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Overview:
In this lesson, students will review basic facts about two ancient American civilizations: the Inca and the Maya. Then they will compare two ancient cities from these civilizations: Machu Picchu, of the Inca Empire, and Chichin Itza, of the Maya. For each city, students will research the surrounding geography, the main structures and their purposes, the inhabitants, the building materials, the general layout, and any other revealing information or artifacts from the city. Finally, students will consider how culture and geography influenced the lives of people in each city.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, world history, architecture
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 4: "The physical and human characteristics of places"
Time:
Two to three hours
Materials Required:
- Blank Xpeditions outline maps of North America and South America
- Books and Web sites about the Maya and Inca civilizations, with information about the ancient cities of Machu Picchu and Chichin Itza
Objectives:
Students will
- review important information about the Inca and Maya civilizations and find on a map of Central and South America the areas where these two civilizations existed;
- compare two ancient cities from these civilizations: Machu Picchu (of the Inca Empire, located in the central Andes Mountains) and Chichin Itza (of the Maya, located in the Yucatan Peninsula);
- research for each city the surrounding geography, the main structures and their purposes, the inhabitants, the building materials, the general layout, and any other revealing information or artifacts; and
- consider how culture and local geography influenced each city.
Geographic Skills:
Acquiring Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
As a class, review basic facts about the Inca and the Maya:
Inca: Around A.D. 1200, a powerful South American tribe began to conquer weaker tribes and united them into one empire, known as the Inca Empire. The Inca Empire was a large and successful one that stretched along the western part of South America, down the Andes Mountains, from what is now Colombia to Chile. The empire was ruled by a succession of kings until approximately A.D. 1532, when it was conquered by the Spanish.
Maya: Maya settlements began as early as 2000 B.C. They flourished in the eastern part of Mesoamerica, in what is now southern Mexico and Central America. The Maya were very religious and built vast temples for their gods. They also had sophisticated systems of arithmetic, writing, astronomy, and calendars. They shared a common culture, but did not have a single capital or ruler. Instead, each city governed itself. The decline of the Maya was gradual, accelerating with the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century.
On a map of North and South America, point out the areas where both the Inca and the Maya flourished.
Development:
Explain that among the many cultural and political achievements of the Maya and Inca were the extraordinary cities they built. Two of the most famous examples are Chichin Itza and Machu Picchu. The Maya city of Chichin Itza is located in the center of the Yucatan Peninsula and is known for its unique pyramids. The Inca city of Machu Picchu was built in the highlands of the central Andes Mountains. Show students the exact locations of each city using MapMachine.
Assign each student one of the two cities to research further. Provide print and online resources (see Related Links below), and ask students to answer the following questions about the city they choose:
- When was the city built?
- What is the geography or surrounding landscape of this city like?
- How did geography affect this city's purpose? (For example, how did the local geography benefit this city?)
- Who lived in the city? What does this tell you about the city?
- What materials were used to build the city? How did geography influence which materials were used?
- What were some of the main structures of the city? What was the primary purpose of each one?
- Describe the buildings. What was unique about the building style?
- Describe any unique finds or artifacts from this city.
Finally, have students draw an outline of the city's layout, labeling major structures.
Closing:
As a class, discuss each city, answering the questions above. Encourage students to share other interesting facts they learned about their assigned city. At the end of the class, have students use what they have learned to compare the two cities. What were some of the most striking differences? What are some possible reasons for these differences? How were the two cities similar? Why do you think they shared these similarities?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Ask each student to choose one of the cities covered in this lesson. Have them write first person narratives as if they are archaeologists rediscovering the city for the first time in centuries. Ask them to begin by describing their journey to the city. Then have them describe their initial impressions of the city and its structures. Finally, encourage them to think of questions that they might have as they explore the city's ruins.
Extending the Lesson:
Have students select a familiar city in the United States. Imagine this city fell into ruins and was rediscovered 500 years from now. Have students describe how future students might evaluate this city using the same criteria used to study Chichin Itza and Machu Picchu (geography, inhabitants, main structures, building materials, and artifacts).
Related Links:
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