Pachamama (2018):The Andean Adventure Where the Earth Matters More Than Gold

Pachamama gives students a window into Inca civilization at its height, introducing them to its beliefs, its relationship with nature, and the sudden arrival of Spanish conquistadors that threatened to destroy it. Students are also introduced to a coming of age story built around responsibility, sacrifice, and what it means to earn a community's trust.

Set in an Andean village during the height of the Inca Empire, the story follows Tepulpai, a boy who is denied the honored title of Great One after refusing to sacrifice something he holds precious. When tax collectors steal the village's sacred golden Huaca, Tepulpai sets off to recover it, joined by his friend Naira. Their journey takes them to the Inca capital of Cusco, into a hidden underground world, and into a violent encounter with Spanish conquistadors who arrive seeking to plunder the empire's gold.

Beyond the adventure, the movie gives students a way into Inca history and mythology, along with a firsthand look at the beginning of Spanish colonization from the perspective of the people who lived through it. It also offers a clear model of personal growth, following how a character's choices and willingness to sacrifice change as the story progresses.

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🏔️ A Window Into Inca Civilization. The movie is set during the height of the Inca Empire and shows students its cities, customs, and religious beliefs through the eyes of a village preparing for a sacred ritual. It gives a classroom a specific, detailed picture of a civilization rarely covered in depth on screen.

⚔️ The Arrival of the Conquistadors. The story depicts the sudden, violent arrival of Spanish conquistadors from the perspective of the Inca people whose land and gold they came to take. It gives students a way into this history that centers the people who experienced colonization rather than the colonizers.

🌱 A Coming of Age Story Built on Sacrifice. Tepulpai begins the movie unwilling to give up something he values and is denied the honored status he wants because of it. Students follow how his choices change as he learns what genuine sacrifice for his community actually requires.

🦙 A Journey Through Andean Mythology. The movie draws on Inca beliefs and nature gods throughout, including the Earth Mother the story is named for, giving students a specific mythology to explore rather than a generic fantasy world. Every god and belief in the story is grounded in real Andean tradition.

🤝 A Model for Teamwork and Trust. Tepulpai and Naira do not always agree, and the story shows their partnership developing as they rely on each other to survive the journey. It gives students a concrete example of how trust and cooperation form under pressure.

🌾 A Story Rooted in Reverence for the Earth. The Andean goddess the movie is named for is literally the Earth Mother, and the story treats the land, seeds, and crops the village depends on as more precious than gold. Students see this play out directly in the plot, from the theft of the village's resources through to its closing image of the land being restored.

⚠️ Things to be aware of:

• Spanish conquistadors attack the village and city, causing explosions and destruction.
• Conquistadors chase and shoot at children during the attack.
• An elderly character is reported to have died after fainting from bad news.
• A large bird is shown wounded by gunfire but survives.
• A shaman is shown poised to sacrifice a llama with a knife before stopping.
• There is no language, drinking, drug use, or sexual content in the movie.

📚 English Language Arts Teachers. The movie gives an ELA class a clear coming of age narrative arc to study, following how a character's choices and mistakes shape his growth by the story's end. Students build sequencing and visual storytelling through the storyboard, and narrative condensing through the synopsis, using their own retelling of events to demonstrate understanding of the plot. Two differentiated comprehension question sets keep mixed ability classes accountable throughout the viewing.

🗣️ ESL and ELL Teachers. The movie's visual storytelling and clear, simple narrative make it accessible for ESL and ELL students, even before factoring in the specific vocabulary the story introduces around Inca culture and geography. The guide's multiple choice question set is designed to work well alongside the standard comprehension questions for these students.

🌐 Social Studies Teachers. The movie gives a Social Studies class a way into Inca civilization and the beginning of Spanish colonization in South America, both told from the perspective of the Inca village experiencing it. There is no dedicated Social Studies activity in the guide, but the comprehension questions and class discussion questions keep students accountable to the historical and cultural detail while they watch.

🎬 Substitute Teachers and Cover Lessons. This guide is easy to hand to a substitute. The two differentiated comprehension question sets come with answer keys, the storyboard and synopsis task is self-contained, and a substitute can run the full session without having seen the movie beforehand.

🏠 Homeschool Parents. The storyboard and synopsis activities work well for a single home learner, giving a student a structured way to process the story at their own pace. The critical thinking questions are designed for class discussion, so a homeschool parent may want to adapt these into a one-on-one conversation instead.

💙 SEL Teachers. The movie follows Tepulpai as he moves from refusing to sacrifice anything for his community to genuinely earning his place within it, giving an SEL class a clear model of personal growth and cooperation to discuss. There is no dedicated SEL activity in the guide, but the class discussion questions give students a structured space to talk through his change in behavior and what it means to work as part of a team.

📜 History Teachers. The movie dramatizes the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in the Inca Empire, giving a History class a specific historical event to study through a fictionalized but grounded lens. There is no dedicated history activity in the guide, but the comprehension questions and class discussion questions keep students accountable to the historical detail while they watch.

🌟 Supporting All Learners Movie guides can be a wonderfully calm fit for students with autism, learning difficulties, and mild to severe disabilities. The structured format gives every student a clear purpose during viewing, easing uncertainty and allowing them to engage at their own pace. If you teach in a special education or learning support setting, you may find this guide a gentle and practical resource. Find out more about why movies work for diverse learners.

Part 1: Comprehension Questions
Two differentiated sets of comprehension questions in chronological order. One set has 35 questions requiring full sentence answers, and a second set has 35 multiple choice questions with three possible answers each, which also work well for ESL and ELL students. Answer keys are included for both sets.

Part 2: Storyboard and Synopsis
Students draw a nine scene storyboard covering what they believe to be the most important parts of the movie, with a brief description for each scene, then use that storyboard as a guide to write a full synopsis of the movie.

Part 3: Class Discussion Questions
Five critical thinking questions for students to answer and discuss as a class, with example answers included. The questions can also work well completed in pairs.

Part 4: Word Search and Crossword
A word search and crossword puzzle built around 15 questions, with the answers forming the words to find in the word search. An answer key is included.