6 The Americas

The Peopling of the Americas The First Americans Migrated across the Bering Strait Living in the New World at least 15,000 years ago Reached southern tip of South America by 10,000 B.C.E. Nomadic First Americans were hunters and gatherers Agriculture dates back at least 8,000 years Cultivation of maize will pave the way for the first civilizations

Early Civilizations in Central America Mesoamerica Olmecs Intensive agriculture La Venta Trade Class society

Mesoamerican Civilizations ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

Pre-Columbian sculpture, Vera Cruz style, 6-9 C.E. ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

Teotihuacan: America’s First Metropolis First major Mesoamerica city, c. 3000 B.C.E. to 800 C.E Location: north of present day Mexico City City dominated by the Pyramid of the Sun Extensive trading network City dwellings of stucco Economic base was agriculture

The Mysterious Maya Location: The Yucatan Peninsula Slash and burn replaced by swamp agriculture City-states Tikal Copán Role of the King Majority of people (estimated 3 million) were farmers Religion Polytheistic Practiced human sacrifice City dominated by central pyramid

Pyramid at Chichen-Itza ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

Palace of the Nuns, Uxmal. ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

Mayan Hieroglyphics Sophisticated writing system Spanish destroyed many of the books Mayan calendar required understanding of astronomical events and mathematics Kept records of astronomical events

Mystery of Mayan Decline Collapsed around the 8th or 9th century Possible reasons Over-cultivation, long drought Cities like Tikal and Palenque are abandoned Some urban centers survived and prospered: Uxmal and Chichen Itza New urban centers on Yucatan Migrations of the Toltecs under Kukulcan Some believe the migration under Kukulcan is linked to the story of Quetzalcoatl

Mayan writing. Glyphs carved on wall at Palenque, Mexico ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

The Aztecs Mexica moved into the Valley of Mexico after the fall of Teotihuacan Legend says they came from Aztlán, which gives them their more familiar name, Aztec Aztec patron deity: Huit-zilopochtli Less sophisticated then their neighbors, but excellent warriors Established their capital at Tenochtitlán on an island in Lake Texcoco The new kingdom was a collection of semi-autonomous states

The Valley of Mexico under Aztec Rule ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

Politics and Society Monarch’s power both divine and secular Chosen from the royal family Advised by a small council of lords Hereditary nobility Served in military, government bureaucracy, or priesthood Commoners Calpulli -- kinship group headed by an elected chief Own temples and schools Often members performed a particular function Farmland held in common Gender roles Male children trained for war Women did the work at home, raised children, and wove textiles Women not equal to men, but had more legal rights then women of Old World civilizations Classes not rigidly stratified

Land of the Feathered Serpent: Aztec Religion and Culture Had more than 100 deities Some were nature spirits: Tlaloc - the rain god Some were patron deities: Huitzilopochtli – the symbol of the people themselves The supreme deity: Ometeotl – remote Other deities had direct impact: Quetzalcoatl – represents the forces of creation, virtue, learning and culture Fatalistic religion Art and sculpture Religious significance Two massive pyramids in the center of Tenochtitlán to the gods Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc Artisans worked in stone, gold, and silver Writing based on hieroglyphs

Destruction of Aztec Civilization Hernán Cortés, 1519, invasion of Mexico Moctezuma held captive Cortés was aided by native groups hostile to the Aztecs, especially the Tlaxcallans Defeat of the Aztecs Disease brought by the Europeans swept the population

Early Peoples and Cultures of Central and Latin America ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

The First Civilizations in South America Andes Mountains Chavin de Huantar Moche Location: Northern Peru Capital city dominated by two adobe pyramids Talented artisanship Irrigation system Effects of El Niño Kingdom of Chimor Successors of the Moche in the Moche River valley Elaborate irrigation system

The Inka Empire about 1500 C.E. ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

The Inka Pachakuti Campaign of conquest Boundaries extended under Topa Inka and Huayna Inka to Ecuador, central Chile, and the edge of the Amazon basin The Four Quarters: Inka Politics and Society Empire called Tahuantinsuyu: “The world of four quarters” Inka Culture Built on war with an army of 200,000 men Quipu, knotted strings for record keeping Conquest of the Inka

Stateless Societies in the New World Eastern Woodlands Development of agriculture in the 3rd millennium B.C.E. Mississippi River valley Hopewell culture Cahokia Anasazi West of the Mississippi most societies lived by hunting or gathering Agriculture gradually spreads to the area in the 1st millennium Anasazi established extensive community in southwest Causes of their demise South America Arawak In modern Venezuela Some occupied islands in the Caribbean Sea

Peoples and Cultures of North America ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

Discussion Questions What characteristics did early Mesoamerican civilizations have in common? Compare and contrast the Aztec and Inka empires. How did each empire dominate and control their subjects? What were the characteristics of the “mound builders” in the Eastern areas of North America? What were the characteristics of the native peoples of the Southwestern areas of North America?