incan presentation
DESCRIPTION
powerpoint presentation of the Ancient American Civilization the Incas. Ms. Fuselier's 5th grade Social Studies class.TRANSCRIPT
Incans
Inca’s Physical Environment
• Andes Mountains of South America
• Cuzco is the capital
• in modern day Peru
• deserts and fertile valleys
• hot and dry
Incan Architecture• large stone fortresses for
protection
• master builders using huge blocks of stone
• built rope bridges, roads & temples
Incan Language
• no written language • kept records using a counting
system with a base of ten. It had colored strings and knots which had special meanings (the Quipu)
Incan Leisure Activities• dance and music
• played a game with a spinning top
• played a dice game
• played sports like temple ball
Incan Scientific Knowledge
• terrace farming; grew crops on the mountain sides
• relay system for delivering messages
• Counting system with a base of ten
• System of roads
• Calendar with 12 months
Incan Religious Beliefs
• polytheists: worshipped many gods of nature
• Inti (the sun god) was the most important god
• had religious festivals to honor gods
Inti
Incan Government• Sapa Inca ruled (emperor)
• Sapa Inca put relatives in positions of power (oldest son)
• punishment was harsh so no one broke the law (pushing the offender off a cliff,
cutting off hands or blinding them)
Incan Economic Activities• Sapa Inca owned all the land
and wealth of the empire
• Farmers gave the Sapa Inca a tribute (kind of tax) by doing work for him
• Wealth of gold and silver
• Hunted llama and grew crops like corn (maize)
Incan Downfall
• Smallpox killed many of the people and weakened the empire.
• Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro conquered the empire after they captured and killed the emperor, Atahualpa.
What else did you learn about the
Incas?