Earliest Americans

The 1st Migration• During last Ice Age

water was frozen & sea levels low

• Exposed land bridge between Asia and Alaska over the Bering Strait

• 1st Native Americans who crossed were nomads and hunter-gathers– followed herds for hunting

• Spread out all over N and S America

• Hunted woolly mammoths, mastadons, ran from saber-tooth tigers

• Sharpened rocks and bones for spears• Used all parts of animal- skin, meat, bones• Ice age ends and large animals die out, sea

covers the land bridge

Settling Down• NA’s begin to hunt small

animals and crops, maize (early version of corn)

• Allowed them to stay in one place

• Form villages, turn into civilizations

• Create culture and religion

• Several large civilizations develop before Europeans get here

The Maya• Farmers in rainforest of central America• Built flat top pyramids of stone in center of each

city– used for religious ceremonies• Largest was at Tikal• Believe in many gods that controlled all things,

priests ruled– theocracy

• Skilled in astronomy and math• Created 365 calendar and hieroglyphic writing system• Empire suddenly declined– unknown what happened• Many think soil wore out, slave revolt, aliens?• Calendar ends 12-2012– end of world scare?

The Aztec

• Centuries after Mayans• Wandering hunters in

central Mexico• Saw religious symbol

(eagle on cactus with snake in mouth) told them to stop wandering

• Large island in center of lake– built the city of Tenochtitlan

• Tenochtitlan– huge city with canals, paved roads, 3 draw bridges and floating gardens

• Military people, conqueror surrounding tribes, used as slaves and human sacrifice– sun god

The Inca• Largest of the 3,

same time as Aztec

• Andes mountains of S. America

• Capital of Cuzco• Captured others

and made part of empire

• Farming on sides of mountains-- terraces

• Huge army, clubs, spears, spiked balls on ropes• All controlled by emperor, thought to be

descendant of sun god• Temples lined with gold– sun god• Miles of paved roads and rope bridges, used

runners to communicate messages

• Present day Arizona, earlier than Aztec/Inca• Experts at using water/irrigation in the desert• Stone and pottery, traded with Pacific Coast

The Hohokam

The Anasazi

• Four corners region of southwest US

• Stone dwellings called pueblos, built like apartments

• Cliff dwellings– Mesa Verde, Colorado

• Were abandoned, no one knows why

• Central US, Penn to Miss. River and down to Florida

• Built mounds of earth that resembled pyramids and animals

• Mounds for burial, religion, and trade centers

The Mound Builders