1.1 The Earliest Americans

The First Americans The Land-Bridge Theory 10,000 to 100,000 years ago much of the earth was covered in ice This allowed more of the land to be dry During these times a land bridge was accessible between Asia and N.A. 20,000-30,000 years ago hunters followed game across this land-bridge

The First Americans Other Theories Coastal –route theory People traveled by boat across the arctic Then down the Pacific coast Native American traditions Many Nat. Am. Cultures have their own traditions as to how they settled the land These are their creation stories

The First Americans Learning to Farm Hunting met most of the needs for centuries When the big game was gone or nearly gone Nat. Am. They became hunter-gatherers About 8,000 years ago farming began in Mexico In dry areas farmers learned to irrigate The surplus created in farming communities lead to surplus Which leads to cities

The First Americans Three Civilizations Mayas Built cities in Mexico & Central America Plazas Pyramids Temples Ball courts Palaces

The First Americans Three Civilizations Mayas Other developments Arts System of gov. Written language Studied the stars Calendar

The First Americans Three Civilizations Mayas Abandoned cities Why? Disease Overpopulation Their language is the root of 20 languages in Cen. Am.

The First Americans Aztecs Nearby, in central Mexico, the Aztecs were coming into power Tenochtitlan Their capital city Where present day Mexico City is Built on islands in the middle of a lake

The First Americans Aztecs Nearby, in central Mexico, the Aztecs were coming into power Tenochtitlan Connected to the mainland by a series of causeways Farmed on the lake in floating boxes called chinampas 200,000 people lived there May have been the largest city in the world at the time

The First Americans Aztecs Religion was central to the Aztec way of life Temples were located in the center of the city Depended on the goodwill of their gods Practiced human sacrifice Their armies conquered the surrounding area (modern day Mexico) The people they conquered had to pay high taxes

The First Americans Incas While the Aztecs were conquering their neighbors the Inca had built the largest empire in the world Along the west coast of South America The capital, Cuzco, was connected to the rest of the empire by a vast series of roads

The First Americans Incas Known for their stone buildings Built canals, and terraces for farming Gold and silver jewelry Fine cloth Metal working Used quipu (knotted ropes) for communication