Aztec, Maya, and Incan WebQuest

Goals of the Webquest

_____1.On the map provided, you will identify where the Incan, Maya, and Aztec empires were located. 
_____2.You will also answer the questions pertaining to the religion, science, decline, and culture of each civilization.
_____3.You will create a timeline of the 3 civilizations noting the beginning and end of each civilization.
a. (This will be ONE timeline with all 3 civilizations on it, not 3 separate timelines).
_____4.You will answer the following questions in paragraph form:
a. Which of the 3 civilizations would you have wanted to live in? Give at least two reasons why. 
b. Of the two civilizations you would not want to have lived in, give one reason for each why you would not
have wanted to live in either of those. 
c. This must be in paragraph form, so there should be two paragraphs, one on the civilization you want to live
in and one on why you would not want to live in the other two.

Begin your webquest by using the links below to answer the questions and complete the tasks.
 
Begin your webquest here...
1. Geography: On the map provided…
 Identify where the Incan, Mayan, and Aztec civilizations were located. Label them on the map!
o http://www.classzone.com/net_explorations/U4/U4_article1.cfm
o https://www.hstry.co/timelines/aztec-inca-maya
 In what modern countries would you have found these civilizations? Label them on the map!
o http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/nalargez.htm (Maya and Aztec)
o http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/salargez.htm (Inca)

2. Religions:
 Were these empires polytheistic or monotheistic? 
o Name at least one god from each civilization. What they were the god of?
http://mayaincaaztec.com/religion.html
 Aztec- The Aztecs were polytheistic, Tezcatlipoca, he was he god of fortune and destiny
 Maya- The Mayans were polytheistic,
 Inca- The Incas were polytheistic , Ekkeko is the god of wealth

 Why were the pyramids of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca built? What happened at each of the temples?
o http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/pyramids-in-latin-america
 Maya- to house their deities, as well as to bury their kings, something
unknown happened to shake the Maya civilization to its foundations
 Aztec- for a way to worship their gods, the temples were used for human
sacrifice
 Inca- that was a way to bury their kings and the temples were used for human sacrifaces and holy
rituals

The Inca, Maya, and Aztecs

 Why did they build it where they did? The Aztecs settled there because no one else wanted
the land.
 Aztec Calendar- http://www.class.uh.edu/courses/engl3396/jtchris2/calendar.htm
o How many calendars and months did the Aztecs have? 18 months
o How is their calendar alike and different from ours? the Aztec calendar have 20-days in a

month and 19-months in a year, but the calendar we use today has 28-29-31
day in a month and 12-months in a year

 Decline- http://www.pbs.org/conquistadors/cortes/cortes_a00.html
o Who was Hernando Cortez and how did he help bring about the end of the Aztec civilization?
He conquered the Aztecs and claiming Mexico on behalf of Spain.  Spanish forces
under Hernán Cortés capture Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec empire. Cortés' men
leveled the city and captured Cuauhtémoc, the Aztec emperor which was a big impact
when he helped .

Mayas:
 Calendar- http://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-mayan.html
o Discuss the Maya calendars. How accurate were they? The calculations

of Maya priests were so precise that their calendar correction is 10,000th of a

 Decline- http://www.history.com/topics/maya (Watch the video and read the bottom of the article.)
o Do we know why the Maya civilization declined? –There is a number of potential reasons

for the downfall of Maya civilization in the southern lowlands, warfare, and
extended drought.

Incas: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pizarro-traps-incan-emperor-atahualpa
 Who was Atahualpa? was the Inca emperor of Peru
 Who was Francisco Pizarro and how did he help bring about the end of the Incan civilization?  explorer,
soldier and conquistador best known for conquering the Incas and executing their
leader
 Religion- http://www.windows.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/tour_def/mythology/inti_sun.html
Who was Inti?- the sun god; he was believed to be the ancestor of the Incas
o What did he have his children do? - to build the Inca capital where a divine golden

wedge they carried with them would penetrate the earth

 Technology-
o Why were Inca roads so impressive? http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/lost-inca-empire.html
The Incan road system symbolized the power of the Incan State
o Did Incans write and keep records? http://archaeology.about.com/od/americanancientwriting/a/quipu.htm
yes
o What is Macchu Pichu and who “found it”? http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/lost-inca-empire.html
He saw was a dramatic and towering citadel of stone cut from escarpments
3. Timeline:

 Use the following site to help develop your timeline. Remember, you will make ONE timeline that contains the start
and end date for each civilization. (ONLY 6 dates)

o http://www.classzone.com/net_explorations/U4/U4_article1.cfm

Use this space to create the civilization timeline.

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4. Civilizations Paragraphs:

Write two paragraphs, one discussing the civilization you would have wanted to live in and the other paragraph should state
why you would not want to live in the other two. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TELL ME “I wouldn’t want to live in any of
them because I don’t like them, they aren’t modern, or any other reason like that”.

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