1. Early Mesoamerican and South American Societies

2. S.W.B.A.T. Evaluate how many diverse Native American cultures developed across South America by completing a question worksheet and creating “Postcards from the Past”

3. Initial Activity Answer the following question: Why do you think early peoples in the Americas migrated south?

4. Word of the Day Develop The process of growing or improving.

5. Olmec Rise Around 1200 B.C.E. the Olmec developed the earliest known civilization in Mesoamerica.

6. Olmec Significant Accomplishments

7. Maya Rise Grew maize and lived in small villages Villages traded with each other and by about the year 200, the Maya were building huge cities

8. Maya

9. Aztec Rise Around the mid 1100’s, the Aztec migrated south to Central Mexico. With their strong military ability the Aztec conquered many towns and built alliances. Controlled a huge trade network

10. Aztec

11. Inca Rise Began as a small tribe in the Andes Mountains of South America and named their capital Cuzco (KOO-skoh). By the 1500s the empire stretched along the Pacific coast from what now is northern Ecuador to central Chile.

12. Inca

13. Summary/Share-Out Which of the four civilizations discussed do you think was the most highly developed?