Anita Yasuda - Ancient Civilizations: Aztecs, Maya, Incas!: With 25 Social Studies Projects for Kids

Titles in the Explore Ancient Civilizations Set Check out more titles at www.nomadpress.net Nomad Press A division of Nomad Communications 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Copyright 2019 by Nomad Press. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review or for limited educational use . The trademark Nomad Press and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc. Questions regarding the ordering of this book should be addressed to
Nomad Press
2456 Christian St., White River Junction, VT 05001
www.nomadpress.net Printed in the United States. Archaeologists dont always know the exact years the Maya, Incas, or Aztecs built or left their cities, so some years have the word circa, or its abbreviation c, in front of them.

This word means approximately. 1800 BCE: The Maya civilization begins. 700 BCE: The Maya begin to create a writing system. 400 BCE: The Maya carve stone monuments that include dates. 300 CE: The Maya build the great city of Tikal. C. 900 CE: The Maya abandon their impressive cities. C. 1100 CE: The Aztecs leave northern Mexico or the southwestern United States for land farther south. C. 1200: Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire, is founded in what is now Peru. 1325: The Aztecs begin their rise to power and build their capital Tenochtitlan on an island in Lake Texcoco. 1325: The Aztecs begin their rise to power and build their capital Tenochtitlan on an island in Lake Texcoco.

The city is now under present-day Mexico City. C. 1438: The Inca people establish the city of Machu Picchu in the Andes Mountains in Peru. 1502: Montezuma II becomes leader of the Aztec Empire. C. 1517: The first Spanish arrive in Mexico. 1521: Spanish forces, led by Hernn Corts, destroy the Aztec capital at Tenochtitlan. 1533: Spanish forces, led by Francisco Pizarro, defeat the Incas. 1697: Spanish forces destroy the last Maya kingdom. 1790: Archaeologists discover the fifteenthcentury Aztec calendar stone under the central square of Mexico City. 1911: Hiram Bingham rediscovers Machu Picchu, which had been forgotten for centuries. 1973: Researchers make a breakthrough in understanding Maya hieroglyphs. 1981: David Stuart, a 15-yearold with an interest in the Maya, discovers that the Maya could write the same word in different ways. 1992: Rigoberta Mench Tum, a Maya woman, wins the Nobel Peace Prize. 2017: More than 1.3 million people visit Machu Picchu. 2018: Archaeologists use lidar technology to discover new Maya ruins in Guatemala. Many of the words and names in this book are hard to say, but you can hear them spoken online. Many of the words and names in this book are hard to say, but you can hear them spoken online.

Go to Merriam-Webster.com, search for the word, and press the symbol next to your word to hear it spoken. MERRIAM-WEBSTER Imagine you are hiking to a city built by one of the greatest civilizations in South America. Ahead of you, thick green vines crisscross the trail like webs. You walk slowly, pushing aside the vines with your hands. You see flashes of blue and gold tanagers. Your heart beats faster each time a howler monkey shrieks.

After many hours, the forest opens onto a rocky path as narrow as a new moon. You pass by steep drops. You scramble up stone steps. At last, you reach the city gate where your guide is waiting. Over here, your guide calls, pointing to a narrow stone doorway. WORDS TO KNOW civilization: a community of people that is advanced in art, science, and government.

WORDS TO KNOW Machu Picchu: an ancient Inca city on a high mountain in Peru, the ruins of which can still be seen and visited today. ancient: from an early time in history. Mesoamerica: an area that includes Central America and modern-day Mexico in North America. Before you lies a sea of stone walls, staircases, and temples almost touching the sky. What is this fantastic place? It is Machu Picchu , an important Inca city on a high mountain in Peru. It was a 400-yearold secret, but now its yours to explore! What will you discover on your journey? DID YOU KNOW? Want to learn more fascinating facts? Look for this symbol of the Aztec Sun Stone showing the Aztec sun god, Tonatiuh.

In this book, well explore the ancient Maya, Inca, and Aztec peoples. Hundreds of years ago, these three powerful civilizations ruled large parts of Mesoamerica and South America. THE INCA CITY OF MACHU PICCHU IN PERU IS A WORLD HERITAGE SITE AND ONE OF THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD. CREDIT: LEANDER.CANARIS (CC BY 2.0) WORDS TO KNOW culture: the beliefs and way of life of a group of people. economics: having to do with the resources and wealth of a country. BCE: put after a date, BCE stands for Before Common Era and counts down to zero.

CE stands for Common Era and counts up from zero. These non-religious terms correspond to BC and AD. This book was printed in 2019 CE. city-state: an independent city that governs itself and the towns and land around it. Each civilization had its own culture , customs, and beliefs. You might wonder why we should care about people and civilizations that existed long ago.

But guess what? There are plenty of reasons to learn about ancient history! First, learning about ancient civilizations helps us understand how were all connected as humans. By studying communities that came before us, we can learn about how important things such as politics and religion and economics got started. We can also learn from the mistakes of the past. Finally, learning about ancient civilizations is fun! THE ANCIENT MAYA Around 1800 BCE , the first ancient Maya lived in small communities. From 250 CE to 900 CE, these small communities grew into many powerful city-states . The city-states spread from what is todays southern Mexico across Guatemala and parts of Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador.

City-states each had their own king and officials. EMPIRES OF THE MAYA, INCAS, AND AZTECS WORDS TO KNOW archaeologist: a scientist who studies ancient people through the objects they left behind. jade: a hard, shiny stone that is usually green. Used for jewelry and sculpture.