Civilization in the Americas

Hunters and Farmers in the Americas Human settlement in the Americas later than in Africa, Asia, and Europe but followed similar pattern The Earliest Americans Americas were connected to Asia by a land bridge called Beringia thousands of years ago. This is how the first people came to the Americas

The Peopling of the Americas First Americans arrived toward the end of the Ice Age (1.6 million – 10,000 BCE) The Ice Age lowered sea levels and allowed people to move Wild animals like the mastadon migrated across the Beringia land bridge Migrants followed the animals- unaware they were going into a new continent No one knows for certain when the migrations occurred Only have evidence dating back to 9500 BCE near Clovis, New Mexico and from 10,500 BCE near Monte Verde, Chile

Hunters and Gatherers Earliest Americans lived as hunters, so they moved often to find new food Probably lived in caves or temporary shelters Experimented with simple methods of farming

Development of Farming 7,000 BCE people in central Mexico begin to rely more on wild edible plants, raising some of them from seeds 5,000 BCE people begin growing the plants 3400 BCE plants included maize, squashes, gourds, beans avocados and chilies Gradually, people settled in permanent villages in the Tehuacan Valley (south of present day Mexico city)

Mesoamerica’s Mother Culture First known civilization builders were the Olmec around 1200 BCE in the jungles of southern Mexico

The Rise of the Olmec Civilization 1200 BCE – 400 BCE Lived along the gulf coast of Mexico Environment- humid jungle with high annual rainfall, which caused rivers to flood Good deposits of salt and tar and clay, wood and rubber, hard stone, fertile farming land along the flood plains San Lorenzo is the oldest site around 1150 BCE

Olmec Society Courtyards, pyramids, large stone monuments Columns, altars, colossal, sculpted heads Small ruling class of priests and nobles La Venta rose around 900 BCE Site of the Great Pyramid Could have been a religious site or a tomb for an Olmec ruler Believed to be polytheistic

Religion, Trade, and Decline Jaguar Worship Worshipped jaguar spirit, as the jaguar was central to Olmec religion Trade and Commerce Evidence at La Venta of fishers, farmers, traders, artisans, sculptors Large trading network stretching as far as Mexico City to Honduras Decline of the Olmec Unknown reasons for collapse No written records

Zapotec Civilization Zapotec built a similar civilization in Mexican state of Oaxaca by the time the Olmec collapsed Peoples of the Oaxaca Valley Region of mountains and valleys but at the center there are three valleys that make up the Oaxaca Valley Lived in scattered villages in the valley By 1000 BCE San Jose Mogote emerged a s a main power Constructed stone platforms Temples Early forms of hieroglyphic writing and a calendar system

Zapotec Flourish at Monte Alban 500 BCE Monte Alban established as first urban center By 200 BCE 15,000 people lived there CE pyramids, temples, palaces, stone carvings of corpses Declined after 600 for unknown reasons

The Legacy of Americas’ First Civilizations Olmec Leave their Mark Many later civilizations copy aspects of Olmec culture, especially art styles and the jaguar motif and pyramids, ball games, ceremonial centers Zapotec contributions Hieroglyphic language and calendar system based on the movement of the sun Americas’ first city builders

Civilization in South America Andes mountains stretch 4,000 miles Andes is the second tallest peak Early settlements along the coast Environment challenging with poor soil, difficult travel, and severe climate but between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean is a narrow coastal plain and in some places rivers cross to the ocean BCE people established temporary villages along the coast First hunter gatherers but by 3,000 evidence of farming 1800 BCE thriving communities

The Chavin in South America Chavin arose in the mountains 900 – 200 BCE 10,000 feet above sea level Pyramids, plazas, and earthen mounds No evidence of political or econ. Organization, so they must have been primarily a religious civilization Spread art and religious images to influence other peoples Chavin were the mother culture

Nazca Achievements 200 BCE – 600 CE along the southern coast of Peru Extensive irrigation systems, including underground canals Beautiful textiles and pottery featuring images of animals and mythological beings Nazca Lines- huge drawings in stone which can only be seen from the air because of their large size and were probably done for the gods

Moche culture 100 – 700 CE Took advantage of the rivers from the Andes mountains Irrigation systems Enormous wealth- because jewelry from gold, silver and other semiprecious stones Ceramic artists Doctors healing No written language Don’t know much about religious beliefs or why they fell