UNKNOWN MEXICO

MEXICO DESCONOCIDO

ACTIVITIES FOR THE YOUNG AND CURIOUS
This form can be: 1) completed on-line and e-mailed, 2) completed on-line
and printed, or 3) printed blank for classroom use. 
Name    : 
E-Mail  : 
Teacher : 
Class   : 
School  : 
City    : 
State   : 
Country :
Locating the Civilizations of Ancient Mexico
Below are listed the names and dates of some peoples who lived in ancient Mexico. In the space at the right, say whether the people lived in "Western", "Central", or "Eastern" (including Southeastern and Northeastern) Mexico:

Olmec 1100-500 BC
Chupícuaro 500-100 BC
Colima 200 BC-AD250
Teotihuacán AD 400-750
Zapotec AD400-800
Maya AD 600-900
Veracruz (El Tajín) AD 600-900
Tarascan 1100-1500 AD
Casas Grandes AD 1150-1400
Aztec AD 1300-1520





Learning the Vocabulary. Look through the exhibit and find an image that relates to the term and the definition. Write the name of the article in the space after the definition.

Yácatas Tarascan temple pyramids
Chupícuaro Most ancient West Mexican culture
Tarascans Most advanced in metal-working skills
Purépecha Native name for Tarascans
Black Ware Unpainted clay, hand burnished (Chupícuaro)
Red Ware Plain clay covered with liquefied red clay (Chupícuaro)
Tepetate Volcanic turf that was carved to make shaft tombs














Vocabulary Chart: How many of the following words can you relate to an image in the exhibit? Answer with the place-name or culture (Colima, for example) and the identifying name of the object.

Alfarería pottery
tumba tomb
esqueleto skeleton
zarza wattle
argamasa daub
maíz corn/maize
frijoles beans
calabazín squash
arcilla clay
perro dog
sapo frog
serpeinte snake
metal metal
dios god















A Quiz:

1. Check the states where the peoples of ancient West Mexico lived. (Check more than one.)

Sonora: Nayarit: Colima: Durango: Michoacán:


2. What archaeological finding was so revealing about these cultures? (Check one.)

pyramid city tomb pottery


3. All these cultures built (Check one.)

cities tombs gardens roads


4. Check the ancient West Mexican cultures.

Maya Tarascán Aztec Chupícuaro


5. Draw a floor-plan of a shaft tomb.
(Use a separate piece of paper)



6. Chupícuaro is between.

Jalisco y Guanajuato
Michoacán y Guanajuato
Guanajuato y Guerrero












7. Complete each sentence by using one of the following words:
pottery grave red and black unpainted/painted store food
1) The red ware is
2) The black ware is
3) Pottery was used during life to
4) Chupicuareños had pottery
5) They took their pottery to their


Let's Compare Tombs


Check under each heading what you would expect to find in each kind of tomb.

Chupícuaro Tarascán
pottery
shell beads
gold ornaments
needles
tweezers
axes
















Huichol Yarn Paintings

Because of their geographic isolation, the Huichol people in the inaccessible mountains of northern Halisco, Durango, Zacatecas, and Nayarit were among the last groups of people to come under spanish rule. they were not conquered until 1721. Missionary efforts to convert them failed. they have succeeded in preserving their religion, language, and traditional health practices.

The Huichols are famous for their yuarn paintings (nearikas), which they have only recently developed over the last four decades. Sun-warmed beeswax is spread evenly on a piece of plyboard. (It is never melted over a flame.) The artist sketches symbols that come from a collection of sacred images that are based on visions, religion, and history. They include corn, deer, serpents, eagles, the sun and the moon, and more. The same symbols, with varying arrangements and color, represent the artist's unique expressions.

Modern yarn paintings are both ritualistic and folk art. they were originally used to decorate discs for use in religious ceremonies; now they are sold to tourists. Draw and color a picture of a yarn painting that you would like to make. Explain what the different images in your painting mean.

(Use a separate piece of paper)







Your Teachers' E-Mail Address: