Project Scenario: Due to the recent immigration trends in the United States, your community has chosen to open a museum to honor Latino heritage.  Your local community council appoints you as curator of this new museum, and they charge you with the responsibility of researching these indigenous populations, and overseeing a committee assembling an exhibit that best represents the essence of the Aztecs, the Mayas, and the Incas.  You must design a written proposal specifying which artifacts you would choose to illustrate the outstanding characteristics of these civilizations.  You must additionally justify in your proposal how the selected artifacts best illustrate why these pre-Columbian cultures should be classified as civilizations.
The Aztecs
	Task: In order to facilitate the decision-making process, you will be working as a team to cross-reference your research findings and to compile your individual recommendations in a web page essay.  Address the following essential question so that the artifacts that you select best represent the most outstanding components of the distinct civilizations:  What was the most significant characteristic present in the Mayan, Aztec, and Inca cultures that allowed them to attain the status of a civilization?  Choose 3 artifacts to represent those cultural components and justify your recommendations.
The Incas
	Each member of the group shall respond to the following fundamental questions:  What is a civilization? Who are the Mayas? Who are the Aztecs? Who are the Incas? What geographical location did each civilization occupy? What kind of political organization did each civilization have? What was the social stratification of each civilization? What were the religious beliefs of each civilization? What kind of writing system did each civilization employ? What kind of numerical system did each civilization utilize? What kind of economy did each civilization promote? What were the religious beliefs of each civilization? What were the achievements of each civilization?
The Mayans

Identifying Resources:

Alta Vista Translator:
http://babelfish.altavista.digital.com/cgi-bin/translate?

Copy the URL of the site that requires translation.  Click on the AV Translator link  and paste the URL into the AV Translator box. Choose English to Spanish and then select translate.
Copien la dirección o sea la URL  del sitio que requiere la traducción.  Oprimen AV Translator arriba y peguen la URL dentro de la caja del AV Translator.  Escojan inglés al español.

Aztec, Mayan and Inca Links
 

Awesome Library http://www.awesomelibrary.org/Classroom/Social_Studies/History/Ancient_and_Medieval.html Awesome Library links provides us with outstanding project sites on Ancient Aztecs, Mayas and Incas. Los enlaces de Awesome Library nos provee con los sitios de los proyectos sobresalientes de los aztecas, los mayas, y los incas.

Ancient Mesoamerican Civilizations
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/humanorigins/index.html

It contains numerous links on Mesoamerica.
Contiene numerosos enlaces de Mesoamérica.

 

Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans http://www.connectingstudents.com/themes/aztecs.htm They not only categorized the links, but they are very good. No sólo catigorizaron los enlaces, sino son muy finos.

Pre-Columbian Culture
http://udgftp.cencar.udg.mx/ingles/Precolombina/precointro.html

Prepared in Mexico, there is a map that illustrates the predominant cultures and their religion, social stratification, art and calendar.
Preparado en México, hay un mapa que ilustra las culturas predominantes y su religión, estratificación social, el arte, y su calendario.

 

Lords of the Earth http://www.realtime.net/maya/ It is unbelievable that there is so much information about the three cultures at one site, plus Quick Time movies! ¡Es increible que haya tanta información de las tres culturas en un sitio, más los videos de Quick Time!

Los Incas
http://www.marietta.edu/~marlowd/inca~1.htm

Participate in this interactive quiz on the three Indian culturas.
Participen en esta prueba interactiva de las tres culturas indígenas.

 

Culturas Pre-colombinas http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/8115/culturas.htm There are various valuable international links to the three civilizations, including links that deal with the cultures of which each civilization was composed. Hay varios enlaces valorosos a las tres civilizaciones, incluyendo enlaces que se tratan de las culturas distintas de que se compusieron.

Three Ancient Cultures and Their Math
http://cecasun.utc.edu/~tpa/mcallister/students/thec98pboleman.html

Visit Mayan, Aztec and Inca Cultures and Their Math.
Visiten las culturas de los mayas, los aztecas, y los incas y sus matemáticas.

 

Early Civilizations http://www.wsanford.com/~jgoodwin/technology/nativeamer/index.htm You will find some useful links about all 3 Indian civilizations categorized by a technology student. Encontrarán unos enlaces útiles de las tres civilizaciones indígenas categorizados por un estudiante de tecnología.

América Indígena
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atrium/9449/

This site contains research, graphs, and documents about Indian symbols.
Este sitio contiene estudios, gráficos y documentos sobre la simbología de los mayas, aztecas, incas y guaraníes.

 

Leyendas de los orígenes del mundo http://www.ciudadfutura.com/america/lorig.htm It provides us many legends about the origins of the world. Nos da muchas leyendas de las Américas de los orígenes del mundo.

Mr Donn's Countries & Continents Section
http://members.aol.com/Egyptkids/western.html#AZTECS

This site Mr. Donn’s is one of the most complete with respect to the sources of information available, including more games and activities.
Este sitio de Mr. Donn es uno de los más completos respecto a los fuentes de información disponible, incluyendo más juegos y actividades.

 

Latin American Resources http://www.brocku.ca/history/Latin.html At Latin American Resources there are a heap of links that primarily include the Mayas and the Incas. A los recursos de América Latina hay un montón de enlaces

LinksMexican History and Art Page
http://www.grandopera.com/mlinks.html

Here is a set of links that has to do with the Mayas and the Aztecs.
He aquí un conjunto de enlaces que tienen que ver con los mayas y los aztecas.

 

Cheverus High School Mayan, Aztec, Inca Links http://gateway.cheverus.org/library/aztec.html Check out this site of the links that already has a complete project with a table of links of the three cultures prepared by Cheverus High School. Observen este sitio que tiene un proyecto que ya está hecha con una tabla de los enlaces de las tres culturas.

Ancient American Civilizations, Mesoamerica
http://www.ukans.edu/~hoopes/506/Resources.htm

This site contains a large number of archaelogical links and museum exhibits related to Mesoamerica.
Este sitio contiene un gran número de enlaces arqueológicos y exhibiciónes relacionadas a Mesoamérica.

 

Los incas
   

The Machu Pichu Library http://geog.gmu.edu/gess/classes/students/studgeog411/miked/library.html Perhaps it may be the most extensive site on Peru, this site comes with maps, images, culture, history and video. Quizás sea el sitio más extensivo que se trata de Perú,  este sitio nos provee con mapas, imágenes, cultura, historia, y video.

Lost Cities Adventure
http://www.destination360.com/start1.htm

Take a virtual tour of Peru at Lost Cities Adventure.
Hagan un viaje virtual de Perú a la aventura de las ciudades perdidas.

 

Culture of the Andes http://www.best.com/~gibbons/ Learn about the culture of the Andes. Aprendan algo de la cultura andina.

Machu Pichu
http://personales.com/espana/barcelona/luis/index.htm

This gives us a glance at the sacred city of the Inca empire.
Nos da una ojeada de la ciudad sagrada del imperio Inca.

 

Origens of the Incas http://www.eafit.edu.co/departamentos/humanidades/antropologia/Mitos/origenincas.htm This is one of the legends of the origen of the city of Cuzco. Esta es una de las leyendas de los orígenes de la ciudad de Cuzco.

Gallery of Photos of Cuzco
http://personales.com/espana/barcelona/cuzco/cusco.htm

Look at the gallery of photos of Cuzco, the city known as the cradle of the Inca empire.
Miren la galería de fotos de esta ciudad conocida como la cuna del imperio Inca.

 

The Religion of the Incas http://asups.ups.edu/~jgilbert/religion.htm It provides us with crystal clear images of the religious centers, a list of monarchs and cultural information. Nos provee imágenes muy claros de los centros ceremoniales, una lista de los monarcas e información cultural.

What are Quipus?
http://www.jenck.com/quipus-2.htm

Consult this description of the quipus, the Inca numeric system.
Consulten esta descripción de los quipus, el sistema de numeración de los Incas.

 

Nazca Lines http://ekeko.rcp.net.pe/rcp/nasca/ Do not skip the Nazca lines, perhaps the largest astrological library in the world, in spite of the fact that it may take a while to arrive. No pasen por encima las líneas de nazca a pesar de que tarde un rato en llegar.

Atahualpa, Pizarro, and the Fall of the Inca Empire
http://www.millersv.edu/~columbus/papers/white.html

In the middle of the page there is a description of the Inca society.
Al medio de la página hay una descripción de la sociedad incaíca.

 

The Inca Civilization http://lsa.colorado.edu/~lsa/texts/Incas.html It narrates for us the characteristics of Inca civilization, including the art, the arquitecture, and the religion. Nos relata características de la civilización incaíca, incluyendo el arte, la arquitectura, y la religión.

Los mayas

Maya Adventure
http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/sln/ma/top.html

The University of Minnesota has provided us with images of the Mayas including the wells and the maps.
La universidad de Minnesota nos ha provisto con imágenes de los cenotes y los mapas.

 

Maya Related Links http://www.astro.uva.nl/~michielb/maya/links.html Note the plentiful outstanding links on the Mayas. Fíjense los cuantiosos enlaces sobresalientes de los mayas.

The History of the Mayans
http://www.brownpride.com/history/mayans.html

Study the history of the Mayas.
Estudien la historia de los mayas.

 

Mayan Society http://www.op.net/~uarts/munoz/social_life.html Read about Mayan society. Lean de la sociedad maya.

The Mayan Calendar and Number System
http://www.osint.net/losmayas.html

This is an excellent source on the Mayan calendar and the number system.
Este es un fuente excelente del calendario maya y el sistema de numeración.

 

Maya:Children of the Corn http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/spirits/html/mayabodymaya.html There are some articles and links that explain about the cities or ceremonial centers of the Mayas and additional links to the Aztecs. Hay unos artículos que nos explican los centros ceremoniales de los mayas y otros enlaces a los aztecas.

Aztecs: Fierce Wanderers
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/spirits/html/body_aztec.html
There are some articles and links that explain about the cities or ceremonial centers of the Mayas and additional links to the Aztecs.
Hay unos artículos que nos explican los centros ceremoniales de los mayas y otros enlaces a los aztecas.

 

Los Mayas-Hot List http://edtech.sdcs.k12.ca.us/teach/hotlist/losmayas.html Find artifacts and images of the ceremonial center Copan here. Aquí se encuentran los artefactos y los imágenes del centro ceremonial de Copan.

Images of Maya Writing and a Hut
http://highland.dit.upm.es:8000/mexico/turismo/mayas.html

Capture these images of Mayan writing, the codex, plus a current hut.
Capturen estos imágenes de la escritura maya, el códice, más un chozo actual.

 

Image of Kukulkan and Venus http://windows.ivv.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/tour_def/mythology/Kukulcan_venus.html There is a nice image of Kukulkan and an explanation of the Mayan knowledge of the planet Venus. Nos da un buen imágen de Kukulkan y una explicación del conocimiento de los mayas del planeta Venus.

Los aztecas

Empires Past: Reference Library
http://library.advanced.org/16325/library.html

Visit this library that contains information on the economy, the government, the society, the army, the agriculture, the sciences and the arts.
Visiten esta biblioteca que contiene información de la economía, el gobierno, la sociedad, el ejército,  la agricultura, las ciencias, y el arte.

 

Aztec Astronomy http://udgftp.cencar.udg.mx/teteo/astros3.html Consult this site to read an introduction to Aztec astronomy. Consulten este sitio para leer una introducción de la astronomía azteca.

The History of Cocoa
http://www.chocoibarra.com.mx/choco3.htm

There is an abreviated story on the history of cocoa.
Hay un relato abreviado de la historia del cacao.

 

Aztec Social Structure and Government http://library.advanced.org/16325/y-soc.html Este sitio resume de la sociedad azteca. This site summarizes Aztec society.

Social Organization of the Aztecs
http://azteca.net/aztec/nahuatl/organiza.html

Here is another summary of Aztec society.
He aquí otro resumen de la sociedad azteca.

 

The Aztec Society http://explora.presidencia.gob.mx/pages_kids/history/mesoamerica/soaztec_kids.html It contains an image of Aztec society plus a description. Contiene un imágen de la sociedad azteca más una descripción

Aztec History
http://northcoast.com/~spdtom/aztec.html

There are links, and it deals with Aztec medicine, religion and leaders.
Hay enlaces, y se trata de la medicina, la religión, y los líderes de los aztecas.

 

The Aztecs http://www.dana.edu/~dwarman/aztec.htm Dana College preparó esta página de la religión azteca

Aztec Gods, Calendar and History
http://www.queonda.com/pg1d4.htm

Study the Aztec calendar, the gods, and the history.
Estudien el calendario azteca, a los dioses, y la historia.
 

Product:

Each student will construct a WebEssay in which he authentically provides the rationale for his recommendations for the museum exhibit. The students will include images in the WebEssay, substantiate their recommendations in the research, and cite the corresponding URLs. In addition, each student will share his results with not only the rest of the class, but also with the general public.  These documents will be published; therefore, please take every precaution to ascertain the accuracy of  the information consulted as well as that prepared.  Remember to advocate for the Mayans, the Aztecs, and the Incas by proposing three artefacts for each civilization. Moreover, justify your conclusions within the framework of these pre-Columbian cultures.

Assessment:
 

	Expert	Advanced	Intermediate	Beginner	No Follow-through
	Answer is very thorough and to the point. Answer is supported through outstanding sources. Answer is reliable.	Answer is very thorough and to the point. Answer is supported through excellent sources. Answer is reliable.	Answer is missing something but is mainly correct. Some sources are represented. The answer is almost convincing.	More research is needed. Argument is not very thorough and is by no means convincing.	No follow-through
	All style guidelines are followed. All links connect to appropriate information.	Most style guidelines are followed. Most links connect to appropriate information.	A considerable amount of style guidelines are followed. The links are also connected to appropriate information.	The utilization of style guidelines  is bearable. The links are somewhat appropriate.	No follow-through
	All links connect to useful, on topic information that support the answer. The representation of links shows deep thought taken upon the answer.	Almost all links connect to useful, on topic information that support the answer. The representation of links shows a considerable amount of thought taken upon the answer.	Most links connect to useful, on topic information that support the answer. The representation of links shows relevant thought taken upon the answer.	Some links connect to little useful, on topic information that support the answer. The representation of links shows little thought taken upon the answer.	No follow-through
	All sources are cited. The citations have no errors.	Small errors occur in the citations, but all sources are cited.	Small errors occur. Most sources are cited.	No more than half the sources are cited. The errors may be more significant.	No follow-through

This Project Page was created by Joan Bowers.  Copyright 1999. All rights reserved.  Last updated 8/6/99