The First Americans

Chapter 16, Section 1, page 573

Chapter 16, Section 1 Objectives

• After this lesson, students will be able to:– discuss how it is thought that the first Americans came

from Asia during the Ice Age.– explain how the invention of farming led to civlizations

based on agriculture and trading in some parts of the Americas.

Native Americans in Popular Culture

Native Americans in RealityIn reality, Native American culture was far more varied than our popular culture would lead us to believe. (1. Cherokee, 2. statue of an Aztec eagle warrior, 3. Lanape, 4. Seminole, 5. Tlingit, 6. Comanche, 7. Nez Perce, 8. Mohawk)

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The Diversity of the Native Americans

One of the best ways to illustrate how different Native Americans could be from one region to another is to show what kinds of homes they had. (1. Iroquois longhouse, 2. Seminole chickee, 3. Inuit igloo, 4. Caddo grass house, 5. Creek daub house, 6. Anasazi cliff dwellings, 7. Wampanoag wigwam, 8. Chinook plankhouse, 9. Blackfoot teepees, 10. Navajo hogan

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Pathway to the Americas – page 573

• Beringia– glacier – huge sheet of ice– ancient land bridge between Asia and

North America– formed as sea levels fell because of the

Ice Age– 15,000 to 40,000 years ago– other theories?

ASIA

NORTH AMERICA

Hunting and Gathering – page 573Clockwise from far left: antelope, bison, woolly mammoth, and caribou.

Hunters in the Americas were constantly on the move in

search of food.

atlatl

Hunting and Gathering – page 573The first American people were hunter/gathers. The hunting part is fairly easy to figure out. What did they gather?• acorns• wild “corn”• wild rice• nuts (pecans, pine, etc.)• eggs• wild onions• wild berries (cranberries, strawberries, etc.)• wild plums• persimmons• and many more

First American Civilizations – page 574

• Farming in Mesoamerica – land from the Valley of Mexico to Costa Rica– c.10,000 B.C. to 9,000 B.C.– crops grown included:

• beans• squash• gourds• pumpkins• peppers

– farming = more settled lifestyleThe staple crops of the Mesoamericans: maize (corn), beans, and squash.

Mesoamerican Civilizations – page 575

• Olmec– developed trading empire in

Mesoamerica that flourished between c. 1200 B.C. – 400 B.C.

– rich farming resources– traded farming surplus for jade,

obsidian, hematite and basalt– known mostly for the

enormous stone heads that they carved

The Maya – page 575• Maya

– people who lived in the rain forest of the Yucatán Peninsula

– height of civilization was between c. A.D. 300 and A.D. 900

– complex social classes– impressive cities– culture had a writing system, and an understanding of

mathematics & astronomy– extended trade networks; traded things like jade,

obsidian, quetzal feathers, pelts, honey, dried fish, cochineal, copal, and more

Mayan hieroglyphics. From left to right: the sky, an ahau (king), a child, and the city of Palenque

right: Mayan scribe, far right: Tikal

The Moche and the Inca – page 577

• Moche– South American culture– no written language– main cultural record

comes through artExamples of Moche artwork.

• Inca– rose to power c. A.D. 1100 and fell c.

A.D. 1535 in South America– empire builders

• fortified cities• roads• established army• strict rulers

– mummies

The Moche and the Inca – page 577

An Incan mummyAlpaca, Inca silver figurine

above: an example of Incan architecture, right Machu Picchu

Civilizations in North America – page 578

Map of Anasazi and Hohokam territory.

Civilizations in North America – page 578

• Hohokam– farming culture thrived between A.D. 300 and A.D. 1300 around modern day

Arizona– Pima for “those who have vanished” – Britannica Online– farmers between the Salt and Gila Rivers (irrigation)

1. an etched shell, 2. ancient canal used by the Hohokam, 3. another canal, this one less obvious, 4. remains of a Hohokam house, 5. an artist’s rendition of what a Hohokam house may have looked like

• Anasazi– cliff dwellers – lived in apartment houses carved into cliffs– mysteriously disappeared (environmental reasons?)

Civilizations in North America – page 578

above and left: Anasazi ruins at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado.

• Who were the Mound Builders?– eastern part of the United States– Hopewell and Adena– The Mississippian Culture – last major prehistoric development in North America, known for their large scale

farming and large cities

Civilizations in North America – page 578

below: an artists rendition of Cahokia, right: an overhead image of Moundville, Alabama, hyperlink: Cahokia movie, 500 Nations

Check Your UnderstandingMultiple Choice

1. huge sheets of ice2. “cliff-dwellers”3. corn, beans, and squash4. culture known for its statues if enormous heads5. the land bridge between Asia and North America6. scientist who studies the past by studying fossils and artifacts7. culture based in the Yucatan Peninsula, who had an advanced system of

hieroglyphics8. culture known for its fine etchings in shell9. culture that built Cahokia10. culture centered in the Andes Mountains in Peru11. ancient weaponDiscussion Questions

12. Why was Mesoamerica’s geography ideal for farming?13. Name one way in which the diversity of Native American tribes is evident.14. How did farming change the Native American way of life?15. In regards to the Anasazi, how did where they lived effect how they lived?

a) archaeologistb) Incac) Anasazid) Mississippiane) glaciersf) Hohokamg) staple cropsh) atlatli) Mayaj) Olmeck) Beringia

Life in the Americas

Chapter 16, Section 2, page 582

Chapter 16, Section 2 Objectives

• After this lesson, students will be able to:– describe how the Maya moved into the Yucatan, while

the Aztec of Mexico and the Inca of Peru built empires.– discuss how diverse cultures arose in the lands north of

Mexico.

The Aztec – page 585

• prior to the Aztec– Teotihuacan (dominated from A.D. 100 – 650)

• population estimates are between 125,000 and 200,000

– Toltecs

The Aztec – page 585

• the Aztec legend of finding their homeland

The Aztec – page 585

The Aztec – page 586• Native American people who built an empire in central and southern Mexico• Lake Texcoco• Tenochtitlán – founded c. A.D. 1325, great Aztec city

– engineering marvel– chinampas

The Aztec – page 585

The Aztec – page 586

• “We shall conquer all the people in the universe.” – priests of the god Huitzilopochtli

The Aztec – page 585

The Aztec – page 588

• social structure

Life in the Aztec Empire – page 587• complex social classes and defined gender roles• commoners could join the noble class through bravery

in battle

Life in the Inca Empire – page 588

• Pachacuti– Incan king who set up a strong central government– along with son, built largest empire in the new world– allowed local leaders to remain in power (with

insurance)– required people to learn Quechua– designed system of roads

An Organized Society – page 588

• social structure– rulers– head priest and commander of the army– temple priests, military leaders, skilled workers– farmers, herders, ordinary soldiers

• job assignments • engineering achievements

– stone work– quipu – rope with knotted cords that served as a

calculator

Life in North America – page 590

• people of the far north– adaptability

• life on the Pacific coast– rich food resources = rich diverse culture in the

Northwest– California’s diversity

• life in the Southwest– farming and irrigation– adobe – sun-dried mud brick

Life in North America – page 592

• life on the Great Plains– buffalo (after introduction of the horse)

• life in the Eastern Woodlands– farming, hunting, fishing– confederations – governments that link several

groups• Most famous confederation was the Iroquois League –

Onondaga, Seneca, Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga• formed in order to end fighting among members

The Fall of the Aztec and Inca Empires

Chapter 16, Section 3, page 593

Chapter 16, Section 3 Objectives

• After this lesson, students will be able to:– Explain how Christopher Columbus landed in the

Americas while looking for a trade route to Asia.– Describe how horses, guns, and European diseases

helped Spanish conquerors to defeat the Aztec and the Inca.

The Spanish Arrive in America – page 594

• The European kingdoms desired a trade route to the east that bypassed the Muslim kingdoms.

• Portuguese looked to Africa• A.D. 1492 – Christopher Columbus (Italian),

sailing for the Spanish, found the Americas while looking for a sea route to Asia. (not the first)

• return voyages (4 in all)• conquistadors – Spanish soldier-explorers

The Spanish Arrive in America – page 594

Spain Conquers Mexico – page 595

• motivation – the three G’s– God– gold– glory

• Hernán Cortés – invaded Mexico and defeated the Aztecs

Spain Conquers Mexico – page 595

• Cortés vs. Montezuma II (Aztec emperor)– Montezuma’s vision– Native response to the

Spaniards’ show of force – bewilderment

– Malintzin – woman who helped Cortés to defeat the Aztec by serving as an interpreter → gained allies

– Aztec failed to attack → believed Cortés to be the god Quetzalcoatl

Spain Conquers Mexico – page 595• Cortés defeated an ambush en route to

Tenochtitlán• November, 1519 – Spaniards marched

into Tenochtitlán– Aztec rebelled – Montezuma killed– Spanish retreated– smallpox broke out

• June, 1521 – Spanish destroyed the Aztec capital

• combination of guns, horses, and an epidemic brought down the Aztec (measles and smallpox the biggest killers of Native Americans)

Pizarro Conquers the Inca – page 599

• Vasco Núñez de Balboa – “discovered” the Pacific Ocean and charged with treason

• Francisco Pizarro, who marched with Balboa, continued looking for gold; eventually defeated the Inca.

Pizarro Defeats the Inca – page 600

• Inca were over-confident– 80,000 warriors; Atahualpa

had 5,000 bodyguards• Atahualpa (Incan emperor

defeated by Pizarro) agreed to meet with Pizarro

• Pizarro captured Atahualpa – eventually had him sentenced to death

• Spain was building the first global empire.