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Main idea:  Complex North American societies were linked to each other through culture and economics.

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Why it matters now:  Traditions and ideas from these cultures became part of the cultures of North America.

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Explain the cultural differences between the Anasazi and the Mississippians.

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Explain the cultural differences between the Anasazi and the Mississippians.

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The cultural differences were that the Anasazi were cliff dwellers in the western and central US while the Mississippians were in the south.

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Name three features shared by Native American groups.

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Name three features shared by Native American groups.

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Three features shared by native american groups were that they all had a religion that they followed and they all lived in large houses together as a family.

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Environment: The environment the pacific northwest people lived in was high in resources able to support a population. They hunted for their food in canoes, usually being whales as their source of food.

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Their achievements were creating social classes and hosted elaborate ceremonies.

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Environment: The environments they lived in was the four corners area of the modern day United States, so the environment was dry in the summers and cold in the winter, with enough resources to get them by.

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Their achievements were being able to build massive cave dwellings which required inventiveness and communication.

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environment: Their environment, being in the woodlands of the Mississippi river, was plenty in resources and food to hunt.

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Their achievements were burying their dead in a way so that it created mounds that can still be seen today.

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Some northeastern tribes didn't like the idea of being invaded, so some of them decided to form alliances so they would be protected. This became known as the Iroquois League.

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Trade was a major factor of survival in the tribes along the Colombia river in Oregon. One tribe, the Chinook established a lively marketplace for people of all tribes to trade from. There was also one along the Mississippi river.

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They shared similar religious beliefs, and shared some social patterns that allowed the people to bond through their cultural practices. The believed if these practices were followed, they would all live in peace and harmony.

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The Maya developed a highly complex civilization based on city-states and elaborate religious practices.

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Descendants of the Maya still occupy the same territory.

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Mayan cities are known for their elaborate palaces, temples and pyramids. The different cities in the Mayan empire were linked by trade.

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2. How does Maya writing reflect Maya culture?

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2. How does Maya writing reflect Maya culture?

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Maya writing reflects Maya culture because they wrote with pictographs, so parts of their everyday life appeared in their writing.

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3. Name two reasons that may explain the Maya civilization’s decline.

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3. Name two reasons that may explain the Maya civilization’s decline.

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Two reasons that can explain this is because warfare interrupted trade and their society, and they farmed their soil too much and it became infertile, leading to less food.

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The Mayan environment was full of dense jungles, and further south were cool mountains that stretched from Southern Mexico to El Salvador.

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The Maya built spectacular cities such as the tikal, a great Urban center. There were many cities and many urban centers each ruled by a different king.

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The Mayan economy mostly centered around trade. Their major trades were were salt, flint, feathers, shells, cotton cloth, and ornaments made of jade. Cacao beans, which are used to make chocolate, were sometimes used as money. Maize, beans, and squash were the main foods.

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Mayan social structure was divided into social classes. The best warriors and priests were at the top. The merchants and craft workers were at the next level. Peasant farmers, the majority of the people, were at the bottom.

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Religion influenced many parts of Mayan life.  Gods could be good or evil, and sometimes both. Gods also were associated with the four directions and with different colors: white for north, black for west, yellow for south, red for east, and green in the center. The Maya believed that each day was a living god whose behavior could be predicted with the help of a system of calendars. They worshipped their gods in various ways such as making sacrifices to them.

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Mayan achievements included being able to write in the form of glyphs, and they recorded their history. They also developed a calendar system, consisting of 18 20 day months, with 5 days in between each. They built massive cities which were durable because some still stand today.

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Through alliances and conquest, the Aztecs created a powerful empire in Mexico.

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This time period saw the origins of one of the 20th century’s most populous cities, Mexico City.

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Teotihuacan was an early city state that was massive in trade and being an urban center.

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Aztec society was organized by having a government made of officials and priests, which made up the noble class, below them were the commoners, who were craft workers, farmers and soldiers.

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3. Why and how did the Aztecs sacrifice to the sun god?

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3. Why and how did the Aztecs sacrifice to the sun god?

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They sacrificed human blood in order to make their sun god happy, believing that it would make the sun rise everyday.

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4. Why did conquered peoples rebel against the Aztecs?

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4. Why did conquered peoples rebel against the Aztecs?

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Conquered people rebelled against the aztecs because they didn't want to become human sacrifices for their sun god.

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1. The Aztecs first worked for local rulers as soldiers-for-hire.

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1. The Aztecs first worked for local rulers as soldiers-for-hire.

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They did this because they wanted to gain power through learning more about other nations.

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2. The Aztecs joined two other city-states to form a Triple Alliance.

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2. The Aztecs joined two other city-states to form a Triple Alliance.

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They did this to gain more military support from the conquests they went on

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3. In Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital, the Aztecs built hundreds of temples and religious structures dedicated to the gods.

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3. In Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital, the Aztecs built hundreds of temples and religious structures dedicated to the gods.

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They did this to appease their gods so they won't be punished.

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4. Aztec engineers built three cause ways over water and marshland.

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4. Aztec engineers built three cause ways over water and marshland.

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They did this because they needed to connect their cities together, so they built three raised walkways.

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Aztec priests sacrificed humans atop the Great Temple.

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Aztec priests sacrificed humans atop the Great Temple.

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They did this to appease their sun god so the sun would rise the next day.

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6. The Aztecs built a calendar in the main ceremonial plaza of Tenochtitlán.

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6. The Aztecs built a calendar in the main ceremonial plaza of Tenochtitlán.

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They did this so they could host religious practices where all the people could view.

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7. Some of the conquered provinces rebelled against Aztec rule.

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7. Some of the conquered provinces rebelled against Aztec rule.

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They rebelled against Aztec rule because they didn't want to become human sacrifices to their god.

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8. Montezuma II reduced the number of public officials.

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8. Montezuma II reduced the number of public officials.

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He did this so he could rule more directly because of the conquered lands rebelling.

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POWER AND AUTHORITY The Inca built a vast empire supported by taxes, governed by bureaucracy, and linked by extensive road systems

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The Incan system of government was similar to some socialist governments in the 20th
century.

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1. What beliefs and practices related to Inca rulers?

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1. What beliefs and practices related to Inca rulers?

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Incan people believed that their ruler was directly related to the sun god, who would bring power and wealth to them.

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2. What was mita and what forms did it take?

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2. What was mita and what forms did it take?

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Mita was free labor which all adults were required to do. They were all instructed to to spend several days in a year to work for the state.

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The fall of the Incan empire was directly connected to the death of Huayna Capac. Civil war broke out between his two sons afterwards. The wars weakened the empire and the Spanish came in and invaded it. This resulted in division and new conquest in the Incan empire.

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Ancient cultures established traditions of high culture. High culture was the act of using cultural objects of aesthetic value including art, philosophy, history, art, and literature.

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Incan traditions and beliefs further unified and strengthened the empire. Their beliefs stemmed from the presence of a sun god.

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Pachacuti conquered Peru and began moving into neighboring lands. He spread the Inca empire and established a system of government in Incan society.

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Rulers divided territories into smaller areas in order to make it easier to control people living there.

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Incans used a singular language, Quechua, and also founded schools to teach it.

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Incans built several cities in their territories in order to control areas easier.

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All together, Incan roads stretched over 14,000 miles. It was built to symbolize the power of the state.

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Incan government controlled most of the economy. They regulated consumption and distribution of goods.

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Incans saw patterns of the way humans should relate to each other and to the earth. They worshipped fewer gods than the Mayans.