Early AmericasEarly AmericasEarly Migration into the AmericasEarly AmericasMigration of Early PeoplesHunter-gatherer/Nomads migrated to the Americas Land Bridge theoryNorthern Asians Came across primarily on glaciers that connected Asia and North America around 15,000 to 40,000 years agoThe land bridge disappeared, melting around 10,000 years agoEarly AmericasCoastal Route theoryCame across the Pacific ocean, travelling along the coast of Russia/Alaska around the same time as the land bridgeOther migrationsAnthropologists and Archaeologists have found evidence of migration from Vikings, Ancient africans, Polynesians (south Pacific Islanders), and Eastern Asian settlementsEarly AmericasMesoamericaMaya and AztecEarly AmericasMesoamericaFrom the valley of Mexico south to Costa RicaIncluded the tropical Yucatan PeninsulaThe area had great farmland with volcanic soil and a good climateEarly AmericasGrew crops such as pumpkins, peppers, squash, gourd, and beansEventually maize was developed from a grass with a single cob measuring only one inch to get bigger cobs with more cobs per plant

Early AmericasOlmecLarge trading empire for 800 years beginning around 1200BCTraded salt and beans for jade and obsidian (volcanic glass)Used basalt to carve gigantic stone heads

Early AmericasOlmec trade centered on using riversInland tribes began to dominate trade and the Olmec civilization disappearedOne of these civilizations was centered at TeotihuacanAround 400AD had 120,000-200,000 peopleEarly AmericasThe MayaSettled in the jungle lowlands of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico and GuatemalaCleared the area to farm beans, squash, avocados, and maizeThe remaining forests provided plenty of animals for food and building materialsLived in small, isolated villages and started to trade growing their wealth and sizeEarly AmericasThe MayaClassic Age (AD250-900)Grew to over 40 large city-states with each having its own government and own kingTrade kept these cities in allianceBuilt large temples, palaces, plazas, canals, and sports arenasEarly AmericasSocial StructureKings held religious and political power as he was believed to be related to the godsPriests, merchants, and noble warriors were included in the upper classThey all held all of the powerLower-class was made up of large families living outside the cityWomen cared for children, cooked, made yarn, and wove clothEarly AmericasMen hunted, farmed, and crafted toolsHad to pay taxes to the rulers with crops, cloth, and saltPeople Were made to build the temples and palaces, be a part of the military, and if capture became slavesSlavesCarried goods along trade routes, worked as servants, or farmers for the upper-class MayansEarly AmericasReligionPolytheistic, believing the gods intervened in aspects of daily lifeThe gods could be helpful or harmfulBelieved the gods needed blood to prevent disasters or the end of the worldEvery person offered a blood offering by piercing their tongues or skinSometimes made human sacrifices, using slaves from battle using their hearts as offerings on stone carvings of the godsEarly AmericasAchievementsBuilt observatories to study the positions of the stars and planetsDeveloped two calendars: one a very accurate 365-day farming calendar and the other a 260-day religious calendarSkilled mathematicians using zero before many other civilizationsWriting system based on symbolsGreat metalworkers, jewelers, and buildersEarly AmericasDecline of the MayaBegan to collapse around AD900Stopped building and left the cities going back into the country-sidePossible reasons for declineInvasions, wars, rebellion, decreased crop production due to overuse of the soil, or droughtBy the arrival of the Spanish, the Maya culture was extinctEarly AmericasWhat resources did the Maya get from the forests?How do you think the Maya villages grew into large cities?What features did Maya cities include?How did trade increase the influence of the Maya?What do you think was the most impressive cultural achievement of the Maya? Why?Early AmericasThe AztecsFounded their capital on an island in Lake Texcoco then started to conquer nearby towns forcing them to pay tributeMilitaristic and merchant societyMerchants served as spies as wellEarly AmericasBuilt up the capital of TenochtitlanBuilt causeways to connect the island to shoreBuilt canals to travel across the cityIncreased farmland by creating floating gardens anchored to trees200,000 people lived there among temples, palaces, and a large marketplaceEarly AmericasLifeUpper-ClassThe king/emperor was the most important person in societyHis nobles were tax collectors, judges, and other government officialsNoble positions were hereditaryEarly AmericasWarriors were also respected, but priests were very influentialThey led religious ceremonies; kept history, calendars; and decided when to plant and harvestSecond-classMerchants and artisansLower-classFarmers and laborers (majority)Paid most of the tributes (taxes)Slaves

Early AmericasReligionSame as the MayaSacrificed more humans, up to 10,000/year according to Spanish accountsVictims came from wars on neighboring villagesCultural AchievementsBuilt pyramids and statues; used gold, gems, and feathers to make masks; embroidered their clothingStudied astronomy, wrote their historyEarly AmericasFall of the AztecsSpanish Conquistadors reached Mexico in 1519Sought gold, land, and Catholic convertsLed by Hernn CortezEmperor Montezuma II welcomed Cortez believing he was a god prophesied to returnGave them gold and other giftsCortez took the emperor prisonerEarly AmericasAztecs attacked the Spanish and won, but Montezuma was killed in the battleCortez came back allied with Indians who were Aztec enemiesDefeated the Aztecs with numbers and better weapons ending the civilizationSmallpox and other diseases severely weakened the IndiansEarly AmericasHow might Tenochtitlans location be both a benefit and a hindrance?How did the Aztecs seek to please their gods?Why did allies help Cortez defeat the Aztecs?If the Aztecs had first viewed Cortez as a threat, how might history have been changed?Early AmericasSouth AmericaMoche and IncaEarly AmericasMocheSettled in the coastal desert region of PeruDug irrigation canals from the Andes Mtns to use for agricultureATE Corn, squash, beans, peanuts, llamas, guinea pigs, and fish

Early AmericasThe abundance of food allowed the Moche the time to build large pyramids like the Pyramid of the SunNever expanded their empire, but traded as far as the Amazon

Early AmericasIncasStarted like the Aztecs, as small tribes with their capital at Cuzco, PeruA leader named Pachacuti expanded the empire to stretch from Ecuador to N. ChileHad a population of about 12 millionEarly AmericasHad a strong central governmentLimited the power of the peopleReplaced local officials with loyal supportersMade children of conquered leaders come to Cuzco and learn Incan traditions/customs until they were adultsHad an official language of QuechuaEarly AmericasEconomyStrictly controlled by governmentTold each household what to doHad to spend time working for the gov as well as themselves (paid taxes with labor instead of money- mita)Farmers, weavers, miners, soldiers, buildersEarly AmericasNo merchants and no moneyAll goods were distributed by the governmentKept leftovers at the capital for shortagesEarly AmericasLifeSocial classesUpper Class emperor, priests, and government officialsLived in stone houses and wore expensive clothingDidnt have to pay the labor tax and could used the royal retreat in Machu PicchuEarly AmericasLower Class farmers, artisans, and servants(No slavery)Most were farmers grew maize, peanuts, and potatoes; raised llamasWore plain clothesWas illegal for them to own more than they needed to surviveEarly AmericasReligionThought that rulers were related to the sun god and never really diedPriests brought mummies of former kings to religious ceremonies, and people gave them food and giftsRarely sacrificed humans, but did sacrifice cloth, food, and llamasAlso worshiped holy places and spirits/godsEarly AmericasAchievementsArchitectureExpert masons, or stone workers, that could cut a rock so that it wouldnt need cement mortarBuilt a massive system of roads and bridgesEarly AmericasArtKnown for their pottery; gold and silver jewelry; fine textilesQuipusSystem of keeping records with knotted cords; had no system of writingOral HistoryHad official memorizers who kept the history of the IncaConquistadors later collected these storiesEarly AmericasFrancisco PizarroA civil war weakened the Incan military, leaving Atahualpa kingPizarro attacked and took Atahualpa hostageThe Incas gave Pizarro 24 tons of precious metals for his freedomAtahualpa was killed anyway and the Incas were eventually defeated

Early AmericasHow did the Incas controlled their economy?Do you think the mita system was good government policy? Why/why not?How might the Inca road system have helped strengthen the empire?Why do you think Pizarro was able to defeat the much larger forces of the Inca?What social classes existed in Inca society?Early AmericasNorth AmericaHohokam, Anasazi, Mississippians, and othersEarly AmericasFarming spread from Mesoamerica north to the American Southwest and up the coast to the Mississippi/Ohio/Missouri river valleys

Early AmericasHohokamSettled outside of modern day phoenix near two riversDug 500 miles of canals to carry water to their fieldsThrived for 1000 years, ending in AD1300s

Early AmericasAnasaziSettled in the canyons and cliffs of Arizona, New Mexico collecting water from the runoff channeling it to their fields

Early AmericasTheir biggest settlement was in Chaco Canyon where they Used turquoise like moneyLived in apartment-like houses carved into cliffsDisappeared around 1000AD after a 50 year drought

Early Americas

Mound BuildersLasted1000BC to 400ADTwo groups called the Adena and the Hopewell that settled from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of MexicoBuilt large burial mounds sometimes in the shape of animals

Early AmericasWere hunter-gatherers and might have experimented with farmingCorn made it there by the year 100AD by tradersEarly AmericasMississippiansMound building culture that farmed corn, squash, and beansLargest city was Cahokia with 30,000 (near ST. Louis)

Early AmericasBuilt mounds as big as the pyramidsMonks Mound is over 100ft highThe mounds held temples, homes for the rich, and burial placesMississippians disappeared around AD1300

Early AmericasNorthern GroupsInuit (and eskimos)Arrived after the ice age by boatBuilt igloos, used dogsleds and seal-skinned boats to survive the harsh temperatureHunted and ate whales, seals, walruses, and land animals like caribou and polar bearsUsed whale and seal lard for oil and caloriesEarly AmericasWestern Coast GroupsLike the Tlingit, Haida, and ChinookUsed tall cedar trees for houses and canoesFished for fish, otter, seals, and whalesUsed different resources depending on where they livedThey adapted to their environmentEarly AmericasSouthwestern GroupsLike the Hopi, Acoma, Pueblo, and ZuniUsed irrigation to farm in the desertLived in adobe homesEventually two other groups, the Navajo and the Apache, moved into the areaEarly AmericasGreat Plains GroupsLike the Sioux, Mandan, Hidatsa, and PawneeMen hunted Buffalo on foot (no horses yet), Women tended GardensBuffalo gave them meat for food, bones for tools, and skins for clothing and shelteEarly AmericasEastern Woodland GroupsCombined farming with hunting and gatheringLived in the dense forests east of the Mississippi RiverSome had elaborate government systems like confederations (several groups ally under one government, like the Iroquois League)Some Had strict social groups (Natchez) and formal codes of law (like the Cherokee)Early Americas