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The Amazon flows through the world’s largest rainforest. This rainforest is home to more than 2.5 million species of insects, tens of thousands of plants, and over 1,000 species of birds. In fact, almost half of all of the world’s known species can be found in the Amazon. Curious mammals in the Amazon rainforests include the tapir (a hoofed mammal), the nutria (an otterlike creature), the great anteater, and various kinds of monkeys. Insects include large, colorful butterflies. Birds include hummingbirds, toucans, and parrots. A famous reptile dweller is the anaconda, a huge snake that squeezes its victims to death; alligators are also com- mon. Fish include flesh-eating piranhas and the electric eel, capable of discharg- ing a shock up to 650 volts. In recent years environmentalists have grown con- cerned about threats to the ecosystem posed by logging and deforestation in this rainforest. The Amazon was named by a Spanish explorer, Francisco de Orellana, who explored the river in 1541 and named it after women warriors he encountered who reminded him of descriptions of the Amazons in ancient Greek mythology. Andes Mountains The Andes Mountains are over 5,000 miles (8,047 km) in length, the longest mountain system in the Western Hemisphere. The mountains begin as four ranges in the Caribbean area on the northeastern coast of South America. In Peru and Bolivia, the mountains form two parallel ranges that create a wide plateau known as the Altiplano. The Andes then form a single range that separates Chile from Argentina. With an average height of 12,500 feet (3,810 m), the Andes are the second- highest mountain range in the world. (The Himalayas are the highest.) The tallest peak in the Western Hemisphere is the Andes’ Mount Aconcagua, which rises 22,834 feet (6,960 m) above sea level. Many of the mountains are volcanoes, either active or dormant. Approximately 50 to 60 percent of Peru’s people live in the Altiplano. About a third of the country’s population lives in the narrow lowlands between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean. Because the Andes run north to south along the entire length of Chile, most Chileans live in the Central Valley region between the Andes and low coastal mountains. The Central Valley, a fertile area, is home to large cities, manufacturing centers, and agriculture. The Andes Mountains were the home of the Inca people, whom students in Core Knowledge schools studied in Grade 1 and will study again as part of this unit. Core Knowledge students should also have learned about Mount Aconcagua and the Andes during the Grade 4 geography subsection “Mountains and Mountain Ranges.” B. Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations Teaching Idea The Maya Use a search engine to search for The Maya are a native people who settled in the rainforest of the Yucatán pictures of Maya ruins using key- Peninsula in southeastern , , much of , and parts of El words from this book. Share these Salvador and . The dates of their arrival in the area are disputed, but it pictures with students. is generally agreed that their culture reached its apex around 300–900 CE.

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II. Mesoamerican Civilizations

The Maya cultivated maize (corn), beans, and squash. Maya farmers used a Teaching Idea variety of farming methods, including what is called the “slash-and-burn” method The Maya language used glyphs, or sym- of farming. Farmers cleared their cornfields by cutting bushes and trees and then bols, to represent meaning. For example, allowing the cut plants to dry under the hot sun. After drying was complete, the the glyphs on this page represent days of farmers burned the cuttings and planted corn in the ashes, working around the the month. The Maya month has 20 days, remaining tree stumps. which were called “kins.” The Maya built impressive cities in the midst of the rainforest. The largest Have students make up glyphs to rep- buildings—tall temple-pyramids, royal palaces, and ball courts—were concen- resent a week’s worth of days. Working trated in the city centers. These stone structures required an extensive knowledge in pairs, students should come up with a of architecture and engineering. Many buildings were covered with hieroglyphs name for day 1 by printing their first that recounted the history of the city’s dynasty and their patron gods. People lived names, and then combining 2 letters in small houses scattered through the jungle on the outskirts of the city. from each name. They should then The Maya worshipped a variety of gods. Many Maya buildings are decorated repeat the process for day 2, and so on. with the face of Chac, the Maya rain god. For a society that depended on its har- They may use the same letters more than vests, rain was vitally important. Some important Maya myths and traditions are once but not in the same combination. recorded in a sacred book called the Popul Vuh. Then have students draw 7 glyphs to rep- Most people were farmers who lived in cities or in villages near their fields, resent the 7 days of the week. The while hereditary kings ruled the centers. The principal cities were , Tuluum, glyphs should represent the letters in , , , , , , , Uaxactún, Copán, some way. , , and Río Bec. Many of these sites can be visited today, and they are popular tourist destinations. The Maya developed advanced systems of astronomy and mathematics. They worked out a calendar of 365 days and could accurately predict eclipses. They also developed the concept of zero, a very important advance in mathematics. Their system of hieroglyphs for writing and keeping records was a complex sys- tem of ideographs—symbols representing ideas—that archaeologists have only partly decoded. It has long been one of the great mysteries of linguistics. Maya buildings, especially their temple pyramids, were massive structures built of lime- stone blocks. A ball game called pok-a-tok had a prominent role in Maya culture. Players tried to drive a rubber ball through a stone ring set about 30 feet (9 m) in the air, but were not allowed to use their hands or feet. The game had religious signifi- cance, with the winners richly rewarded and the losers sometimes offered as sac- rifices to the gods. Teaching Idea Sometime about 900 CE, the Maya abandoned many of their ceremonial cen- Coordinate instruction with the physi- ters. Experts speculate that an epidemic struck and killed much of the popula- cal education teacher or on your own tion, a drought occurred, or perhaps the Maya had exhausted the soil and moved class time to simulate “pok-a-tok.” Tell on. It is possible that the people simply moved away if the farmers could no students they are going to play a ball longer support a center’s population. No one knows for sure what happened. game without using their hands or feet. Although the Maya culture seems to have fallen on hard times, many Maya Set up a ring at a right angle to the people survived. By the time the Spanish arrived in the 1500s, the large cities were ground. A player scores when he or she in ruin and a much smaller population lived scattered throughout the jungle. can hit the ball through the ring. You Some Maya survivors were subjugated by the Spanish conquistador Francisco de may wish to modify the game after a Montejo in about 1549. certain period of time so that it may As you may have noticed, the word Maya can be used as a singular and a plu- come to a conclusion. Discuss how ral form, and also as an adjective. However, usage differs. Some writers prefer challenging this game must have been. “Mayas” as the plural noun and “Mayan” as an adjective.

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