Chapter 1 The First Communities

Where Did They Settle? ..........Everywhere! Subarctic Northwest Southwest Great Basin Great Plains Northeast South

The First Migration When did people first cross the Bering Sea? What evidence have archeologists and anthropologists found from the lives of the first people in America? Why did those people travel to North America? © 2015 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

How Did They Live? Hunters & Gatherers (Forests) Fishing (Coasts) Foraging (Deserts) **Farming

Farming was Transformational! Allowed communities to build permanent settlements Grow staple crops increase in population Villages grew into towns Division of labor

Early Cultures in the Americas Mayas (Central America) The first settlers to the Americas were nomadic and followed the herds of animals that they hunted. As the game moved south, so did the hunters, populating the land as they traveled. Permanent farming towns would emerge in Mexico about 2000 B.C., populated by the Mayans. The Mayan culture would eventually collapse and be replaced by that of the Aztecs. Farther south, in present-day Columbia, the Chibchas would build an empire similar to that of the Aztecs, but on a smaller scale.

Early Cultures in the Americas Incas (South America)

Early Cultures in the Americas Aztecs(Central America)

Pre-Columbian Indian Civilizations in Middle and South America What were the major pre-Columbian civilizations? What factors caused the demise of the Mayan civilization? When did the Aztecs build Tenochtitlan? © 2015 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

North America Civilizations before 1500 Three Distinct Civilization Trends Emerged Adena-Hopewell culture Mississippian culture The Indian civilizations in North America differed from the farm communities and cities in Central America. They were more nomadic, as the forests and grasslands were not as hospitable for cultivation. During this time, there were three distinct periods of civilization. The Adena-Hopewell culture flourished in the Midwest between 800 B.C. and A.D. 600. The Mississippian culture occupied the second era, between A.D. 930 and 1350. The final culture, Anasazi, still exists, and has lasted from 400 B.C. to the present. These are the people we think of when we consider the Native American society and culture.

North America Civilizations before 1500 Anasazi culture

Population of North America: Eastern Woodlands People Native Americans in 1500 Population of North America: Eastern Woodlands People Great Plains Tribes Western Tribes When the first Europeans arrived, as many as 10 million Native Americans lived in the “New World.” The Eastern Woodlands tribes were composed of three regional groups, the Algonquian, the Iroquoian, and the Muskogean. Each of these had subgroups within them. Primarily they were fishers and hunters, with some rudimentary farming as well. The Plains Indians lived on the Great Plains of North America. Principally nomadic, they would follow the great herds of bison that provided them with their primary sustenance. The Western tribes were involved in fishing, whaling, and sealing.

Algonquian Chief in War Paint Algonquian chief in war paint From the notebook of English settler John White, this sketch depicts an Indian chief. © 2015 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.