Post on 03-Jan-2016
Ch 9 The Americas: A Separate World
40,000 BC – AD 700
How did the first people come to North America?
Land Bridge
• Today the Americas are isolated from the rest of the world by vast oceans
• Thousands of years ago the Americas were connected to Asia by a land bridge
• Beringia- land bridge between Asia and the Americas
Peopling the Americas
• The first Americans arrived sometime toward the end of the last Ice Age, which lasted from roughly 1.9 million to about 10000 BC.
• Huge ice sheets covered large portions of North America
• The buildup of glaciers locked up huge amounts of earth’s water
• The lowered sea levels created a land corridor between Asia and Alaska
When did the first Americans arrive?
• Humans are believed to have arrived in the Americas between 40,000 BC and 10,000 BC
• Arrowheads discovered in Clovis, New Mexico date back to 9500 BC
• A recent discovery in Monte Verde, Chile provides evidence of human life dating back to 10,500 BC
• A skull found in Mexico City has been dated to 11,000 BC and is believed to be related to the Ainu people of Japan
Hunters and Gatherers
• The first Americans likely migrated across the Beringia land bridge following herds of animals, including the mammoth
• Mammoth were the most challenging and rewarding prey
• Weighing more than 7 tons, they provided meat, bones, and hide for clothes, food, shelters, and tools
Following the Game
• Eventually large animals like the mammoth were overhunted and became extinct
• Hunters had to turn to smaller game like deer and rabbits
• Because they were hunters they had to move regularly to follow their food source
End of the Land Bridge
• With the end of the Ice Age around 12,000 to 10,000 years ago sea levels rose and the land bridge was gone
Agriculture
• Gradually, early Americans became more familiar with plant foods and began to experiment with simple farming methods
• By 5000 BC, many farmers began to grow plants from seeds such as avocados, squash, gourds, beans and chiles
• By 3400 BC, maize, or corn, became the most important crop
Farming Brings Great Change
• The cultivation of corn and other crops provided a more reliable and expanding food supply
• This encouraged population growth and the establishment of large settled communities
• As farming became more productive people began to turn to more nonagricultural pursuits such as art, crafts, and building trades
More Changes
• Differences between social classes emerged
• Society became more complex
Early Mesoamerican Civilizations
Sec 2
Mesoamerica
• Mesoamerica- area stretching from central Mexico to northern Honduras, where the first complex societies in the Americas arose
Olmec Society
• Olmec- first known civilization builders in Mesoamerica that began creating a society around 1200 BC
• The Olmec culture thrived from around 800-400 BC and lived along the Gulf Coast of Mexico
Gulf Coast Geography
• The Gulf Coast is hot and humid and covered with swamps and jungle
• In some places, giant trees form a thick cover that prevents sunlight from reaching the ground
• Up to 100 inches of rain fell every year causing severe flooding
What are the advantages of living there?
Environmental Advantages
• Abundant deposits of salt and tar
• Fine clay for making pottery
• Abundance of wood and rubber
• Stone found in the hills to the north
• Rivers provided transportation
• Flood plains provided fertile soil
Olmec Society
• Archeologists have discovered earthen mounds, courtyards and pyramids
• Among the earthworks were large stone monuments that included columns, altars and colossal sculpted heads
• Most of all, they probably worshipped a jaguar spirit
What do those things tell you about Olmec society?
Trade and Commerce
• The Olmec appear to have been a prosperous people with a trading network throughout Mesoamerica
• Helped to boost their economy and spread Olmec influence
Decline of the Olmec
• Nobody is sure
• Possibly outside invaders
• May have destroyed own monuments after death of leaders
Zapotec Civilization
• Zapotec- advanced society that developed in southwestern Mexico after the decline of the Olmec
• Oaxaca is rugged region of mountains and valleys in southern Mexico that has fertile soil, mild climate, and plentiful rainfall
Monte Alban
• Monte Alban- first real urban center in the Americas that at its peak was home to 25,000 people
• Characterized by a giant plaza paved with stones, towering pyramids, temples and palaces
Early Mesoamericans Legacy
• The Olmec were an influence to many later civilizations, particularly the Maya
• Olmec art styles can be seen in later civilization especially the jaguar
• The Olmec also left the notion of planned ceremonial centers, ritual ball games, and an elite ruling class
Zapotec Contributions
• The Zapotec legacy includes a system of writing, calendar system based on the sun, and the first city
Early Civilizations of the Andes
Sec 3
The Andes
• The Andes Mountains are the second highest mountain range in the world and stretch about 4,500 miles down the western edge of South America
• The mountains are steep, rocky, and have poor soil
• Hot and dry during the day and freezing during the night
First Inhabitants
• Between 3600 and 2500 BC people began to establish villages on the Pacific coast
• The first inhabitants were hunter-gatherers who relied on seafood and small game for survival
• Around 3000 BC, they began to farm
Chavin Period
• Chavin- first influential civilization in South America that flourished from 900 to 200 BC
• Chavin de Huantar- major ruin featuring pyramids, plazas, and massive earthen mounds
• Archeologists have found no evidence of political or economic organization so they conclude that the Chavin were primarily a religious civilization
• Chavins are considered the mother culture of Peru
Nazca
• The Nazca flourished along the southern coast of Peru from around 200 BC to AD 600
• They created an extensive irrigation system that included underground canals that let them farm the dry climate
• They are most famously known for the Nazca Lines
Nazca Lines - Google Sightseeing
Moche
• The Moche culture lived on the northern coast of Peru from around AD 100 to AD 700
• Their achievements include an extensive irrigation system
• Although the Moche did not have written language much is known about their civilization through the pottery they left behind