HIS 111
Unit 9: Mesoamerica

Pyramid of the Moon, part of the complex at Teotihuacan, near Mexico City, abandoned in the eighth century CE.
  See some additional photos.  I also have some photos of Inca civilization.

• Read chapters 5 and 15 and the sections on Mesoamerica and the Andes in Chapter 6 in the textbook.
• Read my notes on Mesoamerican civilization.
• Watch my short video.
• Study the Questions to Consider and the Key Terms for the unit.
• Post (or respond) with your thoughts/ideas/comments in the discussion forum: What were some of the features of Pre-Columbian, Mesoamerican societies? (5 points)

• Please read the notes on the Mayan city of Chichén Itzá.
• Check out Susan Culpepper's online exhibit project on Quipu (the Inca knot system).

• Mayans and Teotihuacan | World History | Khan Academy
• Quest for the Lost Maya
• Inside the Aztec Empire
• History of Ancient Mexico, Aztecs, Maya and more Explained in ten minutes
• The Americas and Time Keeping: Crash Course History of Science #5
• The Animated History of Mexico
• For extra credit please suggest to your instructor a relevant video for this unit of the course. Send the title of the video, the URL and a brief explanation of why you find the video interesting and applicable to the material that is being studied in this unit.

• For up to 25 points of extra credit, the Popol Vuh is the sacred book of the Quiché Indians, who are descended from Maya in present-day Guatemala.  The book, recorded in the sixteenth century in Quiché in Latin script and translated in the nineteenth century, is the Mayan creation myth that had been handed down for thousands of years and reflects early Mesoamerican mythology.  In many ways, the epic resembles Genesis of the Judaeo-Christian tradition.  For extra credit, in a one-page paper, consider a comparison of the Popol Vuh with Genesis.
• For up to 20 points of extra credit, read the material about the Popol Vuh (You might also wish to watch an animated recreation of the Popol Vuh. I think that the whole animation is available here.) and then submit the Quiché paragraph.
  
• For up to 10 points of extra credit, read Hernan Cortés Second Letter to Charles V, 1520, and in a long paragraph, explain what scholars can learn about Indian society from this account.
• For up to 10 points of extra credit, read Pedro de Cieza de Léon Chronicles of the Incas, 1540, and in a long paragraph, explain what scholars can learn about the Inca economy from this short excerpt.
• For extra credit, please suggest a relevant website for this unit of the course.  Send your instructor the title of the site, the URL and a brief explanation why you find the information interesting and applicable to the material being studied this unit.

• Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to (1) explain the development and key features of Mesoamerican societies.