EARLY AMERICAS UNIT 8

Two continents—North America and South America—make up the region we call the Americas. These two continents have a wide range of landforms and climates. North America, has high mountains, desert plateaus, grassy plains, and forests. The northern part of the continent, the climate is cold and icy. Temperatures get warmer toward the south. In the south steamy rain forests cover some of this region. In some places, volcanoes rise above the forest South America has many different kinds of landforms.:  The Andes Mountains run along the western shore of the continent.  A desert sits on the edge of rich fishing waters in the Pacific Ocean.  The Amazon region—a huge, hot, and wet rain forest. The mighty Amazon River drains this region. GEOGRAPHY

Mesoamerica: a region including southern Mexico and northern Central America. Site of the first farming settlements in the Americas. Warm temperatures, plentiful rainfall, and rich volcanic soils made the region ideal for farming. Farmed maize, beans, & squash. Farming brought cities with advanced social structures. GEOGRAPHY CONTINUED

A people who lived in small farming villages. Rainforests presented challenges to farming. Slash-and-burn agriculture:  Burn vegetation to clear land for planting.  In highlands people built flat terraces into hillsides for growing. Villages began trading to get goods like cotton and jade. Farming and trade support larger populations= cities. THE MAYA

Cities were built between 250 and 900 CE. Cities contained stone pyramids, temples, and palaces in honor of gods or rulers Cities were like Greece’s city- states, each with its own rulers & government. No ruler ever linked the cities together. Cities united through trade and war with each other. THE MAYA CONTINUED

Not clear what caused their civilization to end. Could be a combination of reasons. 1: environmental- overuse of resources or drought. 2: war led to competition for land and destroying of food. 3: the demands of kings caused people to rebel. Cities were abandoned for new cities. After a while those new cities were abandoned for villages. We are not sure to why this happened. THE MAYA DECLINE

Began as small tribes from northwest Mexico. Migrated south and built the city of Tenochtitlan on an island in lake texcoco Fierce warriors but gained power when they formed alliances with nearby tribes. Conquered people paid tribute (tax). Basis for economy. Trade and tribute made the Aztecs wealthy. Built roads and had spies to aid trade. Ruled by emperor thought of as a god. The emperor/king was part of a royal family and was elected. King elected by a group of nobles. King, priests, nobles, warriors, merchants/artisans, farmers. THE AZTECS

Thousands sacrificed because the gods needed human blood. Children attended school until 15. Famers could go to school or become warriors to improve their station. Had a large amount of slaves The Spanish from Europe came to the region for riches. City-states paying tribute joined forces with the Spanish led by Cortes. Spanish weapons like guns gave them a huge advantage. Disease like Small pox introduced to Aztecs, wiping out huge amounts of population. THE AZTECS CONTINUED

Began as a small tribe. Political alliances and military force helped gain land By the 1500’s their empire extended almost the entire pacific coast. Emperor had most of the power. To prevent rebellion conquered leaders were moved out. People who were loyal were put in. They also used military force to keep control. THE INCA

Command economy government strictly controlled the empires economy. People required to pay a labor tax. women made clothes for the army men worked on government farms. No merchants or markets, the government distributed goods to the people. Supplied what was needed, any extra stored for emergencies. Quipu or a set of colored and knotted cords was their way of keeping records. THE INCA ECONOMY

Families were grouped up to work (farm, build terraces, or canals) 10 groups had a chief and that chief answered to a government official. This chain of command eventually leads to the emperor. Class divisions did exist where most were in the lower class serving the upper class. The upper class was officials, priests, and royal family. No slaves They were polytheists, the sun god being the most important. The emperor was seen as related to the sun god. Kings would be mummified and kept for worship. Priests would perform sacrificial ceremonies but rarely humans were sacrificed. They were great builders of roads and temples They build out of stone without using mortar. Great at metal work and weaving. Internal conflict and the Spanish caused their end. INCA SOCIETY