El Perú una vez fue más que una raza de reyes,
Y otros Méjicos estaban cubiertos de oro
~ Alexander Pope
I still remember when my grandfather told me the story about the myth of the creation of the Inca Empire. I will never forget how I was surprised, thinking of Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, completely covered with gold, leaving the Titicaca Lake and looking for a place to leave the gold stick that would found the capital of the Inca Empire. I also enjoyed listening about the marvelous trips of Tupac Inca Yupanqui to remote places and I was saddened when I heard the history of the fall of the great Inca Empire, the death of Atahualpa, and the arrival of the Conquerors. When I was a child, I knew that a long time ago there existed a rich and powerful empire in South America, where all the people lived in harmony and nobody was poor. That time was the golden age of my ancestors.
Many things have been said about the Empire of the Incas, such as the Empire’s greatness and its long and rich traditions where the most important things were discipline and obedience. The ruler was the son of the Sun that led the Empire with prosperity and honesty. Hard rules punished the transgressors of laws. All the Empire walked together following an order established by the Gods. All the people worked together in order to praise the Gods and to keep the prosperity of the Empire. The myths and legends told through generations, glorified the Empire of the Incas. The same tales were told to me and other young Peruvians by our grandparents, preserving our ancient history, full of myths and legends, which had never been written.
Generations of people in Peru have had their introduction to the history of the Incas in the same way that I heard from my grandpa. Oral tales and myths of the Empire of the Incas have survived through time and have been passed down through successive generations. Even some oral myths and tales of the Incas are reinforced today by the government-issue primary school textbooks used throughout Peru (Urton 75). Those are one of the few ways that the people in Peru know about their magnificent history.
A group of fourth graders in Houston, a city with a high Spanish-speaking population, will be introduced to the history of one of the most important cultures of the American continent: the Incas. Most of the Hispanic students in Houston are from Mexico and Central America and have poor knowledge of important cultures in Latin America. They are unaware of their rich cultural heritage. Most have heard about the Aztecs, but they do not have any knowledge of the Mayan or Incan cultures.
As a part of the curriculum of 4th grade, the introduction of the history of the Incas will contribute to the knowledge of students of other important Latin American cultures beyond the Aztecs. Fourth graders will learn about the Incan culture and history through ancient myths and legends. Teachers will have the opportunity to expand this topic while the students will experience the Incan civilization by listening to ancient oral tales that have been passed through generations.
Oral history is the way the Incas themselves talked about history. By using oral narratives to recount Inca history, my students will learn about the culture and history of the Incas in the same way that the ancient Peruvians did centuries ago. They will learn to imagine a world without writing, where, nevertheless, history and myth were very much alive. Further, they will learn about a world with which they are often identified. Pre-Columbian history, motifs, and stories often serve as cultural markers for these children as they grow. I want to give them a more in-depth, holistic view of this culture.
When the Spaniards arrived to America and encountered the Incas, they realized that this was not only a tribe it was a whole vast Empire, with centuries of history told through generations, from the eldest to the youngest. However, the Incas did not leave signs of ancient times. Some researchers were aware that sources of the study of the myths and legends of the Incas:
How do we know about the myths the Incas told about themselves and the world around them? The first thing to note in regard to this question is that, in fact, none of what we now refer to as “Inca myths” has come down to us from documents that were originally written by native Andean peoples in their own language(s) before the arrival of the Spaniards. (Urton 25)
Before the Spanish conquered the Incas, there were no written historical records of the Inca Empire. This is because the Incas did not develop a system of writing – or if they did, we have not yet succeeded in identifying or deciphering it (Urton 25). But, when the Spanish arrived, they became the first recorders of their written histories. They collected all the myths and legends that glorified the history of the Inca Empire. The majority of these myths and legends were written in Spanish.
The first Spanish and mestizos chroniclers (a mixture of Spaniards and Native Americans) knew almost nothing about the history of the Inca Empire because there were no signs left. There are no tangible architectonical signs of the first Incas who precede the government of Pachacutec, Tupac Inca Yupanqui and Huaynacapac, who forged and extended the Inca Empire.
Juan Betanzos, Bernabe Cobo and Pedro Sarmiento were the first Spanish who arrived early to the Viceroyalty of Peru, and recorded information about the history of the Incas. They based their records on the history told by the surviving ancestors of these ancient people of the Andes:
It is important to appreciate the role played by one indigenous recording device in particular, the quipu, in the collection and recording of Inca myths and histories in early colonial times. Quipus, from the Quechua word for “knot,” were linked bundles of dyed and knotted strings, which were used by the Incas to record both statistical information, such as census account and tribute records, as well as information that could be interpreted – in some manner that we do not yet fully understand – by experts called quipucamayoqs (“Knot-makers or keepers”) in narrating stories about the Inca past. (Urton 25)
The most valuable information that was collected about the origins has been passed orally through the beliefs of the people from generation to generation. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the narratives retained on the quipus were recounted by the quipucamayoqs in public settings on important ceremonial occasions. The tasks of remembering and recounting the past were also the duties of the court poet-philosophers called amautas. These people were responsible for putting accounts of the genealogies and deeds of the Inca kings and queens, battles and so on, into song form and for performing them (Urton 26). The Quipucamayocs and Amautas were the principal sources for the Spaniards of myths, legends, songs, poems and dynastic histories about the origins of the Inca past.
Also, Spanish chroniclers compiled information on the expansion and the fall of the empire through real events recounted by Quipucamayoqs and Amautas. There are myths and legends that exalt the expansion of the empire, tell of battles of expeditions of conquest, and, finally, predict the fall of the Inca Empire. Inca Garcilazo de la Vega and Guaman Poma de Ayala were the first mestizos to write about the empire of the Incas. They lived with the Indians and experienced first hand the Incas’ culture and traditions as they had survived. Their chronicles document what they learned and heard of their ancestors. Generations of people of the Andes have learned the history of their ancestors through architectonic vestiges, traditions, and oral tales that have survived the time virtually unchanged as far as we know.
This unit will explore the history of the Incas told through the myths and legends of the origins, expansion and fall of the Inca’s empire. The thematic unit will focus on events told by myths and legends told before the Spanish arrival, as well as considering the role of divinities, characters, animals, and people’s belief as part of the myths and legends of the Incas.
ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT
The population at Gregg Elementary is predominantly Hispanic. All of my 4th grade students are native Spanish speakers; some are recent immigrants and others are children of immigrants born in the United States.
After two years as a teacher, I have identified some gaps in the social studies curriculum. Hispanic students are often unaware of their rich cultural heritage. They know almost nothing about ancient cultures of Latin America. The grade level curriculum we use has not been designed to develop the student’s general background on the history of Latin America.
All students know about their cultural heritage has been built outside the school through television, museums visits, and stories that they hear at home. However, this collage of cultural knowledge is vague and diffuse. Fourth graders are not able to identify the names of the main ancient cultures in Latin America, their capitals, traditions, history, main characters, and the relationship between these cultures and their cultural heritage.
The entire field of pre-Columbian history is generally ignored in 4th grade studies, although that history is often used as a marker of identity for my students throughout their adolescence. In general, students do not know about Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas. Some students have heard about ancient Mexico, but struggle to comprehend other ancient cultures and great empires existed in other parts of Latin America. The current curriculum only gives this topic a mere two lessons to be developed at the fourth grade level.
This year while I was teaching briefly the lessons about the Incas, Aztecs and Mayas, I noticed that students were curious to know more about ancient peoples that lived in other Latin American countries. Through the weeks, they kept bringing pictures, texts, and commentaries about the ancients that make me think we should implement a thematic unit about the Incas of Peru.
This unit is intended to introduce fourth graders to the history of the Inca Empires. While learning ancient Quechuas and Aymaras, students will learn myths and legends that tell the history and culture of the Incas. Students will learn about myths that explain the foundation of the empire and how they were linked to the Inca religion and social traditions. Following this, they will learn myths and legends about the expansion of the empire, a most magnificent age. Finally, the thematic unit will explore myths and legends of the most recent age of the history of the Incas
– the fall and Spanish conquest, the moment of the encounter of the two cultures.
Students will learn about the society, costumes, traditions and culture of the Incas as I learned in my preschool years: through myths and legends. Their knowledge and understanding will be enriched through the traditional stories that I will select in order to offer a greater overview of the history of the Inca Empire.
The thematic unit will be divided into three weeks of eleven lessons that will tell the students about the foundations, the expansion, and the fall of the Inca Empire. Mainly, I have selected these myths and legends from the book Cuentos y Leyendas de los Incas. However, teachers can use other selections suggested in the bibliography in order to apply or expand the lessons.
Myths of the Creation of the Inca Empire
The first week will be based on four lessons that will teach myths that tell the foundation of the Inca Empire. These myths are related each to other and must be completely read by the students.
The first myth selected is “Viracocha y la creacion” and tells how the universe was created by Viracocha who emerged from Lake Titicaca and created the first race of humanity. Then, it tells us how Viracocha created the light (sun), the dark (moon), the fire, the stars, the soul of the people, and finally, the water (rivers and lakes). Viracocha was who create the sky and the earth with the diverse nations of men that inhabit it. After having put all things he created in order and making sure that each one had its proper place, he went from Tiahuanaco (near the Lake Titicaca) up to heaven. This selection is closely related with the story of the creation told by the Christian Bible.
The second myth of the creation of the Inca Empire that I have been selected is “Los cuatro hermanos Ayar.” At a place to the south of Cuzco called Paucartambo, there was a mountain called Tamputoco, in which there were three windows, or caves. The ancestors of the Incas, who were related as a group of four brothers, came out of the central window. This myth tells how these four brothers competed with each other in order to be elected by Viracocha as the First Inca Emperor. Each brother had to show Viracocha his courage and power. Ayar Cachi, the most astute of his brothers, defied and killed them one by one. Only Ayar Manco, the younger of the brothers, lived to face Ayar Cachi. Ayar Cachi was later killed by Ayar Manco while attempting to prove his battle skills to his brother. Viracocha rewarded Ayar Manco, who become Manco Capac, and founded the city of Cuzco as capitol of the Inca Empire.
The third myth selected is “Viracocha entre los hombres.” This myth tells that Manco Capac, Macma Ocllo and their slave Maina were preparing a great celebration in order to begin with the field work in the town of Urcos, Cuzco. The story talks about how Maina had a revelation. She saw Inti, the sacred bird of Viracocha, and knew that the celebration day would be a great day. In the celebration day, Viracocha, disguised as a beggar, came to the party and asked Manco Capac for food and drink. Inti was with Viracocha, and Maina noticed his presence. Her heart felt happy. Then, a light invaded the Manco Capac’s House and told Manco Capac that he would be the Emperor of a new civilization, the Inca civilization, and that he would be protected and guided by his light and knowledge. That is how Manco Capac was named the first Inca Emperor.
“Los primeros Incas y la vara de Oro” is the fourth myth, and has been selected from the TAKS Cuaderno de Practica. This myth is one of the most popular stories told about the creation of the Incas. This story tells that the father Sun sent Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo (the firsts Incas) to the earth to help the people to have a good way of life. The Sun gave them a gold stick looking for a place to establish the capital of a great city. After finding that place, they brought people to inhabit the new city. The first Incas would teach to live as sons of the Sun, which meant to have a good way of life. Manco Capac would teach the men some jobs, and Mama Ocllo would teach women to cook and knit clothes. The gold that the people found would be to honor the god Sun. For that reason, the rulers of the empire always used gold ear plucks to remind the people that the Sun was their god. This is the most popular myth of the foundation of the Inca Empire.
Myths and Legends of the Expansion of the Inca Empire
Until Pachacutec, the Incas won little territory. He introduced social and political innovations that made the expansion of the Inca Empire possible. The expansion of the Tawantinsuyo (the quechua name of the Inca Empire) into remote places (North: Pasto, Colombia. South: River Maule, Chile. Este: Amazonas, Peru) was continued by his son, Tupac Yupanqui and his grandson Huayna Capac. They formed a powerful empire with strict laws and a rich cultural background that imposed to other tribes and cultures.
The first legend selected is called “La historia del gran Yupanchi” and talks about the rite of Yupanqui Pachacutec to the Inca throne. Pachacutec was selected by the old counselors to defeat the Chancas, a brave tribe still unconquered by the Incas, because of the death of the old Emperor. The myth tells the preparation process that Pachacutec had in a sanctuary to defeat the Chancas. He had a spiritual revelation that gave him courage to face the enemy. Then, the myth tells the battles with the Chancas and how Pachacutec became the ninth Inca and the first emperor. At the end, the myth tells some beneficial actions of the Emperor with his people through his reign.
The second selection is the myth “La extrana expedicion de Tupac Yupanqui.” This story tells how Tupac Yupanqui decided to sail trough the ocean with his army. The myth talks about details of the departure, the terrible wait of the family, and the arrival of the Emperor with estrange people from other places. He had arrived to the islands of Hahua Chumbi and Nina Chumbi, where the people were dark skinned and had exotic animals and fruits.
The third selection is a myth well known in Peru. It is the myth of “Ollantay,” and has been performed in theatres. Ollanta was the most powerful general of Pachacutec and was in love with Estrella de Alegria, the daughter of Pachacutec and sister of Tupac Inca Yupanqui. This love story began when general Ollanta tried to date Estrella de Alegria in the palace of the Inca Pachacutec. He was caught by an ancient priest who told him that the young Inca would get in to the sacred place for royal women. Estrella de Alegria revealed to her mother the purposes of Ollanta. He would not fight in the battle that was arriving unless Pachacutec allowed the marriage of himself and Estrella de Alegria. Before departure to the battle, Ollanta had a conference with Pachacutec who gave him orders to win the battle. After Pachacutec finished his speech, Ollanta told him that he wanted to marry Estrella de Alegria. Pachacuted became mad and told him that a simple mortal cannot marry a daughter of the sun. This would anger the gods.
Ollanta decided to fight against the Emperor, as a part of the enemy army. Ollanta defeated the Cuzco Army and knew of the death of Pachacutec who gave Tupac Inca Yupanqui the order to punish the traitor. Ollanta was later made prisoner after a deceiving trick to capture him. Finally, Tupac Inca Yupanqui listened to a priest who remembered and spoke of how Ollanta had defended the Inca Empire many times. Yupanqui thought and left the decision do the desires of the gods.
Myths of the Fall of the Inca Empire
Myths and legends of the fall about the Inca Empire, tell about the arrival of the Spanish to the coast of Peru, and how, after the Incas’ reception, they betray and kill the emperor Atahualpa, the twelfth Inca. These myths and legends are important because they narrates the adventures and the relationships established between conquerors and the indigenous people of the coast of Peru. The stories that I have selected tell the end of one of the most important civilizations in America.
The first legend selected is divided into different stories that begin telling how the conquerors knew about a great and rich Empire in the south of the Pacific Ocean. Pizarro and his troops decided to begin an expedition. After long days traveling on the sea, the conquerors met a raft with a strange people with gold earrings. The Indians invite the conquerors to their lands in the south. Pizarro and his troops reached the coast of Tumbes in the north of Peru and came in contact with the aborigines of that zone. The second story tells how the aborigines had a first contact with some strange objects. First, Indians knew the bearded-face of the Spanish. Then, Indians were surprised when they saw a black person for the first time, who was a slave for the conquerors. Finally, they were introduced to new animals, such as horses and roosters.
The other two stories tell the reception offered to Pizarro by an Inca princess. This encounter is important because Pizarro and the Inca princess talk about their gods and their beliefs. However, the most important thing in this story was that Pizarro noticed all the richness that the Inca princess had in her palace. At the end, there are two important storie s. One story talks about the war between Huascar and Atahualpa, sons of Huayna Capac from different wives, and heirs to the Inca throne. This story tells how Atahualapa finally won the war against his brother Huascar and became the twelfth Inca. The other story talks about the encounter between Atahualpa and the conquerors. In this encounter Atahualpa noticed a strange object, the Bible. He took the book with his hands and put it to his ears, then to his nose. After he sensed nothing he threw the Bible away and was then taken prisoner by the conquerors.
The other selection is the myth “El tesoro de los Incas” and tells how the Incas of Cuzco, after getting news of the death of Atahualpa, planned to hide their most valuable possessions made of gold, for the Spanish were on the way to the city of Cuzco looking for gold. The Incas put all of the gold in a cave that, until this day, no one has found.
Those are only the most important myths and legends that I have selected in order for students to have a broad idea of tales that talk about the history of the Inca Empire. There are other selections of myths and legends that can be used in order to complement the lessons. Teachers may find other stories and tales by using the books that I have annotated in the bibliography. I suggest teachers read other selections in order to expand the lessons depending on the interest of the students.
Each week students will have three or four lessons (one per day), which will be taught each week. This means the thematic unit has a length of three weeks with a total of eleven lessons. These lessons have been organized by the cycle of the history of the Incas: origins (4 lessons), expansion (3 lessons) and fall of the Inca Empire (4 lessons).
This unit will integrate Social Studies and Spanish Language Arts, which are TEKS objectives. Across the thematic unit I will explain that it is important to learn the history of the Incas told through myths and legends in order to know the culture, and to identify traditions in one of the most important ancient American cultures. Traditions and legends were important for Incas because it was the essence of the Incan ideology and the only Incan source of their history (Montoya).
The Incas imposed their culture and traditions when they conquered a new cultural group. They established to all Tawantinsuyo an official religion, language and laws. The Inca myths are the origin of the popular folktales, and they explain the cosmovision of the pre-Columbian cultures in Latin America (Montoya). However, the amazing thing about the Inca civilization was its successful integration of these many and varied peoples and beliefs of those pre-Columbian cultures into a single and organized society. The Incas not only coordinated the activities of those numerous ethnic groups but also integrated and synthesized what I will term below the ‘mythichistories’ of these various groups. Inca mythology refers to the mythological traditions that contextualized, explained, and justified state beliefs and practices to the subjects of the Incas. Incan religion and mythology was the unification of all such local groups within the empire in the service, and under the hegemony, of the Incas (Urton 10).
As a part of the Spanish language arts objectives (Reading), the purpose of teaching this topic is to motivate students to read fiction sources for information and pleasure. The idea is to engage students in learning the Incas culture by listening to and reading myths and legends. Everyone enjoys a good story, generally, so the logical approach seems to be to teach social studies through reading whenever possible. With careful selection, one can find children’s trade books through which two or more strands of the social studies can be taught while the children revel in an absorbing story (Wilkinson).
This thematic unit will introduce students to the Inca culture in a fan way by relating reading for pleasure with topics in social studies. This subject has often been the subject children denounce as “boring.” In the past, social studies textbooks have not always been stimulating enough to captivate children. History textbooks did not always have extensive civics, economics, and geography lessons. Those individual subject areas seemed isolated in texts and in presentations (Wilkinson). The purpose is to encourage students to build an interest in other cultures while reading and listening to the Incan civilization stories.
Also, I will teach a variety of strategies to comprehend the myths and legends. For example, I will teach how to determine a text’s main ideas, summarize to organize ideas, draw inferences such as conclusions, find similarities and differences, and represent text information such as outlines, timelines, or graphic organizers. I will stress the student’s literary responses to various types of texts and the analysis of literary concepts.
Writing is an important learning area in 4th grade. I will teach the uses of writing as a tool for learning and research. In order to master writing production, I will encourage students to produce essays every week.
At the end of the unit, students will visit the museum in order to complete a research project. Students will form groups in order to make a presentation sharing new information that they have found about the Inca Empire using the museum experience, library information, and other resources.
All of the information that students will learn about the myths and legends of the history of the Incas will be used to apply a variety of comprehension strategies and synthesis of information. These techniques are required for the 4th grade TEKS curriculum in order to master the languages arts objectives. This research will be important in order to build students’ background knowledge about ancient American cultures.
LESSON PLANS
The purpose of the lessons of this week is to introduce the students to the myths and legends that tell about the origins of the Inca Empire. Also, the teacher will reinforce comprehension strategies with the students in each class.
Lesson 1
The teacher will introduce the theme of the Incas with the Video The Incas in order for students to learn about how the Incas conquered the vast and unforgiving land long before the Spanish arrival. After watching the video, the teacher will deliver an overview about the Incas culture and history. Also, the teacher will explain that in every class he or she will read a myth or legend of the Incas in order to practice and expand the strategies of reading comprehension.
The object of this lesson is for students to find similarities and differences and make connections between texts. The teacher will read the myth “Viracocha y la creacion” and will explain the myth. Then, the teacher will let the students make connections and compare this myth with the information students already know about the creation of humanity.
Finally, students will begin with their compositions assignments about their opinion of the reality or fiction of the creation of the Inca Empire.
Lesson 2
The teacher will introduce and teach the main strategies of cause and effect by using some examples of the first lesson. This will help reminding students some ideas of the first myth. The objective of this lesson is that students use the text’s structure or progression of ideas such as cause and effect or chronology to locate and recall information.
The teacher will read the legend “Los hermanos Ayar” and will explain the main ideas of this selection. Then the students will work in groups drawing information of cause and effect of this selection.
Students will continue with their writing assignment using more information about the myths of the creation in order to complement their opinions.
Finally, the teacher will explain that the students will complete a research project at the end of the thematic unit. Students will have to form groups and will visit libraries, museums and use other resources to get information about the culture and traditions of the Incas. They will prepare a presentation for the last lesson.
Lesson 3
The teacher will remind students of the main strategies and draw conclusions from the text using the myths that have been read before. The objective of this lesson is that students will draw inferences such as conclusions or generalizations and support them with the textural evidence and experience.
The teacher will read the myth “Viracocha entre los hombres” and will explain the main ideas of this selection. Students will write conclusions from the texts and will connect this information with the myths that they have already learned.
Students will continue with their writing assignment using more information about the myths of the creation in order to complement their opinions. They will then work on their final draft.
Lesson 4
The objective of this lesson is that students will analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions.
The teacher will read the myth “Manco Capac y la vara de Oro.” Then, the students will solve the multiple-choice questions that follow the text. It will help students to practice the comprehension strategies for the TAKS.
The students will present their writing assignments that will be graded for the teacher. Finally, the teacher will check the books, information, and resources used by the groups of students in order to complete their research.
Week 2
The purpose of the lessons of this week is that students analyze characters, including their traits, motivations, conflicts, points of view, relationships, and changes they undergo. Students will know about myths and legends about the main emperors of the Inca Empire.
Lesson 5
The purpose of this lesson is to analyze information by sequencing. The teacher will refresh students’ comprehension strategies by sequencing information from the text.
The teacher will read the legend “La historia del gran Yupanchi” and will assign students to organize ideas from the text selected. Students will work in groups and will use graphic organizers to sequence the ideas from the text. Then, they will make a short presentation showing their work for all the class.
Finally, the teacher will revise the students’ presentation and will assign the topic for the writing assignment: “The most important experience of their lives.”
Lesson 6
The purpose of this lesson is differentiating fiction from reality. The students will understand the difference between text with non-fiction and fiction texts.
The teacher will introduce the topic explaining the main differences between fiction texts and non-fiction text. The teacher will ask some questions for students about myths of the Incas learned in class: Did Manco Capac live? Was the myth of the Hermanos Ayar real? Do you believe in the myth of Manco Capac y la vara de Oro? Did the battles of Pachacutec really exist? Students will discuss their opinions with the teacher.
The teacher will read the myth “La extrana expedicion de Tupac Yupanqui,” in order that students can work with this information. Students in groups will attempt to solve some questions: Did Tupac Yupanqui really exists? Did Tupac Yupanchi do this expedition? Do you believe that Incas had a contact with tribes from Pacific Islands? Who governed the Inca Empire while the Incas were in his expedition? Then, students will discuss their opinions in front of the class. The teacher will create a graphic organizer in order to differentiate fiction from non-fiction ideas.
Finally, the teacher will revise some advance of the students’ presentation and will proof read writing assignments.
Lesson 7
The purpose of this lesson is to analyze characters and to recognize and analyze plot, setting, and problem resolution. The teacher will review these concepts with the students.
Then, the teacher will encourage students to pay attention to these concepts while reading the myth “Ollantay.” Students will work in groups and will recognize the characters, plot, setting and problem of the selection.
Students will apply this knowledge in their writing assignments while the teacher will revise the students’ final work. The teacher will revise some students’ research.
Week 3
The purpose of the next lessons will be to analyze the distinctive and common characteristics of cultures through wide reading. The students will identify customs, celebrations, and traditions of two culture groups (Spanish and Incas) and their differences. Also the students will produce research projects and reports. The students will prepare a presentation to demonstrate their knowledge. Students will be encouraged to speak and explain their topic to all the class.
Lesson 8
The purpose of this lesson is that students will make predictions from the text while students notice the differences between the traditions and culture of the Incas and Spanish. Also, the teacher will explain the importance of this cultural encounter.
The teacher will read some stories located in the myth “La llegada de los conquistadores.” The teacher will ask students to compare and contrast signs of the culture and customs of Spanish and Incas that appear in the selection. Students will work in groups and will prepare a quick explanation of their assignment.
The teacher will communicate to students about the field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston in order to complement the academic knowledge of the students and to complete the students’ research. This field trip will show all the archeological collection that the MFAH has on display about ancient cultures of Latin America.
Lesson 9
The purpose of this lesson is for students to organize and interpret information in outlines and reports, including graphs, charts, and timelines. The teacher will use the overhead projector to show students a time line about the Incas. This resource has been selected from National Geographic, December 1973.
The teacher will read the myth “Atahualpa el impasible” for the students. The teacher will have completed the history of the Incas told through myths and legends. The students will work in groups and will tell all the history of the Incas (origins, expansion and fall) using graphs and timelines. They can draw the most important passages of the history of the Incas as the teacher showed using the overhead projector.
Finally, the teacher will revise the students’ works in order to exhibit all the students’ work in front of the class.
Lesson 10
The purpose of this class is complementing the academic knowledge of the students and to complete the students’ research.
This is the field trip day. Students must take notes while they visit the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
After returning to the school, the teacher will revise the information they received in the museum in order to complement their research.
Lesson 11
The purpose of this lesson is that students express ideas orally based on research and experiences.
Each group will present its research about the culture and traditions of the Incas orally. Also, the groups will be able to use graphic organizers to record their thoughts and ideas. The teacher will grade the students’ presentations and will exhibit the timelines completed by the students.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Montoya, Victor. La Tradición Oral Latinoamericana. November 2004. <http://www.ciudadseva.com/textos/teoria/hist/montoya2.htm>. This interesting article of Victor Montoya talks about oral tradition in ancient Latin American stories.
Urton, Gary. Incas Myths: the Legendary Past. Ediciones Akal S.A, 2003. This book provides a revision of the basic literary sources about the mythology of the Incas.
Wilkinson, Carol. Social Studies through Literature. May 2004. <http://www.udel.edu/dssep/articles/fosterwar_article.htm>. This article talks about teaching social studies trough reading selections in order to students built knowledge in content areas
Betanzos, Juan. Narrative of the Incas. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1996. This book is one of the first logographic histories of the Incas from the first Spanish who arrived to the viceroyalty of Peru. This book provides a complete record of the history of the Incas and their emperors.
Bierhorst, Jhon. Cuentos Folklóricos Latinoamericanos. New York: Vintage books, 2003. This book provides a broad selection of traditional folk tales of Hispanic and Indian culture. I will use a part of the book about the legends of the Incan emperor.
Cobo, Bernabé. Inca Religion and Customs. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1990. This book provides a vast amount of data on the religion and ways of life of the Incas and their subject peoples. Cobo objectively and thoroughly describes many of the religious practices of the Incas. He catalogs their origin myths, beliefs about the afterlife, shrines and objects of worship, sacrifices, sins, festivals, and the roles of priests, sorcerers, and doctors.
---. History of the Inca Empire. Texas: University of Texas press, 1979. This book provides an account of the Indian’s customs and their origin together with a treatise on Inca legends, history, and social institutions.
Lambert-farage, A. M. Cuentos y Leyendas de los Incas. Romerman Ediciones, 1968. This book provides a selection of myths and legends of the Incas to be told to children. Although this book is written from a European point of view, it presents a broad overview of the history of the Incas as told through myths and legends.
Martinez, Jose Luis. America Antigua, Nahuas/Mayas, Quechuas/Otras Culturas. El Mundo Antiguo Tomo IV. Mexico: Secretaria de Educacion Publica, 1984. This book provides some legends and stories about the Incas Empire and the arrival of the Spanish conquerors. This book presents some Incan poetry and drama.
Sarmiento de Gamboa, Pedro. History of the Incas. Germany: Hakluyt Society, 1967. This manuscript provides a first overview to the history of the Incas and the narrative of the conquest.
Spence, Lewis. The Myths of Mexico and Peru. New York: Dover, 1994. This book is one of the first investigations about the Incas in this century. It provides a basic overview of the Inca civilization, and a concrete selection and vision of the mythology of Peru. The rest of the book talks about Mexico.
TAKS Sistema de Proceso – Cuaderno de Practica Grado 5. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Scott Foresman/Pearsons Education, Inc. This book provides two important selections about the origins of the Inca Empire. Also students must solve some questions for reading comprehension.
Worth, Richard. Pizarro and the Conquest of the Inca Empire. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc, 2000. Traces the history of the Spanish conquest of the Incas in Peru, showing how they explored and took over native cultures creating Spanish colonies in the new world.
Magazines
McIntyre, Loren. “The Lost Empire of the Incas.” National Geographic. Dec. 1973. 729+. This article provides an excellent introduction to the history of the Incas. Also, provides a great pictorial chronicle of the Incas. This resource will be used in the Lesson 9.
Moseley, Michael, Carol Mackey, and David Brill. “Peru’s Ancient City of the Kings.” National Geographic. March 1973. 318+. This article provides a great overview of one of the most important Pre-Incas cultures in South America.
The Incas. PBS Home Video, 1980. This video travels to the spectacular world of the ancient Incas. Students can learn about how the Incas conquered this vast, unforgiving land long before the Spanish arrival to create one of the most impressive civilizations the world has ever known.
Incas Remembered. Dir. Lucy Jarvis. Monterey Home Video, 1989. This video presents the most important constructions and discoveries that modern man still uses.
Lost City of the Incas. Perf. David Ackroyd. A & E Entertainment, 2000. This video presents an interesting trip inside the ruins of Macchu Picchu, and unravels the mysteries of this enigmatic place. Students can see incredible footage of the earliest expeditions to Machu Picchu and meet the men and women who have dedicated their lives to unearthing its secrets.
Encyclopedia Mythica. January 2005. <http://www.pantheon.org/mythica/>. An online encyclopedia of mythology, folklore, and legend. The browse section is arranged according to world cultures.
Legacy of the Incas. Cornell University. January 2005. <http://www.rso.cornell.edu/scitech/archive/97spr/inca.html>. This site talks about William Burns’ work about the Inca writing system.
Myths and Legends. June 2003. <http://pubpages.unh.edu/~cbsiren/myth.html>. An Internet resource guide on myths and legends. Aside from the general section, these links are organized by region and language group, with those groups that produced written accounts of their myths and legends earlier, generally appearing closer to the beginning.