The Americas and the Pacific Islands

Geography: Mesoamerica Bordered Pacific Ocean to the West and Atlantic to the East Desert to the north Tropical rainforest to the east and south. Includes modern day Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and southern Mexico

Early Civilizations Agriculture Began around 8000 BCE Maize cultivation began around 7000 BCE Spread south through South America Other crops: squash and beans No domesticated animals Hunting and gathering gradually faded away No agricultural tools like those of other early civilizations Civilization started in plateau regions

Olmec People ( BCE) Built the first large settlements Found along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico Were able to grow two maize crops a year Created water drainage systems for urban areas Best know for their ability to sculpt Large basalt rocks Culturally influenced the Mayan and Aztecs

Andean Region Geography: Bordered by the Amazon Rainforest in the East and Pacific Ocean in the West Present Day: Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, and Chile Frist Civilizations: Caral (3100 BCE) – large urban areas Contains several pyramid structures that may have been used as religious centers. Chavín- (1200 BCE) Created drainages systems, domesticated the llamas Create sculptures depicting plants and animals

Early Civilizations in the Pacific Early Civilizations begin to appear in the Pacific sometime before 1500 BCE in the Philippines and New Guinea They slowly spread from island to island They had reached Tonga and Samoa by 1000 BCE Polynesians would not reach Hawaii until 300 CE, Easter Island 400 CE, and New Zealand 1350.