Early Societies in the Americas and Oceania Chapter 6

Mesoamerica: The Olmecs Gulf coast of Mexico Cultivated crops (no large animals) -> villages by 3000 BCE Ceremonial centers with pyramids, temples, palaces (but not cities) Governance? Authoritarian (labor, tribute) Important features: art, widespread influence (military and trade), calendar, ball game, human sacrifice Declined: destroyed their ceremonial centers and left

Mesoamerica: The Maya Southern Mexico and Central America Agriculture (terracing for silt retention) -> permanent villages Large ceremonial centers (some were cities) with plazas, temples, pyramids Some became city-states – lots of war for POWs Chichen Itza built a loose empire c. 800 CE

The Maya (cont.) Began decline: invasion? Failure of water control system? Deforestation? Natural catastrophe? Disease? Combination?

Mayan Culture Social organization: ruling families, priests, hereditary nobility, merchants, professionals and artisans, peasants, slaves Calendars: solar and ritual, in 52 year cycles Writing: ideographic and symbolic, scribes, most books destroyed Religion: Popul Vuh, fertility, polytheistic, human sacrifice and blood-letting, ball game

Mesoamerica: Teotihuacan Highlands of central Mexico Irrigation agriculture -> population increase -> cities -> Teotihuacan Pyramids, temples, markets, palaces, apartments, workshops Theocracy: priests rule Social organization: priests, farmers, artisans, merchants

Teotihuacan (cont.) Extensive trade networks Early: no evidence of military organization; trade-based domination Ball game, calendar, writing, sacrifice, Decline c. 650 CE when city was destroyed

Early Societies of South America As climate changed, agriculture developed -> pop. -> villages and cities -> civilization Slow diffusion with Mesoamerica Coastal settlements: agriculture + seafood Increasing complexity: weaving, fishing nets, metallurgy, but not politically organized

South American States In river valleys, with irrigation, trade networks, forcefully unified No writing, but painted pottery tells a lot Did not consolidate the region politically

Early Societies of Oceania 60,000 BCE: Australia and New Guinea via canoe – separated and differentiated Australians: hunter/gatherers,small nomadic groups N.G.: h/g at first, until SE Asians brought farming (yams, taro, pigs, chickens) -> pop. ->specialization -> permanent settlements throughout Pacific

Peoples of the Pacific Islands Linguistic evidence of Austronesian language family shows migrations Lapita: earliest migrants – agricultural villages, over-hunted, pottery, trade networks Later, networks not needed as self-sufficiency increased -> hierarchical chiefdoms Migration as alternative to conflict Tribute based, irrigation, public ritual, semi-divine chiefs