1. Continents are simple. Right? Using page A22 or Surface: Where is North America? Where is South America? What is in between?

2. In your group, Discuss: How does latitude and longitude affect food production? Hint: Climate

3. 1.Amazon River Basin 2.Paraná River 3.Andes Mountains 4.Yucatan Peninsula 5.Isthmus of Panama (Central American Isthmus) 6.Atacama Desert 7.Sierra Madre Oriental and Occidental 8.Sierra Madre Del Sur 9.Lake Texcoco Landforms

4. AMERICAN Civilizations How did physical geography influence early American settlements? ------------------------------ Section 1 What effect does latitude and longitude have on climate? (The story of latitude and climate)  Early American people settled in tropical regions.  Locations of the same latitude have different climates; locations on the same longitude often share similar climates.  Climate affects crops…

5. What type of climate characterizes most of South and Central America? (Yucatan Peninsula video, 3 min.) How did farmers in the Andes overcome geographical obstacles? (Andes Mts. Video, 5 min.)  Tropical  Farmers built irrigation canals and used terracing.

6. What are the two main land regions of Mesoamerica and how were their climates different? (Amazon River Video, 5 min.) (Amazon Rain Forest Video, 5 min.) How did farmers in the lowlands practice agriculture? (Atacama Desert Video, 5 min.) (Ancient History Video, 10 min.)  Highlands and Tropical Lowlands  The highlands are dry and cool and the tropical lowlands are warm and rainy.  They used slash-and- burn farming.

7. What can happen when a new leader takes power? How was Pacal II important to his sons and the people of Palenque? Describe the ceremony as Kan-Xul becomes king.  An empire may face many challenges, or even begin to decline.  Pacal II led for 68 years during the height of power in Palenque.  Kan-Xul sat on a jaguar throne and accepted the family headdress of jade. King Pacal II and His Sons Starting with a Story

8. Why do you believe the Olmec settled in Southern Mexico? Describe the mystery behind the Olmec Stone Heads. Why are the Olmec considered a “mother culture?”  The land had many rivers and fertile soil.  The stone heads weigh approximately 40,000 lbs.; how were they transported 50 miles?  Olmec art, architecture, religion, and trade helped shape other Mesoamerican cultures. The Olmec

9. Briefly describe each social class in Mayan society. Identify advances in Maya education. What happened to the Maya?  Kings governed and acted as priests.  Nobles were scholars, warriors, and merchants.  Peasants were farmers.  Slaves were criminals, people captured in wars, or orphans.  Mayans used glyphs for writing, developed a number system based on 20, and created a calendar based on Venus.  They declined and disappeared mysteriously, possible from famine, over farming, or war. The Maya

10. (Read Settling in the Valley… and see Animated Map) Using the picture on p. 372, describe the Tenochtitlan Market. Compare Aztec Codices to Egyptian Hieroglyphs. How did the Aztec Empire fall?  Various aspects of culture may be observed.  Both civilizations used pictures and symbols (glyphs) to represent daily life and funeral proceedings.  Montezuma met with Cortez, but was Montezuma became a prisoner. The Spaniards were able to overthrow the Aztec because of guns, germs, and steel. The Aztec

11. How did the Andes Mts. make life difficult for the Inca? Describe how the Inca communicated throughout the empire. Describe what happened to the Inca when the Spaniards arrived.  Steep land made farming difficult; the Inca used terraced farming and raised animals such as llama and alpaca.  Each person had to work on the roads each for a small time period. Chasquis then “ran” messages from one point to the next.  The Spaniard, Pizarro, met with Atahualpa, captured, and killed him. The Inca then fell to the Spaniards’ guns, germs, and steel. The Inca

12. Explain how geography affected successful food production and the development of complex societies in the Americas. Name:____________________

13. Explain the importance or unique features of each of the four Central and South American civilizations.