Topics to Explore About the Inca people

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Note: The chapter in Baktar, A Tale From the Andes, which most closely relates to the topic is given in parentheses.

1. Ball games among early American native populations were fairly common and sometimes deadly (“Incident on a Quipu”). Find out more about them -- how and when were they played? Were they played by North American natives, too?
   http://www.carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/AA/ballgame.htm
2. Coca – the plant. Where is it grown today? (“Baktar") Research the drug cocaine and the dangers related to its abuse, or the problems with trying to control it's illegal sale in our country.
   http://www.cocamuseum.com/main.htm
   Was there ever cocaine in Coca Cola? The answer is yes! -- read about it here:
   http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/cocaine.asp
3. Pachacuti’s father changed his name to Viracocha and claimed that the god had revealed himself to him ("Incident on a Quipu"). In many ancient cultures, taking the name of a god was not being arrogant and grandiose, but rather a sign of honoring the god. Can you find evidence for that among the names of ancient Egyptian pharaohs? "El" is the Hebrew word for "god." Can you find the word "el" in any of the prophets' names in the Old Testament? Check out this list from the Old Testament. Go down until you get to "el--" and see how many names there are using that name for God. Read the meanings and you'll see that "God" is in them all.
   http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/bibl.php
4. Pizarro led a relatively small band of Spanish conquistadors against the huge Inca Empire and won. How did he do it? What do historians say were the main reasons for his success?
   Go here: http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/inca.html
   and, after reading the article, see if you can name three factors that might have helped make it possible for a small band of Spanish soldiers to capture the Inca Empire, bringing it to an end.
   To see a list of the 3 factors, click here.
5.  Some of the gold and silver of the Inca empire is described in the chapter “Earth Upside Down.” When the Spanish conquered the Inca Empire under Pizarro, Atahualpa, the Inca king at that time, tried to buy his way out of trouble. What did the Spanish make him do and were they faithful to their agreement?
   http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/theconquestofperu/p/08Atahualpa.htm
6. Might there still be Inca gold and silver hidden in the Andes Mountains? For a fun tale, read this:
   http://www.highlightsteachers.com/archives/printandread_stories/inca_treasure_in_the_cloud_forestby_peter_lourie_illustrated_by_carlos_garzon.html
7. Find out all you can about Pharaoh Akhenaton of Egypt. Compare his religious conversion to what you’ve learned about Pachacuti.
   http://www.lost-civilizations.net/ancient-egypt-egiptian-pharaoh-akhenaten-nefertiti.html
   http://www.egyptologyonline.com/akhenaten1.htm
8. If a king converts from one pagan religion to another pagan religion, but his new religion is a little closer to the real truth (as in Pachacuti's case), do you think this matters in any way? Would it matter to God? What are your thoughts? You might interview your pastor on this subject and see what he thinks.
9. View the 9 minute video tour of Machu Picchu.

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