Moctezuma was the Aztec leader who met with the Spanish explorer, Hernando Cortez. Cortez and his crew sailed to South America to gain land for their king. Moctezuma and Cortez knew little about each others' cultures, and this led to distrust and suspicion. Allow students to role play the meeting between the two leaders. Assign the students roles to portray, and write a dialogue to represent the meeting. Utilize role play to assess the students' comprehension during the study of this unit.
The Aztecs honored the sun and designed sun stones to represent creation. The sun stones were formed into calendars and are still created in Mexico. On a paper plate, outline the shape of a sun and its rays. Carefully cut out the shape. Tear or cut small pieces of brightly colored tissue paper. Glue the pieces of tissue onto the plate to form the face's pattern. Once complete, discuss the uniqueness of each student's face and that each has the same purpose.
The Mayans were master architects and designed pyramids that remain today. The most famous is Chichen Itza. Divide students into groups to work cooperatively. Students can estimate the scale of each level of the step pyramid. Use self-hardening clay to form the base and each level. Stack the layers, and add glue between each. Insert a dowel through the middle of the structure to stabilize it. Students can then paint the pyramid.
The Mayans did not write with the alphabet but, instead, used glyphs, or symbolic pictures. These glyphs were either painted or carved into stone. To make a codex, cut a white sheet of paper in half, and fold it into three sections. Each student develops a symbol to represent an event in his life and draws it on the codex. Invite each student to share his codex with the class. The class can also take turns guessing the symbols' meanings.