Life in the Americas (pages 582-592)

Did You Know?

The Mayan people wrote books, though most were destroyed by the
Spanish. Only three books and part of a fourth book survived the
destruction.

The Mayan People (pages 583-585)

The Mayan people settled in the Petén, dense forest in
present-day Guatemala. The swampy location gave them a constant source of
water.

The Maya created city-states, with rulers and a military force for each.
Rulers believed they were descended from the sun. They expected their people
to serve them.

Religion was an important part of Mayan life. The Maya worshiped gods
and tried to please them.

Royal women married into royal families in other city-states, which
strengthened trade and helped form alliances. Women were important in Mayan
city-states and could rule as queens.

The Mayan priests studied the skies to determine the gods' thoughts. By
doing this, they learned astronomy and developed a calendar.

The Mayan people also developed a system of mathematics and invented a
method of counting based on 20. Mayan writing was a system of hieroglyphics
that only nobles could read.

Discussion Question

How did the Mayan people try to please the gods? (They captured
enemies and offered them as human sacrifices to Chac, a god of rain and
sunlight. They also built huge monuments to honor the
gods.)

149

The Aztec (pages 585-587)

The Aztec people arrived in Mexico about A.D. 1250.

Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, was the Aztec's sun god.

Legend tells that the Aztec would know their new homeland when an eagle
screamed and spread its wings. They ended up on an island in Lake Texcoco,
where an eagle greeted them. The Aztec believed this was their homeland and
began building a city, Tenochtitlán.

The Aztec selected strong kings who would help them conquer other
peoples.

The Aztec people were divided into four classes: nobles, commoners,
unskilled laborers, and enslaved people.

The Aztec believed death was honorable and that only certain people
could enter the afterlife.

Boys were expected to be soldiers, and girls were expected to care for
their households.

Discussion Question

How did the Aztec feel about death? (The Aztec thought death was
honorable and that only certain people entered the
afterlife.)

Life in the Inca Empire (page 588)

Pachacuti was the greatest Incan leader. He and his son, Topa,
built the largest empire in the Americas.

Pachacuti united his empire by creating a strong central government,
requiring all people to learn the Quechua language, and building a system of
roads.

The Inca divided their society into six classes, with the rulers at the
top.

All people, children included, had jobs in Incan society.

The Inca rarely made human sacrifices, doing so during times of trouble
or on special occasions.

150

The Inca built large structures to please their gods. These structures
required careful mathematical calculations. A quipu is a rope with
knotted cords used to keep records.

Discussion Question

How did the Inca build their structures to withstand earthquakes? (The
Inca did not use mortar between the stone blocks. Even though the space
between the blocks was very small, the blocks could slide up and down
without collapsing when an earthquake struck.)

Life in North America (pages 590-592)

Scientists believe the Inuit people arrived by boat to settle the Arctic
regions of present-day Canada and Alaska after the Ice Age ended. The Inuit
traveled by dogsled and kayak and lived in igloos. Igloos are
dome-shaped homes built from blocks of ice and snow.

Most people in the Far North hunted.

The Tlingit, Haida, and Chinook settled in the Pacific Northwest and
survived by fishing.

Present-day California was the most heavily populated area in North
America because of the abundant food resources there.

People of the Southwest learned how to farm the dry land and lived in
homes made of adobe, or sun-dried mud brick.

People who settled on the Great Plains farmed, though farming proved
difficult in the grassy areas. Men also hunted for food.

People combined hunting and fishing in the dense forests east of the
Mississippi River. The climate in the Southeast Woodlands was good for
farming. People in the cooler Northeast Woodlands hunted more.

Some Native Americans set up confederations, or governments that
link several groups. The most famous confederation was established by the
Iroquois.

151

Discussion Question

How did a confederation benefit the Iroquois? (A confederation
established a code of law, helped settle fighting among the Iroquois, and
helped members unite against outside
groups.)

152