Lesson 5: Achievements of the Maya, Aztecs, and Incas

Key Idea

High in the Andes mountains, the Inca built a massive empire stretching for thousands of miles. To connect their diverse lands and people, they became master engineers, rising to power in the 1400s before Europeans arrived.

A strong central government organized huge public works projects. The Inca built an incredible network of roads and bridges to move armies and goods. They also created advanced irrigation canals to farm on steep mountainsides.

Key Idea

The Maya civilization made major advances in science and communication. They developed a complex hieroglyphic writing system to record their history and knowledge on stone monuments and in books.

In mathematics, the Maya created a number system that included the revolutionary concept of zero. This powerful tool allowed them to make very large and precise calculations.

Key Idea

The Aztecs were skilled innovators who built upon the knowledge of earlier Mesoamerican peoples. They established their magnificent capital city, Tenochtitlán, on an island in the middle of a lake. This location presented unique challenges that required clever engineering solutions.

To feed their large population, the Aztecs created artificial islands called chinampas for farming. They also built massive temples with double stairways and developed a complex calendar, adapting and refining the scientific and architectural ideas of the region.

Key Idea

The Inca Empire thrived in the challenging Andes mountains through remarkable engineering. They built a vast road network featuring strong suspension bridges woven from rope to cross deep canyons. To grow food on steep slopes, they carved wide terraces into the mountainsides, transforming the landscape for agriculture.

To govern their large population, Inca officials used a unique system of knotted strings called quipus for record-keeping. This allowed them to track goods, taxes, and census data without a written alphabet.