Civilizations of the Americas

Objectives Know and be able to describe a few details about each Native American culture group.

How did people get here? First people come to America across a land bridge the textbook says, but they might be wrong!

Olmecs Earliest American Civilization. Lived around the Gulf Coast of Mexico. Carved huge stone heads (biggest 40 tons). We believe these heads are portraits of rulers.

Maya NOT an empire, instead many individual city-states. Lived on the Yucatan Peninsula. Created huge stone temples and palaces built like pyramids to sacrifice people. (Apacalypto) Burn down forest to farm the land.

Aztecs Nomadic people migrated into the Mexico Valley lived where Mexico City is today. Built their city on an island (pg 192). Use chinampas to farm (pg 192). Had a single ruler for there whole empire. Also had human sacrifices which were usually captured prisoners. Slaves could however buy their freedom. Hernan Cortez story.

Inca Intro Lived in South America – along the Andes Mountain range. Capital is Cuzco. Huge road system stretching 14,000 miles. Had bridges crossing rivers and gorges, steps cut into steep slopes, tunnels dug through hillsides.

Inca Terraced the land to be able to farm. Could not own possessions, head Inca owned all, so there was little trade. Quipu – colored strings they used for keeping records.

North American Tribes Maize is their word for corn. Puebloans – carved homes into the side of cliffs for protection. Hopewell – build earthworks. Inuit – live in the Arctic, adapt to extreme temperatures.