Chapter 9 Section 1 The Early Americas
Ummmmmmmm… What value would a Wooly Mammoth have to the natives?
What was going on? While civilizations were developing over in Europe, Asia, and Africa, there were also developments in the “The Americas” Americas = North America, Central America, and South America The first Americans came from ASIA.
How did they get to the Americas? The earliest civilizations arrived in the Americas via a LAND BRIDGE, known as BERINGIA. Beringia was a space between Asia and Alaska. (This is the modern-day Bering Straight.) Historians are unsure about the exact time that the migration to the Americas took place.
What type of people were migrating? The people were Hunter-Gatherers. Their most valuable prey was the mammoth: Mammoths weighed more than 14,000 lbs. Provided meat, hide, bones for food, clothing, shelter, and tools Some historians say that early people followed the mammoths to the Americas After the people were here for a while, they began to turn toward AGRICULTURE. What did they grow and eat? Squash, gourds, beans, avocados, chilies, and MAIZE. Maize = Corn
The Effects of Agriculture Before Agriculture Development People were mainly Hunters Migrated to find food Groups stayed small and unorganized Most of their time was devoted to finding food After Agriculture Development Steady source of food Families settled down and began to grow larger New skills developed: arts/craft, architecture, and social organization Complex Societies arose IMPORANT: This change brought about the development of more advanced civilizations.
The Early Mesoamerican Civilizations Chapter 9 Section 2 The Early Mesoamerican Civilizations
OLMEC: First Known Civilization Location: Southern Mexico When: 1200 BC Called the “Mother Culture” of Mesoamerica
Olmec’s Remnants
Benefits of the Olmecs Good clay for pottery Forests for wood products and rubber products Mountains for stone structure Rivers for moving goods Fertile soil for growing a wide variety of food
Zapotec Civilization Came after the Olmecs Had some influences of the Olmecs, but they still “did their own thing.” Zapotec developed: Writing Calendars Built the first city in the Americas: Monte Alban (population 25,000)
Zapotec Artifacts Ball Court
Conclusion Historians are unsure of exactly why these two civilizations disappeared They both had a significant impact on the civilizations that followed them.
Early Civilizations of the Andes Chapter 9 Section 3 Early Civilizations of the Andes
Where are the Andes Mts.?? Description 4,500 miles long 2nd Highest mountain chain Steep, Rocky Terrain Poor Soil Hot/Dry during the day Really cold at night 1st Development was in Peru
Societies Arise in the Andes Chavin (shaVEEN) People 1st People to settle in the Andean Mountains Hunter-Gatherers “Mother Culture” of South America Nazca People On the coast of Peru Developed extensive irrigation b/c it was too dry. This allowed the Nazca to develop their agriculture
Societies Arise in the Andes Nazca People Continued They developed The Nazca Lines Purpose: No one really knows, but here are the theories: Worship of the Sky or Water god Water sources from old river beds Maps of underground water sources
Societies Arise in the Andes Moche (MO-chay) People Northern Coast of Peru Used the rivers to develop their irrigation systems Very Wealthy: Archeologists have found jewelry with gold, silver, and gems Artistic People – especially with pottery Showed doctors, weavers, musicians, fierce soldiers No written language No religious patterns The Communities of the Andes were all separate from each other, and historians are unsure why their civilizations disappeared.