WebQuest:
The Influence of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca
Who had the most influence on modern peoples?
As the Europeans began to expand their Empires and trade routes they found a "New World" as
they explored the Americas. "The New World was, in a sense, a European invention." As these
explorers searched for new ways to reach the Far East they stumbled upon native peoples such as
the Maya, the Aztecs, and the Inca. They were not aware that this part of the world existed which
meant that they also had no knowledge that there were civilizations that had existed for centuries.
Part of learning about the history of civilizations is to look at their impact upon our lives today.
We have seen this through our studies of the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome. We will
explore these three civilizations through an on-line activity known as a WebQuest. The students
will be split into groups of five. Each group will examine one of the three civilizations. Each
student in that group will play an integral part in the presentation to the class about the history,
geography, culture, and influence the civilization that their group was assigned. From the group
presentations and discussion the class will decide which civilization of the Maya, Aztec, or Inca
had the most influence on modern peoples.
The Task
Each group will be assigned a civilization that they will be responsible for reporting to the class
about The Inca, The Aztecs or The Maya.
What do I have to do?
Each group will have members investigating different information to be shared with their group.
As a group, decide who will take which roles from the following:
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The Archaeologist/Architectural Historian
This person is responsible for reporting to the group about where this civilization was
found. What modern country/countries would you visit? How large was the civilization?
What types of structures did they have? What structures may still be seen today?
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The Anthropologist (2)
These persons are responsible for reporting to their group about the culture of the society.
What was their religion like? What was their class structure, if any? What role did
government play in the society? What science or technologies did they have? What was
the economy like? What did they eat?
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Historian
This person will help the group with an overview of the history of this society. Who were
their important leaders? How do we know what we know about their civilization (books,
oral history, etc.)? Who were the western explorers of the civilization? What historical
events are important to the society? What was the government structure?
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Sociologist
This person will examine the modern people that are ancestors to the civilization. Who
are they? Do they practice traditions from the past? Are they preserving the past? How?
Where are the modern ancestors found?
After using the internet resources each group will prepare a short presentation for the class about
their civilization. They must give a brief summary of the civilization as well as that civilizations
impact on modern peoples.
Remember that the class will have to decide which of the three civilizations has had
the most influence on modern peoples so look at each topic very carefully.
The Links
Maya
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http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/civiliz/maya/mmc01eng.html -Mayan General
Information
http://aesir.damerica.net/~mayabird/ -About Mayan Culture and Mayan People Today
http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/civiliz/maya/mmc11eng.html -Mayan Geography and
People
http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/civiliz/maya/mmc12eng.html - About Mayan Society
http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/civiliz/maya/mmc08eng.html - About Maya Today
Aztec
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http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&ti=761593151 A good site for the
Aztecs -includes cultural information on the second page and also some architectural
information
http://www.indians.org/welker/aztec.htm - an Overview and Some cultural aspects of the
Aztecs and History
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/wickham/topics/aztecs/aztecs.html A brief history of the
Aztecs
http://home.echo-on.net/~smithda/chocolate.html One of the discoveries credited to the
Aztecs
http://home.echo-on.net/~smithda/sacmask.html Religious aspect of the Aztecs
http://home.echo-on.net/~smithda/montezuma2.html A part of the Aztec History
Inca
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http://www.sscf.ucsb.edu/~ogburn/inca/inca.htm - The Inca Empire - this is a general
overview
http://www.sscf.ucsb.edu/~ogburn/inca/geog.htm - The Land of Four Quarters Geography
http://www.sscf.ucsb.edu/~ogburn/inca/history.htm - The History -This is split into four
different sections: Origins, Empire, Civil War, and Conquest.
http://www.sscf.ucsb.edu/~ogburn/inca/empire.htm - The Empire section of the History
might be helpful to your Archaeologist/Architectural Historian
http://www.sscf.ucsb.edu/~ogburn/inca/achieve.htm Achievements of the Inca
http://www.virtualperu.net/ - A nice overview of some of the modern and historical areas
of the Inca
http://www.xs4all.nl/~govertme/visitperu/peru_people.html - This should help your
sociologist
http://www.xs4all.nl/~govertme/visitperu/peru_inca.html - About history and culture of
the Inca
http://www.xs4all.nl/~govertme/visitperu/peru_phys_geo.html - Geography related
http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery/Photos/SouthAmerica/Peru/Pisac.html
Photographs that may help your Archaeologist/Architectural Historian
http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery/Photos/SouthAmerica/Peru/IncaTrail/MachuPicc
hu1.html -Photographs that may help your Archaeologist/Architectural Historian
Presentation Grading
Your presentations will be graded on the following:
1) Knowledge shared from this activity with the class. (75%)
Should include but is not limited to:
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Where the civilization is found and what the geography and architecture is like
Who the important leaders of the civilization were/are
How the society was constructed
The ancestors of this civilization - Who are they? Where are they found?
What the impact of this civilization was on modern peoples
2) Persuasiveness of group’s discussion of the impact and influence of this civilization to
modern people (20%)
Remember that the class will have to decide which of the three civilizations has had the
most influence on modern peoples so look at each topic very carefully.
3) Creativity (5%)
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Creative presentation techniques
Involves all members of the group
Class Interaction
Final Projects for this Activity
Each student will create a travel brochure for their group's civilization. This will
be a word processed document. The brochures may include clip art. Please remember that a
travel brochure highlights important places and also gives background information about the
destination. Therefore it should include important facts about the civilization. Be creative! And
convince me that your civilization is where I want to spend my vacation!
Source: http://www.ncsu.edu/project/IT_programs/webquests/white.htm
Shannon White
(Grades 9-12)