Mayan, Aztec, and Incan
Civilizations
WHI SOL Drill #11
From around 1.6 million years
ago until about 10,000 years
ago, huge sheets of ice called
glaciers spread south from
the Arctic Circle. What was
this time known as?
The Ice Age
During the Ice Age, wild
animals and the humans who
hunted them crossed this
rocky land bridge and entered
North America.
The Bridge of
Beringia
A geographical and cultural area which
extends from central Mexico down
through Central America, including
Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El
Salvador. Many important ancient
civilizations developed in this area,
including the Olmecs, Zapotecs,
Teotihuacanos, Mayas and Aztecs.
Mesoamerica
This animal was an important had an
important spirit, and was worshiped
in Mesoamerica
Jaguar
This civilization began to emerge
in Guatemala and the Yucatan
Peninsula
Mayan Civilization
The Mayan civilization was a group of
independent city states ruled by a
god king
This city is the most famous city of
the Mayan civilization was this?
Chichen Itza
What type of writing did the
Mayans use?
Hieroglyphs
Only three Mayan books
remain, one of them is their
creation story. What is the
name of the story?
Popol Vuh
Around the year 1200, this
civilization emerged in central
Mexico?
Aztec
This city was the center of the
Aztec Empire
Tenochtitlan
This civilization was based located in
the Andes Mountains of South
America?
Inca
A famous city of the Inca civilization
was this?
Manchu Picchu
The Incas are famous for this
type of farming.
Terrace Farming
The Incans were able to establish
trade and communication
throughout their empire because
they had a vast network of these
Roads
Name three achievements by the
Mayan, Aztec, and Incan
civilizations?
• Calendars
• Mathematics
• Writing systems
What type of religion did the
Mayans, Aztecs, and Incans have?
polytheistic
These people would fight with
both the Aztecs and the Incas
over their empires
The Spanish
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