The Aztec, Incas and Mayans

In social studies I am learning about the Aztec, Incas and Mayans. The Aztecs lived where present day Mexico City is located. They made sacrifices to nature gods. The most important nature god was the sun god. They made daily sacrifices to him. The reason they did that was to make sure the sun kept making its way around the world. They believed that if they stopped the sun would stop moving. Later a conquistador named Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztecs, killing almost every last one.

The Maya lived on the Yucatan Peninsula, in present day Mexico. They built huge temples to the gods. Mayan priests were supposed to be able to communicate with the gods. Therefore the people of the Maya did the what the priests said the gods wanted them to do. The priests told them this from the top of a pyramid (like the one pictured). They were kind of like kings, but they weren't. The Mayans had kings too and they were the leaders.

The Inca lived the on the tops of the Andes mountains. There they built great cities up in the clouds. They built terraces for farming and for making sure that their cities didn't wash away when there was a huge downpour. They grew potatoes, corn, maize and many other foods in the terraces. They had kings as well. The conquistador that captured them was named Francisco Pizarro. Like Cortes destroyed the Aztecs, Pizarro tried to kill all of the Incas.