Spanish 3 / Unit 9: Literature and Culture in the Spanish-Speaking World
9.5 Ancient Civilizations
Notes
Before Spanish arrival, great civilizations lived in the Americas.
- Maya (southern México, Guatemala, Belice): mathematics, calendar and cities; Chichén Itzá in the Yucatán Peninsula is a famous site.
- Azteca (mexica): capital Tenochtitlan, built on an island in a lake, where Mexico City stands today.
- Inca: empire in the Andes with capital in Cusco; Machu Picchu in Perú is a famous Inca site.
- Many Indigenous languages are still spoken: náhuatl, quechua (Andes), maya, guaraní (Paraguay).
- Spanish words from Indigenous languages: chocolate, tomate, aguacate (náhuatl), papa, llama (quechua).
Practice
¿Dónde está la antigua ciudad de Machu Picchu?
Machu Picchu is an Inca site in the Andes of Perú.
La capital azteca, Tenochtitlan, se encontraba donde hoy está ___.
Mexico City was built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan.
¿Qué lengua indígena se habla en los Andes?
Quechua was the language of the Inca Empire and is still spoken in the Andes.
Ready for more? Take the Unit 9 test.