This page contains the books and materials (plus reviews) used in our American history curriculum topic 10. This topic will explore the Aztecs, Incas and Maya as well as Spanish exploration.

Books and Materials for Topic 10

Icon Key and Explanations

Ancient Inca [videorecording] / produced and directed by JWM Productions ; producer, Ann Carroll. Wynnewood, Pa. : Schlessinger Media, c2004. 
“Join archaeologist Arizona Smith and a young detective-in-training as they visit the Andes Mountains to explore the civilization of the Incas.”

Topic 10

Ancient Maya [videorecording] / produced and directed by JWM Productions ; producer, Ann Carroll.Wynnewood, Pa.: Schlessinger Media, c2004. 
“Join archaeologist Arizona Smith and a young detective-in-training as they explore the Mayan civilization of Central America and Mexico.”

Topic 10

Discovering the Inca Ice Maiden : My Adventures on Ampato (by Johan Reinhard)
You’ll need to decide if you feel comfortable about your child reading about sacrificial Peruvian mummies. This is a fascinating book with National Geographic photos. It's not necessary to check out this book if you watch the ice mummies movie below.

Topic 10

Exploration and Conquest : The Americas After Columbus: 1500-1620 (The American Story) (by Betsy and Giulio Maestro)

This book gives a broad overview of European exploration of the New World and contains engaging, colorful illustrations. There are a lot of names and dates that most likely will not "stick" but that's o.k. - it's the framework we will fill in with "stories" and more in-depth information as we go along. This is an excellent book to get the "big picture".

Topic 10

Ice Mummies. Frozen in Heaven a BBC/Horizon Nova/WGBH co-production.

"In September 1996, high-altitude archaeologist Johan Reinhard led an expedition to the summit of Sara Sara in Peru in search of frozen sacrificial mummies."

This was an interesting movie that all our children enjoyed. It talked about the sacrificial mummies found in the snow covered mountains of Peru. You learn about Inca beliefs, archeology, and get to see an anthropologist trying to uncover evidence of "capa cocha", a ritual in which the Incas were said to sacrifice their own children to the gods.
Please be aware that it talks about child sacrifice and shows the mummified bodies of the sacrificial victims.

Topic 10

Lost Temple of the Aztecs: What it was Like When the Spaniards Invaded Mexico
(by Shelley Tanaka) 48 pages
"Uses the discovery of the temple in Mexico City, what was the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, to introduce the story of the Spanish conquest of Moctezuma and his empire in the sixteenth century."
This book has beautiful paintings, informative sidebars that aid in understanding, photographs of archeological treasures and more. The story itself is told from the perspective of the Aztecs and is told in such a way that it is easy to remember and understand. Please be aware that it does talk about human sacrifice and other violent acts and shows photographs of real skulls.

Topic 10

Secrets of Lost Empires. Vol. 5 Inca
a NOVA production by the WGBH/Boston Science Unit and BBC-TV

Explore ideas on how the Inca made their buildings and temples out of stone and watch modern day villagers build a 150 foot suspension bridge out of grass! This informative DVD will enhance your understanding of the ancient Inca and show how people today try to interpret the past.

Topic 10

Secret of the Andes  (by Ann Nolan Clark) 120 pages
Although this book can be "slow moving"at times, it's worth the read.
Cusi, an Indian llama shepherd boy raised by an old man in a remote valley of the Andes, has a mystery surrounding who he is. As he descends from the Peruvian highlands to the city of Cuzco looking for what his heart desires, he begins a process of discovering the answers to the questions that have been haunting his days and dreams. This is a slow and sweet book filled with beautiful imagery and conveys what it "really" means to be part of a family.

Topic 10

The Conquistadors and the Aztecs [videorecording] / Ohana Foundation.
"Features what happened between the years 1519 and 1521 when the conquistadors destroyed the mighty Aztec Empire of Mexico and turned it into a colony of Spain. "

Topic 10

The Corn Grows Ripe (by Dorothy Rhoads)
"Tigre, a twelve-year-old Mayan boy living in a modern-day village in Yucatâan, must learn to be a man when his father is injured. " From this book you will learn some of the culture and customs of the Maya as well as some modern day Spanish.

Topic 10

PLUS

The Story of the U.S.A. Book 1

History Pockets: Explorers of North America

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