The Aztecs, Maya, and Inca: A ComparisonThe Aztecs, Maya, and Inca were three of the most important civilizations in the Americas before European colonization. Each of them developed unique cultures, lived in different regions, and flourished at different times.LocationThe Aztecs lived in Central Mexico, around modern-day Mexico City. Their capital was Tenochtitlán, built on an island in Lake Texcoco.The Maya were located further south, in present-day Guatemala, Belize, and parts of southern Mexico. Their cities included Tikal and Chichen Itza.The Inca ruled a vast empire in South America, mainly in the Andes Mountains. Their capital was Cusco, in modern-day Peru.DatesThe Maya civilization was the earliest. It began around 2000 BCE and peaked between 250 CE and 900 CE during the Classic Period. However, some Maya cities remained active until the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.The Aztecs were later, with their empire starting in the early 1300s CE and ending with the Spanish conquest in 1521 CE.The Inca Empire rose in the 1400s CE and lasted until the Spanish conquest in 1533 CE.Culture and AchievementsThe Maya were known for their advanced knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, and writing. They developed a complex writing system with hieroglyphs and an accurate calendar. Their pyramids, like those in Tikal, were centers of religion and power.The Aztecs had a rich religious culture that included large-scale human sacrifices to please their gods, such as Huitzilopochtli, the sun god. They were skilled warriors and built a highly organized society. Their floating gardens, or chinampas, were an agricultural innovation.The Inca excelled in engineering and built an impressive network of roads and bridges throughout their empire. They constructed cities like Machu Picchu and used a system of knotted strings, called quipu, to record information.Key DifferencesGeography: The Maya lived in rainforests and lowlands, while the Aztecs thrived in a valley, and the Inca dominated mountainous terrain.Time Periods: The Maya civilization started earlier, while the Aztecs and Inca rose later and ended with Spanish conquest.Cultural Focus: The Maya were pioneers in writing and astronomy, the Aztecs focused on warfare and religion, and the Inca were expert builders and administrators.These civilizations left lasting legacies in art, architecture, and science, influencing the history of the Americas and the world.
1) Choose and research a famous invention and its inventor. Keep it short and easy to understand, so you can present it to the other students.
2) Please write down any vocabulary that you don’t know, and ask your classmates if they would have known after your presentation.
Tools: A Chromebook, pen and paper (You can use the backside of this worksheet!). You can use simple.wikipedia.org, but keep in mind that the simple English Wikipedia often neglects details about inventors and dates.
Example topics: The Telephone, the light bulb, the airplane, the printing press, the mobile phone.
Requirements: Describe the invention and mention when it was invented. Briefly describe in your own words how it works. Write about its inventor(s) (Name, when and where he lived, what they did). Explain what impact the invention had on society, and if the invention is still the same today.
The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. It allowed people to communicate over long distances by sending voice signals through wires. The invention works by converting sound (your voice) into electrical signals that travel through a wire and are then converted back into sound on the other end.
Alexander Graham Bell was born in 1847 in Scotland and later moved to the United States. He was an inventor and scientist who worked on communication devices.
The telephone had a huge impact on society, as it revolutionized the way people communicated, making it faster and easier to stay in touch over long distances. Today, telephones are much more advanced, using digital signals and wireless technology, but the basic idea of voice communication remains the same.
Ein Wassertropfen breitet sich auf einer Textil-Oberfläche leicht aus aber geht nicht hindurch. Bild: Brocken InagloryEin Trocken-Nass-Sortierapparat. Bild: Donovan Govan.