Ms. Diane Nicoll 7th Grade History Unit 5: Lesson 3 

Name: Asher Thomas

Date: 2/22/2018

Class: 7th Grade - Medieval World History

 
Videos and Notes 
Slide Student Notes

Title  ☆ MesoAmerican Art and Language ☆

Describe the art and oral traditions in the three
Goal 
civilizations.

The Mayans  
Summarize the video using at least four of the
words to the left:

The Mayans had a hieroglyphic writing system, as a

● Murals  matter of fact, it was the only writing system in
● Stucco  southern Mexico. In total there were 500 symbols
● Hieroglyphic  they used. Because of this, the job of a scribe,
● Stelae  people that knew all the symbols, was a good one
● Folding Book  and well respected. They typically would write on a
● Scribes  stelae, folding book, or even temple. A stelae is a
big pillar of stone that they would carve.

Critical Thinking 
Partner Work Answer: 
⇨ 

The Incas  
● Andes Mountains  Summarize the video using at least four of the
● Gold or Silver  words to the left:
● Ceramics 
● Sun  The Inca created cities on top of mountain plaques,

 
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Ms. Diane Nicoll 7th Grade History Unit 5: Lesson 3 

● Cloth  they actually were the biggest nation in the

● Quechua  southern hemisphere. The Inca created their art
Language  with gold, silver, cloth, and ceramics. Historians
● Inca moral code  think that they put their language down by tring
● Quipus Cords  knots on rope (the Quipus Cords) and they think
but can't prove that they had some sort of patterns
on their clothing for a language. The language the
Inca spoke was Quechua. The Inca was able to make
such a big empire without writing rules down with
the Inca moral code.

Critical Thinking 
Partner Work Answer:  They were very oral and independant as a society.
⇨ 

The Aztecs  
Summarize the video using at least four of the
words to the left:

The Aztec Empire was a big military state in

Central Mexico. The Aztec Empire was ruled by the
● Mexica Books   Mexica people from their capital city Tenochtitlán.
● Nahuatl  The Aztecs had a language named Nahuatl it was a
Language  spoken language, not a written language, this
● Hieroglyphs  made oral traditions very important to the Aztecs.
● Mnemonic  They had books called Mexica books that were
Device  written artists called tlacuilos. The books were
● Tlacuilos  filled with images that served as mnemonic
devices to help speakers memorize the
information.

Critical Thinking 
Partner Work Answer: 
⇨ 
 
 
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Ms. Diane Nicoll 7th Grade History Unit 5: Lesson 3 

 
Ending Research
Directions: ​Find a reliable source online to look up ONE (1) artistic artifact from each 
culture. Paste the picture in the box and describe it. Be sure to answer the critical thinking 
question to the right. 
Description​ of Art Piece   Critical Thinking:
(What is it? What was it  How does this art indicate an
Culture​ of 
Picture​ of Art Piece  used for? What  aspect of their society? You
Origin 
materials is it made  may have to infer or take a
from?)  guess.

This is a sculpture of the 

God Chac. It was used to  I think that this means that 
decorate the front of  even with something as 
Maya 
various buildings. It was  simple as making a building, 
made from stone, wood,  they think about their gods. 
and sometimes paint. 
 

It is just patterns. It 

could be made on 
They liked to make random 
Inca  anything from clothes 
patterns. 
to buildings. This is a 
textiles. 

They liked to show their 

This is a God. I think it 
Aztec  appreciation towards their 
was made of stone. 
god. 
 
 

 
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