ANCIENT AMERICAS: THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS

THE OLMECS Olmecs: The "rubber people" Olmec society Earliest center, on the coast of Mexico Gulf, 1200 B.C.E. The other two later centers: La Venta and Tres Zapotes Olmec society Authoritarian in nature Colossal heads – possibly rulers Power shown in pyramid construction Trade in jade and obsidian Decline and fall of Olmec society The cause remains a mystery Olmecs destroyed ceremonial centers Most likely, civil conflict ruined their society By 400 B.C.E., other societies eclipsed the Olmecs Influence of Olmec traditions Maize, ceremonial centers were common to later societies Other legacies: Calendar, rituals of human sacrifice, ballgame Olmecs did not leave written records

OLMEC ART

ANDEAN GEOGRAPHY 4

EARLY ANDEAN SOCIETY Geography Early migration Impacted north-south movement and communication Created micro-cultures – small cultures isolated within region Early migration By 12,000 B.C.E. hunter-gathers reached South America By 8000 B.C.E. began to experiment with agriculture Complex societies appeared in central Andean region 1000 B.C.E. Andean societies located in modern day Peru and Bolivia Early agriculture in South America Main crops: beans, peanuts, sweet potatoes, cotton Fishing supplemented agricultural harvests By 1800 B.C.E., produced pottery, Temples and pyramids appeared 5

CHAVIN AND MOCHE The Chavín Cult Complexity of Andean society Very popular around 900 to 800 B.C.E. Vanished completely by about 300 B.C.E. Cult was probably related to introduction of maize Cult left large temple complexes and elaborate art works Complexity of Andean society Techniques of producing cotton textiles and fishing nets Discovered gold, silver, and copper metallurgy Cities began to appear shortly after Chavíncult Early Andeans did not make use of writing Mochica (300-700 C.E.) One of several early Andean states, located in northern Peru Mochica ceramics: lives of different social classes Mochica did not integrate the whole Andean region 6

TEOTIHUACAN The city of Teotihuacan Teotihuacan society Built in the highlands of Mexico Colossal pyramids of sun and moon dominated the skyline Between 400 and 600 C.E., the city had 200,000 inhabitants Paintings and murals reflect the importance of priests Teotihuacan society Rulers and priests dominated society Two-thirds of inhabitants worked in fields Famous for obsidian tools, orange pottery Professional merchants traded widely No sign of military organization Cultural traditions Inherited Olmecs' culture Honored earth god, rain god Decline of Teotihuacan Military pressure from other peoples since 500 C.E. Began to decline 650 C.E.; Invaders sacked city, mid-8th century

TEOTIHUACAN THE CITY

Teotihuacan and Tula among the Maya Mayan Origins Original home: southern Mexico, Yucatan, Central America Tikal: 600-900 CE expanded from Belize into Yucatan, Mexico Evidence that a group, its ideas (Teotihuacan?) migrated into area to establish states Toltec Origins Several lineages such as Cocom, Xiu, Itza were called dzulob or foreigners Chronicles of Chilam Balam kept by villages indicate this origin Founders had special knowledge that gave them right to establish a state Many leaders recorded in Mayan records for 700 years but had Nahua names Popul Vu and Chronicles of Cakchiquels Show migration as common in region and in founding of cities in area Indicate Nahua or Tolan connections Teotihuacan Influences Use of aspects of Teotihuacan writing and phraseology suddenly appear in Mayan In 378 CE in Mayan Long Count, Tikal conquered Uaxacatun A stella erected to commemorate the event: its iconography is from Teotihuacan After that the iconography occurs in other Mayan stella Chichen Itza Early founders are clearly Toltec Could have been an indication of Toltec invasion of the area

EARLY GEOGRAPHY