The First Americans Chapter 16, Section 1

What are we going to get out of this section? When did the first people arrive in the Americas? On which continent did they originally live? How did farming lead to the rise and development of civilizations in present-day Mexico, Central America, and Peru? Map

Vocabulary for Section 1 Glaciers: Huge sheets of ice Monopoly: Sole right to trade

Getting Started Long ago, the continents were connected into a giant supercontinent. What was its name? Pangaea Early civilizations can be traced to Mesopotamia and the Tigris and Euphrates River Valley in the Middle East. How did people spread to areas such as Central America? How did they get there?

The earth’s geography is not the same as it was in ancient times. The Ice Age Between Asia and Alaska there was a connecting piece of land. What was it called? Beringia It is believed that hunter-gathers used this connecting land to cross into the Americas.

Beringia Source

What are Hunter-Gathers? People who moved back and forth across an area of land hunting and gathering food. Had no specific residence; they traveled where the food was. Meant that no civilizations, no cities, no homes could be built in this type of culture.

The Invention of Farming The Ice Age melted Early hunter-gathers began to take advantage of warmer weather to plant seeds for crops. What does this mean? Farming requires a permanent residence. People began to stay put and develop towns, cities…and eventually, civilizations. Where did farming begin in the Americas? Mesoamerica: Valley of Mexico to Costa Rica

How did farming work? Geography Rich, fertile soil from volcanic activity Mild climate; rains fell in the spring, stopped in the summer, and returned in the autumn; winters were mild Crops Pumpkins, peppers, squash, gourds, and beans Corn developed later from a wild grass; cross-genetics enabled farmers to grow different types Corn became the most important crop!

Mesoamerican Civilizations Olmec people Trading empire Rich farming resources Traded salt and beans with inland peoples to get jade, obsidian, or volcanic glass Built the first planned city in the Americas Teotihuacan, called the ‘Place of the Gods’ Teotihuacan Source

The Mayans Built civilization in Yucatan Peninsula Were also traders, and traded into southern Mexico and even parts of present-day U.S. Mayan Calendar

Death and Destruction? Teotichuacan was completely destroyed by 750 AD; having reached its peak in 400 AD What destroyed the city? The Mayan Civilization deserted their cities around 900 AD, and were not heard from again. What happened to the Mayans? No one really knows

Who Took Over? The Toltecs Seized control over former Mayan lands and took territory in present day northern Mexico. Tightly controlled trade with the use of monopolies. What happened to the Toltecs? The Aztecs invaded in the 1200s AD and took over their capital, Tula. Aztecs copied the nomad Toltecs and formed their own empire

Map

The Moche Located in the dry coastal desert of what is now Peru Ruled from 100 AD to 700 AD Created canals in the desert to produce crops Engineers created a pyramid, ‘the Pyramid of the Sun’ No written language; stories are told by their artwork.

The Pyramid of the Sun Moche Artwork

The Incas Homeland in the Andes Mountains Built the biggest empire in the ancient Americas Centered in the capital of Cuzco

The Hohokams Farming had a big impact for these people Planted gardens on lands between the Salt and the Gila Rivers Used canals to carry water to fields Grew cotton, corn, beans, and squash Made jewelry, pottery, and etchings What happened to them? Mid 1300’s A.D. they mysteriously fled Possible drought or flood

The Anasazis Moved into cliffs and canyons in present day New Mexico, USA Created ‘cliff dwellings’, or pueblos (Spanish for ‘village’) Collected water than ran down the cliffs and channeled them to their fields What happened to them? Early 1100’s A.D. their was a 50 year drought They drifted away

Mound Builders Developed across the Mississippi River Built huge mounds of earth in different shapes Lived mostly as hunter-gathers; did a little farming Source

The Mississippians Farming people that developed after the decline of the Mound Builders Large scale farming led to the rise of huge cities Created mounds too, but there’s were pyramid-like Early 1300’s A.D. civilization collapsed and cities abandoned Perhaps they were attacked or cities grew too big to feed itself

Main Ideas It is believed that the first people in the Americas came from Asia during the Ice Age. The invention of farming led to the rise of civilizations in the Americas. Early people in the northern part of the Americas built complex cultures based on farming and trade.

Key Concepts FARMING-because farming was developed, hunter- gather societies settled in one place and created cities These ancient civilizations left their mark in the world, but left little evidence of why they disappeared or died out TRADE-civilizations learned to give other people goods they didn’t need to gain goods they did EMPIRES-civilizations didn’t just developed, they conquered.