World History

Mesoamerica WebQuest

Directions: Use the following links to answer the corresponding questions.

[Section One: Aztecs]

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-americas/aztecs

1. What was the name of the Aztec capital/main city? Tenochtitlán

2. Did the Aztecs practice a monotheistic or polytheistic religion? polytheistic .
3. Aztec priests were very powerful and influential members of society. They controlled the
calendar. Why was the calendar so important to the Aztecs? It played a central role in the
religion and rituals of Aztec society
4. True or False: Aztecs believed that human sacrifice was a necessary part of the world order.
True
5. Who is Hernan Cortes and why is he important to the Aztecs? A Spanish general that was sent from
Cuban outpost to mexico, established the city of Veracruz
6. Identify and explain at least two reasons that Cortes was about to conquer the Aztecs? He was able
to establish alliance with other native people who were at war with the Aztec/Moctezuma. 2. Despite
inferior numbers, weapons were far more better.
http://aztec.com/page.php?page=calendar

7. How many calendars did the Aztecs have? 2

8. How is their calendar similar and different from ours? The time measuring was 365 days, divided into
18 months, 20 day signs, 13 day number, 5 extra days at the end of the year. The religion said they
had to cunsult the gods and lasted 260 days, other days it was a different god.

[Section Two: Inca]

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pizarro-traps-incan-emperor-atahualpa

9. Who was Atahualpa? He was a very wealthy man and very valuable alive he was the Incan emperor
at the end of the empire.
10. Who was Francisco Pizarro and how did he help bring about the end of the Incan civilization?
Spanish conquistadors, he brings the end of the Incan empire by trapping atahualpa, created the
fall of the Incas.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/lost-inca-empire.html

11. Why were Incan roads so impressive? Higher roads crossed the higher regions from a north to south
to a lower north and south roads crossed the coastal plains. The shorter roads had lead to main
highways.

http://archaeology.about.com/od/americanancientwriting/a/quipu.htm

Did Incans write and keep records? A unique form of ancient

communication and information storage. Scholars believe that quipus
record information the same way as a cuneiform tablet or a painted
symbol.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/lost-inca-empire.html
12. What is Macchu Pichu and who “found it?”
Hiram Bingham discovered macchu pichu, a citadel atop a mountainous jungle along the Urubamba river in
Peru.