________________________________________________ Period ______

The Greatest Achievements of the

Inca, Aztec, Maya

Civilizations
Directions: List three of the greatest achievements or accomplishments for each of these great civilizations. Then,
circle the one that you believe was the greatest of the three. Finally, in the space provided, explain why you feel this
one deserves to be called the greatest.

Inca

Aztec

Maya

Circle theCircle
greatest
theCircle
greatest
achievement!
the greatest
achievement!
achievement!

Why is this the greatest?

Why is this the greatest?

Why is this the greatest?

Mr. Educator, 2013

KEY

Name ______________________________________________________________________________ Period ______

The

Inca, Aztec, Maya

Civilizations
Key:

Inca
Aztec

Maya

Directions:
1.) Using the internet or your
textbook, find the location of the
Inca, Aztec, and Maya civilizations.
Use your resource to shade in the
correct areas on this map. Second,
be sure to label your key! Also,
place a star (and label) where each
civilization's capital city was
located.
2.) Using the internet complete the
web-quest on the back of this map!
There are a variety of questions on
all three of these Mesoamerican
civilizations!
3.) Finally, complete the Greatest
Achievements of the Inca, Aztec,
and Maya Civilizations chart by
using your research, a textbook, or
a computer. After you have found
three achievements, you will be
choosing what you feel is the
greatest and explaining why!

Mr. Educator, 2013

Inca:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_Empir
e#Language

What was the official language of the Inca

people?
Quechua

He
Who was Atahualpa?

Who was Francisco Pizarro and how did he help end the Inca civilization?

was the last Inca ruler, and was http://www.biography.com/people/atahualpa9191364#awesm=~oFI35Gf1J1eshD

executed by the Spanish conquistador
Francisco Pizarro in 1553
(use same)

He was the Spanish conquistador who killed the last Inca

king. He kidnapped the king and demanded a gold bribe to
be paid. The Inca paid the bribe, but Pizarro still killed the
http://www.incaempire.org.uk/records.PDF
king.
How did the Incas keep records? How did this system work?
Men known as Quipucamayocs used a device called the Quipu
to record information. A series of cords and knots were used
http://www.machupicchu.org/lost_city_
to record information.
of_machu_picchu.htm

What is Macchu Pichu, when was it discovered, and why did it take so long to find it?

It is known as the Lost City of the Inca because it took so

long to find. It is located high up in the Andes Mts, which led
to be being lost since the Europeans could not find or
access it. It was discovered in 1911.

Aztec:

What is Nahuatl?

http://www.aztechistory.com/azteclanguage.html

Nahuatl was the official language of the Aztecs

Tenochtitln is the Aztec capital city, but why was it built where it was?

http://www.livescience.com/34
660-tenochtitlan.html

Huitzilopochtli, the god of war, is said to have directed the

the Aztecs to settle on the island. He ordered priests to look
for the prickly pear cactus and build a temple in his honor.

http://www.class.uh.edu/courses/engl339
6/jtchris2/calendar.htm

There are two different Aztec calendars. How are they different?

Xiuhpohualli is a 365-day calendar that has 18 months, each

20 days long.

Tonalpohualli is a sacred calendar that divides the year in 20

months with a differnet god ruling over each month. This
was
Wasused
Montezuma
a leader or
a typeto
of go
Aztec
to determine
when
to sport?
war, when to plant, or
when
houses.
Maya
: to build
Montezuma
was
the last Aztec ruler.

http://www.biography.com/peop
le/hern%C3%A1n-cort
%C3%A9s9258320#awesm=~oFI5hjcOM
8A21R

What other civilizations did the Mayans rely on for many ideas and inventions?
Who was Hernando Cortez and how did he help end the Aztec civilization?

(use same)

was a Spanish
conquistador
who
overthrew
the Aztecs
Cortez
What farming
method did
the Mayans use?
How
does it work?
when he kidnapped Montezuma and suppressed a rebellion.

What dates would you point to as the beginning and ending of the Mayan civilization?

What does archeologist Tom Sever think caused the Maya downfall?

http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibiti
ons/civil/maya/mmc01eng.shtml

The Olmec

http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibit
ions/civil/maya/mmc12eng.shtml

They used the slash-and-burn method. Surrounding

vegetation would be burned to clear land, then they would
use the new land for a couple years before moving and
allowing the soil to regenerate.
Farming
He
believed
started
the Mayans
in the area
caused
around
their
2000
fall themselves.
BCE, but theThey
civilization fell
outstripped
their
around
resources,
the year
could
900not
CE.
keep up with their
population growth, and made themselves very susceptible to
drought.

http://www.ducksters.com/history/maya/m
http://science.nasa.gov/scienceaya_civilization_timeline.php
news/science-at-nasa/2009/06oct_maya/

Mr. Educator, 2013