| Lesson
Find and circle Mexico City, Mexico at 20N/99W on your globe. Mexico
City occupies the former site of the Aztec capital Tenochtitln. Mexico
City lies at the southern end of the central Valley of Mexico. What is
the land elevation of Mexico City? (1.)
_________________________________ How far is the city from the equator?
(2.) ____________________________________________
Now place a small "X" on your globe at 39N/90W. This is the location
of the city of St. Louis, Missouri. St. Louis is near a Mound Builders
culture site that was called Cahokia. What is the land elevation of this
area? (3.) ___________________ How far is the area from the equator?
(4.) _________________________________________
The average July temperature in Mexico City is 63 degrees Fahrenheit
while the average July temperature in St. Louis is 79 degrees
Fahrenheit. Why do you think the summers are cooler in Mexico City than
in St. Louis even though St. Louis is twice as far from the equator?
(5.)
________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
In addition to the temperature differences, the area in and around
Tenochtitln was much drier, and it had fewer trees and forest than the
area around Cahokia. Discuss with your classmates how these differences
would have influenced the types of civilizations that
developed at these two North American sites. Consider such things as
homes, clothing, foods, farming techniques, and other everyday
activities.
Now circle the Four Corners location on your globe. This location is
found at 37N/109W and it is the only place in the United States where a
person can stand in one spot and touch four different states at the same
time. Near Four Corners are the sites of the ancient Anasazi cities of
Pueblo Bonito and Mesa Verde. What is the land elevation in this area?
(6.) _________________ ______________________ Do you think the Anasazi
culture would have been more like the Aztec culture or the culture of
the Mound Builders? (7.) _______________________________ Why? (8.)
____________________________________________________________
Descendants of the Anasazi, the Mayas, the Aztecs, the Incas, and the
Mound Builders, made up just a few of the many culture
groups that occupied the western hemisphere at the beginning of the 15th
century (1400 A.D.). Though there were millions of people living in the
Americas, their existence was totally unknown to most of the inhabitants
in the Eastern Hemisphere |
