THE AZTECS Ryan Love Education 575
WEBQUEST
INTRODUCTION/ TASK/ PROCESS/ EVALUATION/ CONCLUSION/ CREDITS
We are going to talk about a brief history of the Aztecs. This WebQuest will walk you through various aspect of the Aztecs' history by examining monuments, ancient cities, and myths. After this activity, there will be a few questions on the content, which will include links to find the answers.
The purpose of this product is to aid students in exploring the history of the Aztecs in the context of a study of Mexican history and culture. It is also to give Spanish students a rich heritage to consider while studying the Spanish language in all its nuances and usages. It is important to know more about the culture of Latin America as well as the language. This product will give them tools to further investigate the ancient Native American group. This product is designed for the use by any Spanish or history class from grades 8 through 12.
The preceding and ensuing events of this project include a study of the history of Aztec origins and practices. Students should learn about the location where they lived, as well as their historic relations to neighboring tribes. This lesson should be in the context of studying other ancient South American Native groups such as the Incas, the Toltecs, and the Mayans. After this lesson, students should study more about these groups and how the influences of their culture has impacted their surroundings, as well as the modern Latin Americans.
This product should improve learning by creating a systemized format for studying the Aztecs. One could use this product to search for a number of topics and aspects of their culture, history, and social practices, as well as learn more about the remnants of their cities and monuments.
One could include more websites to facilitate the initial search among topics in whichone has an interest. The pictures could be linked to multiple sites which would lead to multiple sources of information related to that item. One could develop many different kinds of activities to make use of the information made readily available by this product.
The student will engage in a WebQuest to answer the following questions regarding the following photographs of Aztec ruins. The URL will be provided.
These are pictures of the Pyramid of the Sun. http://archaeology.la.asu.edu/teo/intro/sun.htm
The answers to the first set of questions can be found by clicking on the picture on the top of page. It is a picture of the Aztec Ruins National Monument.
a. 1901 b. 1923 c. 1917
2. The Aztec Ruins National Monument preserves structures and artifacts of the ______________________ people.
a. Ancient Hopi b. Mayan c. Ancient Pueblo
3. The Aztec Ruins National Monument was designated a world Heritage site in what year?
a. 1991 b. 1994 c. 1987 d. 1958
For answers and further information see http://www.nps.gov/azru/
These questions are about the Pyramid of the Sun.
4. The Sun Pyramid is located where?
a. Directly north of Mexico City
b. The East side of the Avenue of the Dead and the center of Teotihuacán
c. West of the city of Teotihuacán
5. As archaeologists believe, for what were the caves under the pyramid used?
a. Burial rites
b. Ritual activities
c. Entombing of rulers
6. Who first excavated the Sun Pyramid?
a. Hernán Cortéz
b. Leopoldo Batrez
c. Eduardo Matos Monetezuma
These questions are related to the Aztec's account of creation. Answers and more information about their mythology will be found at this site: http://www.dreamscape.com/morgana/miranda.htm#AZTEC
7. The Mother of the Aztec creation story is_______________.
a. Coyolxauhqui
b. Croatilique
c. Huitzilopahtily
8. What does the Aztec name of the mother of creation mean?
a. Fire Goddess
b. The Lady of the Skirt of Snakes
c. Earth mother
9. Who was the Mother's first born?
a. Coyolxanuhqui, goddess of the moon
b. Huitzilopahtily
c. the stars
10. The natural cosmos, according to the Indians, was born of__________.
a. An omnipotent loving hand
b. a mere accident
c. a catastrophe
The students will be evaluated on their ability to find the correct response to the questions by viewing the appropriate web site. There are 10 questions so each one is worth 2 points.
The answers are:
1. b. 6. b.
2. c 7. b.
3. c 8. a.
4. b 9. a.
5.b. 10. a.
The Aztecs has a long and rich heritage. Their culture left a distinct mark on their environment and their neighboring peoples. Many of the remnants of their rich and mysterious culture survive today. Many things about present Hispanic culture are as ancient as the Aztecs. Students of Spanish must learn about them, and other ancient Latin American peoples, such as the Mayans, the Toltecs, the Olmecs, and the Incas. There are important things they can teach us about their history and their culture, as well as some things about our own. This activity is designed to give students a glimpse into the history of the Aztec people and to facilitate further inquiry and research.
These websites were used in creation of this activity.
1. National Park Service. (2003). Aztec Ruins National Monument. Retrieved March 21, 2003, from http://www.nps.gov/azru/
2. Sugiyama, S (1996). Archaeology of Teotihuacan, Mexico: The Sun Pyramid. Retrieved March 30, 2003 from http://archaeology.la.asu.edu/teo/intro/sun.htm
3. Morgana's Observatory. (1997). Creation myths. Retrieved March 30,2003 from http://www.dreamscape.com/morgana/miranda.htm#AZTEC