Which civilization is featured in Road to El Dorado? Are they the Mayans, Aztecs, or Incans?

Which civilization is featured in Road to El Dorado?

Are they the Mayans, Aztecs, or Incans?


Are they the Mayans, Aztecs, or Incans?

The 2000 DreamWorks film Road to El Dorado features Spanish explorers and their encounter with a native civilization somewhere in the Americas. Many of the native customs, names, artwork and appearances featured in the movie are reminiscent of Mayan, Incan and Aztec cultures. The question is: Which civilization is supposed to be in the film? After learning about Mayan, Incan and Aztec society, watch the film and fill out the worksheet making connections between the film and each of the three civilizations. Then, use those connections to respond to one of the writing options.

Maya Inca Aztec

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Which civilization is featured in Road to El Dorado?Recreate the graphic organizer (below) on your own paper. As you watch Road to El Dorado, list anything that could be related to the Mayan, Incan, or Aztec cultures.


Are they the Mayans? Reasons:Are they the Mayans? Reasons:

Jaguar WarriorJaguar Warrior

Maya carvings Maya carvings & glyphs& glyphs

Flattened headsFlattened heads

Rainforest settingRainforest setting

beheadingsbeheadings

Mayan ball gameMayan ball gameHernan CortesHernan Cortes









The Mayans controlled most of the Yucatan Peninsula from the 200s – 900s AD. The Mayans had elaborate carvings and glyphs in the sides of their temples and other structures. In their Mesoamerican rainforest setting, the Mayans raided neighboring tribes in order to obtain captives to sacrifice to the gods. Mayans believed happy gods led to rain and harvests.









These sacrifices would occasionally involve the removal of organs (e.g. hearts) or throwing the body into one of the many large water pits found in the region. Oftentimes, the sacrifice would end with a beheading. And although it doesn’t seem very likely, some historians even think that these heads were used in the ancient Mayan ball games.









The Mayans had a strange perspective of beauty. They believed that looking like a cat was beautiful, so they would often dangle objects above the eyes of babies to cross them, would strap boards to the heads of infants to flatten them, or sharpen teeth; all to appear more ‘cat-like’. Warriors would even dress with jaguar skins before a raid.









When the Spanish arrived in the Americas around the 1500s, the Mayans were still in existence, but not nearly as powerful as they once were. Hernan Cortes was a Spanish conquistador who led soldiers and other native allies through Central America, including the territory of the Mayans. He eventually focused his efforts elsewhere in the region.


Are they the Incans? Reasons:Are they the Incans? Reasons:Shores of Shores of

South South AmericaAmerica

City of goldCity of goldMountainous Mountainous region like the region like the

AndesAndes

Throwing off Throwing off cliffscliffs

Amazon Amazon Rainforest of Rainforest of

South AmericaSouth America

Hidden city Hidden city like Machu like Machu

PicchuPicchu

Francisco Francisco PizarroPizarro





AndesAndes




PicchuPicchu


The Inca were a fabulously rich and dominant civilization around the Andes Mountains of South America from the 1200s – 1500s. The Inca controlled many neighboring tribes during their reign. They possessed massive amounts of gold and used the mineral in jewelry, artwork and architecture throughout the empire; especially in the capital city of Cuzco.






AndesAndes




PicchuPicchu


In addition to Cuzco, the Incans built fabulous cities throughout the Andes and into the western reaches of the Amazon Rainforest. Perhaps the best-known site was Maccu Picchu, which was not found by westerners until the early 1900s. This hidden city features terraced hills for farming and impressive architectural elements.






AndesAndes




PicchuPicchu


Like the Maya, the Inca also captured and sacrificed humans to please their gods. They had major gods to represent the sun, the moon and the earth. The Inca also had punishments that would fit the crimes of criminals. Thieves would have hands cut off, rapists would have eyes cut out, and murderers could be thrown off a cliff.






AndesAndes




PicchuPicchu


The cousin of Hernan Cortes, was the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. Pizarro brought disease (smallpox), superior weapons like guns, armor and canons, and less than 200 men into South America. Using other tribes that were Incan enemies, the Incan Empire was overthrown in a few short years.



Are they the Aztecs? Reasons:Are they the Aztecs? Reasons:

Hernan CortesHernan Cortes

Aztec headdressAztec headdress

Spanish pose as Spanish pose as godsgods

Malinche figureMalinche figureWarrior cultureWarrior culture

Spanish HorsesSpanish Horses

Aztec templesAztec temples






Malinche figureMalinche figure


Warrior cultureWarrior culture


The Aztecs migrated from somewhere in North America and settled in Tenochtitlan (which is Mexico City today) when they saw the prophetic sign of the eagle with a snake on a cactus. The Aztecs used floating gardens called chinampas to grow crops in the swampy valleys of what is now Central Mexico.










The Aztecs built enormous temples at which to sacrifice humans in order to nourish the gods. A ruler or priest, typically wearing a large headdress, worked endlessly to please the gods. At the very least, a person was sacrificed at sunrise to thank the sun for coming up, and one was sacrificed at sundown in order for the sun to return in the morning.










The Aztecs sacrificed as many as 30,000 people annually at their temples. That is about 80 people per day, or one every twelve minutes during the day. The Aztecs were a warrior culture who dominated their neighbors just like the Mayans and Incans. But the Spanish were not like any of the native tribes in the area.










When the Spanish arrived, they had native translators to help. Malinche, called Donna Maria, guided Cortes to the Aztec capital in the 1500s. At first, Aztec ruler Montezuma believed Cortes and the Spanish were Aztec gods, specifically the god Quetzalcoatl. With horses, guns, cannons and Smallpox, the Aztecs were soon conquered by Spain.


Aztec Aztec headdressheaddress

Spanish pose Spanish pose as godsas gods

Malinche Malinche figurefigure



Spanish HorsesSpanish HorsesShores of Shores of


City of goldCity of gold

Mountainous region Mountainous region like the Andeslike the Andes


Amazon Rainforest Amazon Rainforest of South Americaof South America

Hidden city like Hidden city like Machu PicchuMachu Picchu







Mayan ball gameMayan ball game



Maya Inca Aztec

1 beheadingsbeheadings Hidden city like Machu PicchuHidden city like Machu Picchu Aztec templesAztec temples

2 Jaguar WarriorJaguar Warrior City of goldCity of gold Spanish pose as godsSpanish pose as gods

3 Maya carvings & glyphsMaya carvings & glyphs Throwing off cliffsThrowing off cliffs Warrior cultureWarrior culture

4 Mayan ball gameMayan ball game Francisco PizarroFrancisco Pizarro Aztec headdressAztec headdress

5 Hernan CortesHernan Cortes Shores of South AmericaShores of South America Malinche figureMalinche figure

6 Rainforest settingRainforest setting Mountainous region like the AndesMountainous region like the Andes Hernan CortesHernan Cortes

7 Flattened headsFlattened heads Amazon Rainforest of S. AmericaAmazon Rainforest of S. America Spanish HorsesSpanish Horses


Compare your graphic organizer to the one below.


Using the information from your graphic organizer, respond to one of the following prompts with 5-7 sentences in a paragraph.

1)1)Which civilization (Maya, Inca or Aztec) is most clearly represented Which civilization (Maya, Inca or Aztec) is most clearly represented in the film? Explain…in the film? Explain…2)2)If you were to create a new film featuring the Maya, Inca or Aztec, If you were to create a new film featuring the Maya, Inca or Aztec, which civilization would you focus on and what elements would you which civilization would you focus on and what elements would you include?include?3)3)Is the film Road to El Dorado mostly filled with historical facts or Is the film Road to El Dorado mostly filled with historical facts or mostly filled with fiction? Explain…mostly filled with fiction? Explain…

Documents

Which civilization is featured in Road to El Dorado? Are they the Mayans, Aztecs, or Incans?