Civilizations of the Americas

Students compare and contrast the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the Meso-American and Andean civilizations.

Students will learn about:

• the locations and climates of Mexico, Central America, and South America and their effects on Mayan, Aztec, and Incan economies, trade, and development of urban societies.

• Study the roles of people in each society, including class structures, family life, warfare, religious beliefs and practices, and slavery.

• how and where each empire arose and how the Aztec and Incan empires were defeated by the Spanish.

• the artistic and oral traditions and architecture in the three civilizations.

• the Meso-American achievements in astronomy and mathematics, including the development of the calendar and the Meso-American knowledge of seasonal changes to the civilizations’ agricultural systems.