Content Vocabulary• agricultural revolution • tribute

• kiva • pueblo

Academic Vocabulary• decline• technology• eventually

People and Events to Identify• Beringia • Mesoamerica • Maya • Aztec • Cahokia • Iroquois Confederacy

A. AB. B

Do you believe that influences from early cultures in the Americas still exist today?A. Yes

B. No

A B

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Mesoamerican CulturesAn agricultural revolution led to the first civilizations in Mesoamerica, whose people built large, elaborate cities.

• Mesoamerica is the region that today includes central and southern Mexico and Central America.

Mesoamerican Cultures (cont.)

• The agricultural revolution made possible the rise of Mesoamerica’s first civilizations.

Mesoamerica, 300 B.C.–A.D. 1500

• Important cultures:

– The Olmec:

Mesoamerican Cultures (cont.)

• Possibly the first people to develop a civilization in Mesoamerica

• Emerged between 1500 and 1200 B.C., near where Veracruz, Mexico, is located today

• Important cultures:

– The Maya:

Mesoamerican Cultures (cont.)

• This civilization emerged in the Yucatán Peninsula and expanded into what is now Central America and southern Mexico.

• The Maya culture thrived from A.D. 200 to A.D. 900.

• Important cultures:

– The Toltec:

Mesoamerican Cultures (cont.)

• North of the Maya civilization, the Toltec people built a large city called Tula.

• They fell to the Chichimec in A.D. 1200.

• Important cultures:

– The Aztec:

Mesoamerican Cultures (cont.)

• This culture created a mighty empire by conquering neighboring cities.

• They controlled trade in the region and demanded tribute.

• When the Europeans arrived in the 1500s, an estimated 5 million people were living under Aztec rule.

A. AB. BC. CD. D A B C D

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Which of the following cultures is known for their talents in engineering and mathematics?A. Olmec

B. Maya

C. Toltec

D. Aztec

Western CulturesDepending on their local environment, the Native Americans of western North America pursued agriculture, fishing, and hunting.

• The Hohokam—from A.D. 300 until A.D. 1500, this culture farmed land using a system of irrigation canals.

• The Anasazi—between A.D. 700 and A.D. 900, this culture lived in villages in what is called the Four Corners area—where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico now meet.

• The Anasazi constructed adobe buildings with connecting passageways and kivas. Early Spanish explorers called the buildings pueblos.

Western Cultures (cont.)

• The descendants of the Anazazi and Hohokam live in the arid Southwest.

• These cultures include groups such as the Zuni, Hopi, and other Pueblo peoples.

• Between A.D. 1200 and 1500, the Apache and the Navajo came to the avid Southwest from the far northwest of North America.

Western Cultures (cont.)