Ms. Diane Nicoll 7th Grade History Unit 5: Lesson 5 

Name: Arielle Percer

Date: March 2, 2018

Class: 7th Grade - Medieval World History

 
Slides and Notes 
Slide Student Notes

Title  ☆ MesoAmerican Architecture ☆

Describe the Mesoamerican achievements in
Goal 
mathematics and architecture.

It can tell you about the culture’s daily life and how they 
went about it. It tells people their resources, how 
Critical Thinking  connected they were with their religion, how focussed 
Question Answer:   on architecture, needs, time period, what they believed 
was beautiful, how they captured the world, what they 
appreciated, view of others, and languages. 

The Mayas  
Educators, philosophers, artists, medicine, science, 
engineering, monumental architecture, temples, 
observatories, advanced calendars based on astronomy, 
Same  sun, moon, stars, plants, solstices, and all architecture 
had significant ways of highlighting solstices 
(shadow/shade/holes) and equinoxes - a monument 
would be highlighted.  

Had pyramids with temples placed on tops (were priests 

were located)(Aztecs and Mayans) 
Temples were in the middle of the city and were always 
the tallest building (Aztecs and Mayans) 
Pure step pyramids = Only one temple on the top 
Pyramid 
(Mayans) 
356 steps leading to temple to represent the days in the 
year (Mayans) 
City center (Mayans and Aztecs) 
Each side was for each season 

 
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Ms. Diane Nicoll 7th Grade History Unit 5: Lesson 5 

356 steps leading to temple to represent the days in the 

year (Mayans) 
Calendar 
Had twin calendars that rotated every 52 years (Most 
complex calendars out of the three) (Mayans) 

Famous Building  Chichen Itza’s El Castillo 

The Aztecs  
Educators, philosophers, artists, medicine, science, 
engineering, monumental architecture, temples, 
observatories, advanced calendars based on astronomy, 
Same  sun, moon, stars, plants, solstices, and all architecture 
had significant ways of highlighting solstices 
(shadow/shade/holes) and equinoxes - a monument 
would be highlighted. 

Standardized Education - Certain age went through a 

certain system 
Only noble children went to school  
Education  Started school from the age of 12 
Higher level (mostly male children) - go to military 
academy, learn more about astronomy, philosophy, 
statesmanship, and engineering 

Two temples on top of the step pyramid. The cookie was 

always at the end of the steps on the right side 
Twin Pyramids  Left side praying, and right side human sacrifice. 
Twin temples to intertwin the deities 
Complex Calendar, but not as complex as the Mayans’ 

Famous Building  Tenochtitlan’s Temple Mayor 

The Incas  
Educators, philosophers, artists, medicine, science, 
engineering, monumental architecture, temples, 
observatories, advanced calendars based on astronomy, 
Same  sun, moon, stars, plants, solstices, and all architecture 
had significant ways of highlighting solstices 
(shadow/shade/holes) and equinoxes - a monument 
would be highlighted. 

Walls  Had to change the geography so they could live on the 

 
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Ms. Diane Nicoll 7th Grade History Unit 5: Lesson 5 

mountains and used retaining walls to prevent the soil 

from falling off the cliff 
Flat platforms were used both for agriculture and 
farming 
Did not use a lot of mortar between the stones: so perfect 
with their stone cutting that they didn’t need it and in 
some places you couldn’t get the blade of a sword 
between to bricks. 

Calendar of 12 months (most like ours) - adjusted every 

Calendar 
winter (no leap year) 

Machu Picchu’s Temple of the Sun (nearly every major 

Famous Building  city of the Inca culture)(Most famous of the Inca 
sights)(Some temples were painted in gold) 

Video 

This video was about the Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs 

architecture. It talks about how the Mayans temples 
Video ​LINK​ - Watch 
were step pyramids with 365 steps. They had 365 steps to 
and take the quiz. 
represent the number of days in the year. The video also 
Then, write a 5-7 
talked about calendars. For example the Mayans, Incas, 
sentence summary 
and Aztecs all had calendars. The Inca calendar was 
in the box provided. 
most like ours with 12 months. However the Mayans had 
the most complicated calendar. 
 

 
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