3º ESO.- Topic 5, America before 1492

8/14/2019 3 ESO.- Topic 5, America before 1492

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3 ESOTopic Five:

America before 1492


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Ancient America

The first inhabitants of the American

continents were nomadic hunters

and gathers. These nomads probably

arrived in North America around

40,000 years ago, following a land

bridge that formed between North

America and Asia. It is believed that

another group of humans migrated

from Asia into North Americaaround 12,000 years ago. Some

scientist also think that some people

might have used boats to follow

ocean currents to the tip of South

America, while others arrived

following ice from Western Europe.

As these various groups traveled into the new world following wild game, they spread outacross the land, forming new cultures, and in some cases, complex civilizations.

Four thousands of years, these early inhabitants of the Americas made a life by hunting

game, and gathering food from seeds, berries, and wild plants. Then around 5000 B.C. an

agricultural revolution took place near present day Mexico.


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Agricultural Revolution

For thousands of years, the inhabitants who lived on the American continents lived offof the land. Then in 5000 B.C. near present day Mexico many groups of people began

to discover farming.

They realized that they could

plant crops such as corn,

pumpkins, potatoes, and

squash, and by doing so, couldbetter provide for the needs of

their people.

This new technology spread

from Mexico outward to other

parts of the Southwest, so that

by 3000 B.C. many groups of

people in the region wereactively practicing farming.


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Villages Development

The practice of farming the land led to the

development of villages. The people no longer

had to travel in search of wild game and plant

life. Instead, they could settle down in one

place, and begin to build more permanent

structures.

These permanent villages allowed for

more complex societies and cultures toevolve in the region. New religions and

governments began to form, and

individuals began to become more

specialized in their jobs.

This specialization of work tasks allowed

technology to really take off, so that greatadvancements were made. The people

became more skilled in tool making,

creating special implements for farming,

fishing, building and so forth.

All of this meant that the standard of living

in the Americas could be greatly improved.

This improved standard of living led to apopulation explosion. By A.D. 1500 it is

estimated that more than 50 million people

lived in the Western Hemisphere.


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Cultural Differentiation

The various peoples inhabiting North America

gradually developed many different andunique cultures. Each culture was heavily

influenced by the land, and natural resources

around the people. These cultures included

their traditions, religious practices, and their

everyday lives and customs.

As this happened, the various cultures became

regionalized. That is to say that the cultures ofdifferent groups of people were very similar to

one another in the same region, but very

different from the cultures of the peoples in

another region. The process of cultures

developing in a specific region is known as

cultural differentiation.

The regions that developed in North America

were the Arctic, the Northwest, the California

region, The Great Basin, the Southwest, the

Great Plains, and the Eastern Woodlands.


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The Great Basin

Little water, and as a

result, little wildlife. This

made this region a difficult

place to live.

The Southwest

The peoples of the Southwest lived in some of the most extreme conditions in North

America: hot and dry deserts with scarce food and shelter.

The Great Plains

This vast region of

regular rainfall were

covered in wild

grasses. These

grasses supported a

wide variety ofwildlife mainly bison.

The Eastern

Woodlands

People lived in

farming villages.

The land was rich

and fertile.

The Arctic Peoples

The peoples who settled in the Arctic lived in an

area of frigid temperatures. Farming the land was

impossible.

The Northwest People

Like the peoples of the Arctic, the Northwest

peoples lived off of the ocean, and rivers. They

fished, and hunted wildlife.

The California Region

Their lands were warm year

round, with abundant

rainfall and wildlife.

Developed culture, including

art, and religion.


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Mesoamerican and

Southamerican Cultures

The people who inhabited Central America

formed a number of advanced civilizations

between 1500 B.C. and A.D. 1200. As one

civilization faded in the region, another

developed to take its place. Later

civilizations borrowed many aspects ofculture from earlier civilizations, as well as

creating their own unique traditions.

Historians call these civilizations the

Mesoamerican cultures. The word meso

means middle. These peoples all lived in

middle America.

AZTECS

MAYA

INCA

In the Andes Mountains around 1200 a

civilization developed independently

from the civilizations of Mesoamerica.

This civilization would become known

as the Incas.


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The Teotihuacans

The Teotihuacans

thrived for nearly 750years. Then in 750

invaders from the north

known as the Toltecs

conquered and

destroyed them.

The Olmecs

Around 1500 B.C. villages in Mesoamerica became more complex and specialized. These

people formed a nation which they called Olmec.

The ToltecsThe Toltecs began to

conquer much of the

territory in the region.

Their capital city was

called Tul


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OLMECS (1500BC-500 BC)

1500 BC 1500750750 BC 0

TOLTECS

1100 BC 1100400 BC 400

TEOTIHUACANS

THE MAYANS (900 BC-900)

AZTECS

INCAS

(1200-

1533)


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The Mayans

Around 900 B.C a group of people known as the Mayansbegin to settle the territory around the Yucatan

Peninsula. By 300 A.D. they Mayan culture had become

quite advanced. The Mayans were not ruled by a central

government. They shared the same language, traditions,

and culture, but they were lead by small local

governments.

By A.D. 900 the Mayan culture began to decline. It is

not entirely clear as to why, however many historians

believe that war broke out between different

members of royal families. This civil war made

farming difficult, and as a result, many people died

from hunger and disease. By the late A.D. 900s almost

all signs of this once great civilization were gone.


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Mayan Sports

The Mayans are one of the first peoples to develop and play professional sports. One of the

most important sports played by the Mayans was called Pok-a-tok.

Using a solid

rubber ball, which

was about the size

of a basketball,

teams battled one

another. The goal

of this game wasto hit the ball into

a stone hoop.

Mayan Science

The Mayans became excellent scientists in many different fields, including medicine,

astronomy, and mathematics. They tracked the movement of the stars and planets across the

sky, and were able to accurately predict celestial events such as eclipses.

They also developed an accurate calendar of 360 days, which they used to plan their

harvests, and religious ceremonies.


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Mayan Writings

One of the most important advancements developed

by the Mayans was written language. The Mayans

developed a complex system of writing, which

consisted of both an alphabet, as well as symbols,

which represented whole words or thoughts.

These writings were recorded in books made out of

bark and plaster, as well as carved into monuments,

bones, and stone. Many of these writings have

survived to the present, and help give us an accuratelook at their history, and culture.

Mayan Religion

The Mayans believed that the universe was made up of two separate worlds. The everyday

world, and the otherworld. The everyday world was the world in which they lived. The

otherworld, they believed, was were gods, spirits, and their dead ancestors lived.The village chief acted as the leader of political life, as well as the priest. He was responsible

for standing between his people, and the otherworld. He performed important religious

ceremonies, that the Mayans believed would earn the favor of those in the otherworld, and

bring about their blessings. These ceremonies included the sacrifice of humans, as well as the

blood letting of the priest.


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In A.D. 1400 a group of nomadic hunters called the Aztecs migrated into Mesoamerica in

search of food and wild game. By A.D. 1325 the Aztecs had settled in present day Mexico

City, and had built a large, beautiful and powerful city, on a small island which they called

Tenochtitlan

As the population of Tenochtitlan

grew, the island became too

small. Their innovative solutionwas to make the island bigger.

They built large wooden rafts,

which they covered with mud,

and secured to the lakebed with

stakes. Many people lived and

farmed on these floating parcels

of land

THE AZTECS


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By A.D. 1500 the Aztecs had

used both their military

strength, as well as political

ties to conquer almost all of

the territory in and around

their capital city. Their

empire stretched from the

Pacific Ocean in the west, tothe Atlantic Ocean in the

east.

The Aztec Government

The Aztecs founded a strong secure central government. This helped provide stability, and

allowed the empire to thrive. At the top of this government was the royal family, headed by

an emperor or king

This emperor appointed various authorities to rule different regions of his empire. These

leaders swore allegiance to the emperor himself. The emperor maintained his control

over the empire through the use of his vast and powerful army


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The Aztec Empire Falls

In A.D. 1521 the peoples who were ruled by the Aztecs grew tired of the treatment they

received at their taskmasters hands. The Aztecs required all conquered peoples to pay

heavy and burdensome taxes. They also often sacrificed their men to the Aztec gods aspart of their religious practices.

In this year these people joined forces with the Spanish explorers, who had arrived in the

region, and attacked the Aztec capital. They were quickly able to overthrow the Aztec

Empire.


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The Inca Empire

In the Andes Mountains around A.D.

1200 a civilization developed

independently from the civilizations of

Mesoamerica. This civilization would

become known as the Incas

By the late A.D. 1200s the Incas hadsettled in the city of Cuzco, which

would eventually become their capital.

In A.D. 1438 Pachacuti became the

king of the Incas. He and his son Topa

began a great period of expansion,

creating what would be the largest

empire in the new world, and one of

the largest empires in the world.


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The Incas formed a powerful central government. Pachacuti allowed local leaders to

continue governing the people, so long as they remained loyal to him. If they did not,

he relocated the people to distant parts of his kingdom, where they would not pose a

threat.

He passed and recorded laws that were consistent throughout the empire, and

founded courts, trade routes, and initiated many building projects that strengthened

his empire.

In order to further unite the people, Pachacuti required all his subjects to learn and

speak a common language. This language was called Quechua. There are still many

people in these regions who speak Quechua to this


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The Incas Fall

In A.D. 1533 the Spanish arrived in South America. Hungry for territory, and for

converts to Christianity, the Spanish overwhelmed the Incan Empire. Their armies were

no match for the far superior Spanish technologies. While the Incan Empiredisappeared completely, the Incan people remained in the region. To this day, many

descendants of the Incans still inhabit the nations of Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador.

These people still speak Quechua, the official Incan language, and still practice Incan

culture.

3º ESO.- Topic 5, America before 1492

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