The World of the Aztecs,

Incas, and Mayas

Grade 5 Social Studies

Kennedy Middle School
 The Aztecs
 The Aztecs were a Native American tribe
that lived in what is now Mexico.
 They called themselves the Mexica or
Tenochca people and, according to their
history, came from the land of Aztlan.
 They built a capital city in a swampy section
of Mexico. They called this city Tenochtitlan.
It is present day Mexico City.
 The Aztec Life
 The Aztec life was based
on believing in many gods.
 As part of this belief, the
Aztecs conquered other
groups of people around
them.
 They used these people to
grow food for themselves
and their gods. They also
offered the people to their
gods.
Aztec Culture
The Aztecs did many
things, such as:
 make chocolate
popular.
 made a strong system
of trade.
 farming.
 conquer many lands.
 Some important things to know
 The Aztecs began moving into the area of
Mexico City between the 1200s and 1300s.
 The Aztecs had a strong belief in many
different gods.
 The Aztecs leaders were considered
emperors and had a lot of power. Some
were thought to be gods.
 The Aztecs believed in human sacrifice as
part of their religion.
 Aztecs and the Spanish
 In the 1500s, Montezuma
became the emperor .
 In 1519, the Spanish
conquistador Hernan
Cortez came to the Aztec
region hoping to find gold.
 Supposedly, the Aztecs
believed one of their gods
would arrive in their land
on that same day that
Cortez arrived.
 Cortez resembled one of
the Aztec gods. The
Aztecs welcomed him into
their city.
 The Spanish took over the
region, keeping
Montezuma in power… but
holding power over him.
 The Spanish and Aztecs
ended up having a war
and frequent battles.
 The End of the Aztec Empire
 In 1521, the Spanish had
conquered most of the
Aztec land and claimed it.
 The Spanish destroyed the
Aztec capital and built their
own city on it.
 The Aztecs eventually
became part of the
Spanish empire.
Descendents live there to
this day.
 The Incas

The Incas were a group of Native Americans

that lived in South America.
The Incas lived in a mountainous area
stretching from northern Peru and Ecuador to
Chile.
The capital of the Inca lands, Cuzco (also
called Cusco) is the oldest American city that
has had people continually living in it.
 The Inca Life
The Incas created a Life was tough in the
long-lasting civilization. mountain areas and
people worked hard.
The Incas grew crops
Incas relied on animals
and used llamas to
such as alpacas for
move items. wool.
Incas often painted their Incan artists were
faces for ceremonies. known to make
Boys pierced their ears. beautiful pottery, cloth,
Emperors ruled the and statues from gold
Incan people. and silver.
 The Inca Culture
The Incas relied on story
tellers to remember their
history.
The Incas built temples,
buildings, and 10,000 miles
of roads.
The Incas sometimes
sacrificed children to their
gods.
The Incas used a quipa
(rope with knots), to keep
track of time and other
items.
 Some important things to
know
The Incas began to
conquer weaker tribes
around 1200 AD. They
started to form their own
large civilization.
Between 1440 and
1493, the Incas made
their largest gains in
land.
In 1532, the Inca way of
life would change
forever.
 The Incas and the Spanish
In 1532, Spanish In 1533, Pizarro made a
conquistador Francisco voyage to the Incan
Pizarro landed in South capital at Cuzco. He
America. hoped to take it over
because they no longer
That year, Pizarro met had a leader.
with the Incan leader,
From there, the Spanish
Atahualpa.
slowly gained control of
Pizarro tricked Incan land.
Atahualpa to meet him Some Incans fought back,
at his camp. During the but the Spanish eventually
meeting, Pizarro had the took over their land.
Incan leader killed.
The Mayans
The Mayans were a group of people who
lived in Central America, including
Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras.
They were known for their study of math,
calendars, and astronomy.
Their culture is often called a stone age
culture because they worked little with metals
and mostly with primitive tools.
Mayan Life
Mayans were mainly farmers. They spent most of
their life growing maize, squash, beans, and sweet
potatoes.
Mayans had a class system. That means people
were in different levels of their society. At the top
were kings and their family. These were called the
nobles. The kings picked priests to help them run
their government. After this, came commoners and
slaves.
Mayan families lived together. Only those from
noble, or royal, families went to school.
Mayan Culture
While most cultures The Mayan population
looked for gold, Mayans was not large because
liked something else. they were often on the
move.
They preferred the
green gem called jade. The Mayans used slash
and burn farming. This
The Mayans lived in a means they cut down
humid area. Their rainy trees, burned the wood
season lasted from May for fertilizer, and farmed
to December. Humidity on it.
tends to be 80% Corn, called maize, was
the chief crop.
Some important things to
know.
The Mayans created an early number
system based on dots and lines.
The Mayans had a sophisticated
calendar that kept track of days quite
well.
The Mayans were one of the earliest
cultures that developed a symbol for
zero.
The Mayans and the Spanish
In the late 1400s and The Mayans often burnt
1500s, the Spanish Spanish settlements or
offered safety to nearby
visited Central America. Mayan villages as a way to
During their stay, the stop the Spanish from
Spanish conquistadors destroying their civilization.
tried to take over the The Spanish never took too
Mayan lands. much control of Mayan land.
However, Mayan population
The Maya fought back of 400,000 slowly dwindled
against the Spanish. because of diseases that
Europeans brought.
A look back
The civilizations of the Mayans, Incas,
and Aztecs still exist today. People from
these tribes have become part of other
populations. Yet, many still hold on to
some cultures, traditions, and beliefs
found from these ancient tribes. These
serve as a proud reminder of three
great groups of people who lived in
early America.