THE AMERICASChapter 16

The First AmericansSection 1

Pathway to the Americas Ice Age period when temperatures

dropped sharply Most of Earth’s water was in glaciers Ice froze seas fell Beringia People in Asia possibly followed the

animals they were hunting into North America

First Americans possibly arrived between 15,000 and 40,000 years ago.

Hunting and Gathering

Gathered nuts, fruits, and roots Hunted woolly mammoth (up to 9 tons),

antelope, caribou, and bison

First American Civilizations Farming began in Mesoamerica 9,000 – 10,000

years ago. Meso Greek for “middle” Area includes the Valley of Mexico to Costa Rica Rich volcanic soil and mild climate Rains in spring and fall First crops pumpkins, peppers, squash, gourds,

and beans began crossing corn with other grasses and

created maize.

Mesoamerican Civilizations 1500 BC, the first civilization popped up The Olmec

Near Vera Cruz, MexicoBuilt a far reaching trading empireStarted around 1200 BCLasted around 800 yearsRich farming resourcesTraded salt and beans for jewelry and obsidianUsed hematite to make polished mirrors and

basalt for carving gigantic stone heads

Mesoamerican Civilizations As Teotihuacan’s power spread, a people called

the Maya built another civilization in the rain forests of the Yucatan PeninsulaUsed canoes to possibly reach the present-day United

States. Teotihuacan and Mayan cities reached their peaks

in the AD 400s and 500s. Causes

OverpopulationPoor rebelled against rich rulers

The Mayans lasted 200 years more, but came to a mysterious end.

Toltec

As the Maya left their cities, the Toltec took control of northern Mexico.Built city of TulaConquered the Yucatan PeninsulaHeld a monopoly to the trade in obsidian

○ This kept others from making weapons to challenge them

Around AD 1200, the Aztec took control of the region

Moche

The Moche were in dry coastal desert of PeruRuled AD 100 to 700Dug canals to carry water from Andes

MountainsHunted llamas and guinea pigsDesigned huge pyramidsNo written language

Inca

Lived in Andes Mountains Capital was Cuzco

Civilizations in North America AD 300 Hohokam

Planted gardens between Salt and Gila RiversThrived for about 1,000 yearsMid 1300s, they mysterious fled

AD 600 AnasaziCollected water from cliffsControlled the trade in turquoise Lived in huge apartment-like houses carved into

cliffsSpanish explorers called these buildings

pueblos, meaning “village”

Mound Builders

1000 BC to 400 AD Founders built huge mounds made of

earth, some in the shape of animals Adena and Hopewell tribes

Lands stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico

Lived mostly as hunter/gatherersTamed some plants (sunflowers, gourds, and

barley)Corn was introduced around AD 100

The Mississippians The Hopewell mysteriously declined and the

Mississippians emerged Became full-time farmers Large-scale farming led to the rise of cities The largest city, Cahokia may have had

30,000 people (southwestern Illinois) Built pyramid shaped mounds AD 1300s, the Mississippians collapsed,

possibly due to attack or becoming too big to support.

Life in the AmericasSection 2

The Mayan People

Settled in Peten, Mayan word for “flat region”, in Guatemala.Swamps and sinkholes year round source

of water Set-up city states Rulers said they were descended from

the sunGod-kings

The Mayan People

Taught subjects how to please the godsHuman sacrifice.Believed gods gave their life-giving fluid (rain)

so humans should give theirs in return (blood)When going into battle, Mayans wanted

captives more than land.During drought, priests offered captives to

Chac (god of rain and sunlight)○ Believed Chac lived in watery pits and threw

captives here.

The Mayan People Religion was the core of Mayan life Priests set up a strict social system Calakmul at least two women served as all-

powerful queens. Kings and queens turned to priests for advice

Priests believed the gods revealed their plans through movements of the sun.

Developed 365 day calendar based on movements of the stars.

Developed system of counting based on 20.Used system of hieroglyphics

The Aztec

Arrived in 1250 and were given a patch of land filled with snakes.

Quetzalcoatl sun god and feathered serpentWould know they found homeland when and

eagle “screams and spreads its wings, and eats…the serpent”

1325 settled on a soggy island in Lake Texcoco

Founded the city of Tenochtitlan

The Aztec Tenochtitlan “place of the prickly pear

cactus” A council of priests, warriors, and nobles

picked each king from a royal family. King was top of society Others fell into four classes

NoblesCommonersUnskilled laborersEnslaved people

The Aztec Largest group was commoners

Farmers, artisans or tradersCould join nobles by performing one act of bravery

in war. Saw death as honorable Could reach after life if…

Soldiers died in battleCaptives gave life in sacrificeWomen who died in childbirth

Others went to “Land of the Dead”, the lowest level of the afterlife

The Aztec

The god Huitzilopochtli vowed “We shall conquer all the people in the universe”

This promise inspired the Aztec to honor the god with a huge temple at the center of TenochtitlanMany captive were taken here and

sacrificed

The Inca Empire Blamed earthquakes on the god Pachacamac

“Lord of the Earth” The greatest Incan leader took the name

Pachacuti “Earthshaker”1438, he and his son built the largest empire in the

Americas.2500 miles (LA to NY)Set up a strong central government, but allowed local

leaders to stay in power In return, leaders’ sons were sent to Cuzco for training.Required the people to learn Quechua, the Incan

language

The Inca Empire Believed the sun god Inti protected Cuzco Rulers called themselves “sons of the sun” Rulers and wives were top of society Head priest and commander of the army were next Next, regional army leaders Then temple priests, army commanders, and

skilled workers (musicians, artisans, and accountants)

Bottom farmers, herders, and ordinary soldiers. Further divided society into 12 job categories

Every one over the age of 5 had a specific job to hold.

The Inca Empire

Rarely honored gods with human sacrificeOnly during earthquakes of times of troubleMost often sacrificed childrenWorshipped sacrificed children as gods

Built large works of stoneMachu PicchuUsed a quipu (a rope with knotted cords of

different lengths and colors)

Life in North America

People settled in Canada and Alaska around 3000 BC

Called themselves the Inuit (“the people”) Igloos dome-shaped homes, from

blocks of ice and snow Dogsleds to travel by land Hunted seals, walruses, caribou, and

polar bears Oil from animals used for oil lamps

Life on the West Coast

Tlingit, Haida, Chinook One of the most heavily populated areas

north of Mesoamerica Area of California had over 500 early

American cultures

Life in Southwest

Hopi, Acoma, Pueblo, and Zuni descended from Hohokam and Anasazi

Knew how to farm dry land Built apartment-like homes

Adobe used sun-dried mud brick 1500s, Apache and Navajo moved into

area

Great Plains

Dense grassroots made farming difficult Mandan, Hidatsa, Pawnee Women gardened Men hunted herds of buffalo

Eastern Woodlands

Combined farming with hunting and fishing

Mild climate led to long growing season Groups formed governments Natchez (Mississippi) set up strict social

classes Cherokee (Georgia and North Carolina)

had formal codes of law

Eastern Woodlands

Some set up confederations governments that link several groupsMost famous Iroquois league

○ Included the Onondaga, Seneca, Mohawk, Oneida, and Cayuga

○ Helped unite Iroquois against the Algonquians

The Fall of the Aztec and Inca Empires

Section 3

The Spanish Arrive in America Portuguese began mapping the west

coast of Africa Spanish financed a trip for Italian

Christopher ColumbusColumbus convinced the Spanish that he

could reach Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean

Columbus

August 1492Set sail from Spain

October 1492Landed on an island in the Caribbean SeaBelieved he had landed in AsiaTraveled farther and landed on the island of

Hispaniola (modern Haiti and the Dominican Republic)

Returned home carrying parrots, gold, spices, and Native American captives

Columbus Returns

1493, Columbus went back to conquer Hispaniola

The Taino saw these conquistadors and were frightened

The soldiers claimed the island for Spain

Spain Conquers Mexico

Many Spaniards came from the Extremadura seeking fortune

Hernan CortesHad a choice of being a priest, lawyer, or

soldier.Parents chose lawyer, he chose soldierTook part in 1511 invasion of CubaSmall pox took out much of Cuba

Cortes Invades Mexico Cortes met with Aztec emperor Montezuma II Cortes brought 550 soldiers, 16 horses, 14

canons, and a few dogsForced several to surrender due to an impressive

display of guns. A Mayan woman named Malintzin gave

Cortes information that would help him for alliances

Small pox would eventually kill more Aztec than Spanish swords.

Cortes Defeats the Aztecs Montezuma decided to ambush the Spanish and

killed 6000 people November 1519, Cortes captured the city of

Tenochtitlan and held Montezuma prisoner and ordered the Aztec to stop sacrificing people.

The Aztecs rebelled and Cortes and his men eventually fought their way out of the city.

Before Cortes could begin a second attack, smallpox broke out in Tenochtitlan.

June 1521, the Spanish destroyed the Aztec capital.

Pizarro Conquers the Inca 1513, Vasco Nunez de Balboa led a

group of Spanish through modern day Panama.

He was told if he went south along the western sea, he would find a golden city.

A jealous Spanish official falsely charged him with treason and he was beheaded.

Francisco Pizzarro took up the search.

Pizarro Conquers the Inca By the 1530s, the Inca thought they

ruled most of the world Could not defeat smallpox and did not

scare away PizarroHe raided Inca storehousesEmperor Atahualpa thought Pizarro was

crazy

Pizzaro Defeats the Inca

Spanish messengers invited Atahualpa to ameeting

Pizarro asked him to give up his gods When Atahualpa laughed in response,

Pizarro ordered an attack. Pizarro seized Atahualpa and drug him

off the battlefield. Atahualpa tried to buy his freedom. Pizarro was made governor of Peru.