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With the Age of Exploration waiting in the wings, students make the connection to the great native American civilizations of the Americas; the Maya, the Aztec and the Incas. The Maya were no longer at their height by the time the first Spanish conquerors came to the New World, but a study of that culture provides a fascinating look at a different and yet similar approach to the cultural universals present throughout this study. The Maya view of a set of deities who demand a continual offering of blood contrasts with the religions of Christianity and Islam. Yet the similarity in design, if not in purpose, of their temple tower at Chitzen Itza strikes a familiar chord. Students add the corbel arch to their understanding of architectural principles. In this society based on farming, we find the masterpiece murals at Bonampak, a complex system of mathematics, writing and time keeping and a web of trade like any that existed in Europe or the Middle East. The shocking conclusion to the literature selection, The Heart of the Jaguar, will leave your students wanting to know more. |
