CHAPTER 16SECTION1

THE FIRST AMERICANS

PATHWAY TO THE AMERICAS

• Ice Age–a period when temperatures dropped

sharply

• glaciers–water frozen into huge sheets of ice

• Beringia land bridge (Bering Strait)–water froze– seas fell–dry land exposed between Asia and Alaska

–hunter/gatherers followed herds• fished and gathered fruits, nuts, or roots• hunted woolly mammoth, antelope,

caribou, and bison–provide meat, hides for clothing, and

bones for tools–as Ice Age ended, some animals

became extinct, disappeared from the earth

FIRST AMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS

• Mesoamerica – Meso means “middle”– stretches from Valley of Mexico to Costa Rica

– ideal for farming• rich volcanic soil•mild climate• crops included pumpkins, peppers,

squash, gourds, and beans• longer to develop corn/maize, grew as a

wild grass–early plants: single, one-inch cob–crosses with other grasses to get

bigger cobs & more of them

OLMEC

• started around 1200 B.C.• near present-day Vera Cruz, Mexico• built a far-reaching trading empire• rich farming sources• lacked other raw materials• traded salt and beans with inland peoples

• received: – jade for jewelry– obsidian, volcanic glass, to make sharp-edged

knives

• hematite, shiny volcanic stone, to make polished mirrors

• basalt for carving gigantic stone heads• used rivers as highways for trade• inland people seized control of trade

TEOTIHUACAN(TAY-OH-TEE-WUH)

• first planned city in Americas• “Place of the Gods”• developed near Lake Texcoco• land fertile• could support a large population• at height around A.D. 400/500s• population 120,000 to 200,000• declined around A.D. 600s– reason unknown; possible drought,

overpopulation, poor people rebellion

MAYA

• rain forest of Yucatan Peninsula• traders reached out to southern Mexico and

Central America• came to a mysterious end• cities abandoned• by A.D. 900s, cities deserted, hidden in a thick

tangle of vines

TOLTEC• seized northern Mexico• warrior nomads built city of Tula – northwest of Mexico City

• held monopoly to trade obsidian– prevented others from making weapons to

challenge them

• A.D. 1200 invaders from north – one group called Aztec captured Tula– copied Toltec ways– controlled region’s trade– built a huge empire (about five million people)

MOCHE

• located in Peru– west coast of South America– dry coastal desert– ruled from A.D. 100-700– dug canals to carry water from Andes rivers– surplus of food – corn, squash, beans & peanuts– hunted llamas and guinea pigs– fished in Pacific Ocean

• engineers designed huge pyramids• traded with Amazon River valley people– goods included pottery, cloth and jewelry

• did not have written language• culture’s story told through artwork– pottery showed animals important to Moche– example: Llama• pack animal, carrying goods long distances• Provided meat for food and wool for weaving

• never expanded beyond homeland

INCA

• homeland lay in the Andes mountain range of present-day Peru

• lived in high river valleys• often above 10,000 feet• built biggest empire in ancient Americas• capital: Cuzco– founded in A.D. 1100

CIVILIZATIONS IN NORTH AMERICA

• Hohokam• Anasazi• Mound Builders– Adena– Hopewell

• Mississippians

HOHOKAM• nomads settled in Southwest • planted gardens between Salt and Gila Rivers• dug more than 500 miles of canals for fields• grew corn, cotton, beans and squash• made pottery, turquoise pendants, and first

etchings using cactus juice (ate through surface of shells)

• thrived for 1,000 years• mysteriously fled (maybe drought or flood)

ANASAZI• moved into canyons and cliffs• lived in apartment-like houses carved into cliffs• housed hundreds of rooms• thousands of people• Spanish explorers called them “pueblos”• Spanish word for “village”• took up farming• collected water that ran off cliffs• culture reached height in Chaco Canyon (present-day

New Mexico)• controlled turquoise trade• used it like money• prospered until 50 year drought

MOUND BUILDERS

• lasted 1400 years• earthworks – huge mounds made of earth• some shaped like animals• two groups – Adena and Hopewell• settled Great Lakes to Gulf of Mexico• lived mostly as hunter/gatherers• experimented with farming• tamed wild plants (sunflowers, gourds, and barley)

MISSISSIPPIANS• Hopewell declined/Mississippians emerged• location: Mississippi River Valley• mounds - pyramid shaped with flat tops– held temples– homes for rich – buriel places

• biggest: base covered 16 acres• larger than Great Pyramid of Egypt• more than 100 feet high• known today as “Monks Mound”

• discovered Plants grew well in rich floodplains along rivers

• became farmers• crops included corn, squash, and beans• farming led to rise of cities– largest city: Cahokia– up to 30,000 people– remains in southwestern Illinois

• A.D. 1300 civilization collapsed• cities abandoned• possible reasons: – other Native Americans attacked– City became too big to feed all the people