Temple of the Jaguar

Be careful not to mistake these Torrey's Peak students with Mayan rulers, priests, nobles, merchants, artisans, peasants and slaves! Students are investigating four ancient Mayan city-states to better understand different aspects of Mayan culture.

In this photograph you can see the reconstruction of the Temple of the Jaguar of the ancient city-state of Tikal. In this recreation students were able to pantomime and recite the different roles and responsibilities of members in each social class. Can you list at least three duties or responsibilities of each social class!?

Ancient Civilizatons of the Western Hemisphere

When thinking about our world today (195 independent countries according to World Affairs 2011), what classification do we use to determine great/advanced countries? What criteria should be used for this study? Would we use the same criteria to compare Ancient Civilizations of our past to countries of today?

Here are the essential questions students will be investigating in this unit of study:

1.) How did the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas become great/advanced civilizations?

2.) What makes a group of people become a great/advanced civilization?

3.) What were the legacies and achievements of the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas?