Mesoamerica Civilizations 7th Grade

The Maya Civilization

The classical period is 250 A.D to 900 A.D

Q: What were the major achievements of the Maya civilization?

A: Developed a writing system with hieroglyphs, created accurate 365-day calendars, advanced astronomy, built pyramids and palaces, used math including the concept of zero.

Q: What agricultural techniques did the Maya use?

A: Used slash-and-burn farming, cleared forests to plant crops like maize (corn), beans, and squash.

Q: What kind of government did the Maya have?

A: City-states ruled by kings; no central government; each city had its own ruler and government.

Q: What caused the decline of the Maya civilization?

A: Theories include warfare, overpopulation, drought, crop failure, and abandonment of cities—exact reasons still unknown.

The Aztec Civilization

Began in 1325 and ended in 1521

Q: What were the major achievements of the Aztec civilization?

A: Built Tenochtitlán on a lake, developed causeways and canals, created a complex calendar system, used pictographs for writing, and practiced medicine and surgery.

Q: What agricultural techniques did the Aztec use?

A: Built chinampas—floating gardens for farming in swampy areas; grew maize, beans, squash, chili peppers.

Q: What kind of government did the Aztecs have?

A: Centralized empire ruled by an emperor; conquered territories had to pay tribute (taxes in goods/labor); used military to expand empire.

Q: What caused the downfall of the Aztec civilization?

A: Conquered by Hernán Cortés and Spanish conquistadors in 1521; weakened by smallpox, local rebellions, and Spanish alliances with enemy tribes.

The Inca Civilization

Began in 1438 and ended in 1533

Q: What were the major achievements of the Inca civilization?

A: Built 14,000+ miles of roads and bridges, constructed Machu Picchu, used quipus for record keeping, performed brain surgery, created stone buildings that could withstand earthquakes.

Q: What agricultural techniques did the Inca use?

A: Practiced terrace farming in the Andes mountains, built irrigation canals; grew potatoes, maize, quinoa.

Q: What kind of government did the Inca have?

A: Strong central government led by the Sapa Inca (emperor); empire was divided into provinces with officials who collected taxes and maintained order.

Q: What caused the downfall of the Inca civilization?

A: Conquered by Francisco Pizarro in 1533; weakened by civil war, disease (smallpox), and lack of modern weapons.