Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations

Teacher Guide. Core Knowledge Foundation, 2016. — 116 p. Grade 5/Unit 2The civilizations of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca that once flourished in Central and South America shared common elements. People practiced farming, developed social structures, raised armies, and worshipped many gods. The three civilizations were as diverse as the terrains in which they lived. The Maya, known for developing a system of mathematics, thrived in the rainforests of the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala from about 200 to 900 CE. From 1325 to 1521, the Aztec built a large and dense city at Tenochtitlán, located on a swampy lake in the middle of a semi-arid basin in central Mexico. The Inca were skilled engineers who built a vast system of loads and bridges to unite their empire located high in the Andes Mountains, reaching their peak in the 1400s and early 1500s. It remains in question why and how the rainforest cities of the Classic Maya fell. We know that Spanish explorers precipitated the destruction of both the Aztec and Inca empires.Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations Sample Pacing Guide
The Maya: Rainforest Civilization
Maya Science and Daily Life
The Aztec: Empire Builders
Tenochtitlán: City of Wonder
The Inca: Lords of the Mountains
Inca Engineering
The End of Two Empires
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