Native America: Understanding the Past through Things

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 06.04.08

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction
  2. Rationale
  3. What is a Myth?
  4. Religion and Human Sacrifice
  5. Writing and Literature
  6. Popol Vuh
  7. Brief Look at Inca Civilization 1200-1534 A.D.
  8. Inca Wealth
  9. Inca Human Sacrifice
  10. Inca Writing System—Khipu—Destruction and Impact on Literature
  11. Mythology of the Inca—Common Features
  12. Inca Myth Choice #One—"The Rod of Gold"
  13. Inca Myth Choice #Two—"The Boy Who Rose to the Sky"
  14. Inca Myth Choice #3—"Why the Fox Has a Huge Mouth"
  15. Inca Myth Choice #4—"The Mouse Husband"
  16. Other Tools Used in This Unit
  17. Fun Notes/Activities on This Unit
  18. Classroom Activities
  19. Pennsylvania Academic Standards
  20. Works Cited and Resources for Teachers
  21. Resources for Students
  22. Appendix A

Mythology of the Inca and Maya

Janelle A. Price

Published September 2006

Tools for this Unit:

Fun Notes/Activities on This Unit

1. If you have extra time, show the class the Disney movie, The Emperor's New Groove. The movie has a strong Inca presence. The emperor's name is Kuzco, he is turned into a llama, Pacha (means earth in Quechua) is a llama herder, ChiCha (means maize beer in Quechua) is Pacha's wife, there are jaguars, the architecture of Kuzco's home, and Pacha's home on the mountaintop. These are just a few of the similarities and any class would enjoy finding these similarities and more.

2. Bierhorst's book on Inca myths is called Black Rainbow. A black rainbow in many cultures is a bridge to the underworld, which in Inca mythology is Uca Pacha and is headed by a deity named Supay, who is also in charge of a race of demons.

Comments:

Hayden O'rourke

February 28, 2019 at 3:53 am

Inca Children at Work and Play

Dear Yale National Initiative, I wanted to thank you for creating a great lesson on having students use picture analysis skills and background knowledge of children for this activity. I really think the requirements and assessment anchors are well thought out and have a clear goal in the end. My only suggestion is if there is a way to make the images bigger?

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