Chapter 7, Lesson 2 Life in the Americas It Matters Because: Long before the arrival of Europeans, people in the Americas created complex societies.

I. The Mayans A. Developed complex society in S. Mexico & C. America 1. Cleared rainforest for farming; planted maize 2. City-states traded & fought for territory B. Kings believed to be descendants of the sun god 1. Sacrificed prisoners of war to rain god calendar C. Developed calendar to schedule planting and harvesting mathematics hieroglyphic writing D. Practiced advanced mathematics and hieroglyphic writing E. Collapsed ca. 900 due to fighting among city-states BrainPop

II. The Aztecs A. Hunters & warriors, rose to power ca B. City of Tenochtitlan, built in swamps of Lake Texcoco C. Religion was at center of Aztec culture 1. Chief god was Quetzalcoatl, feathered serpent & sun god 2. Priests strived to preserve history, religion, literature D. Emperors claimed to be descendant of the gods 1. Greatest emperor was Montezuma a. expanded empire from inland Mexico to Gulf of Mexico b. built temples, aqueducts, roads E. Developed calendar for farming: planting and harvesting BrainPop

Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec serpent god BrainPop

III. The Incas A. Competed for scarce fertile land in the Andes, 1300s B. Built largest empire in the Americas, ca. 1430, under leadership of strong emperors 1. Built roads to connect the empire 2. Irrigated and terraced mountains for farming Great engineers, mathematicians Machu Picchu was a wonder of engineering

Mach u Picch u

IV. North American Natives A. North American natives spoke about 300 languages, adapted to different environments B. In far north, Inuit were first settlers 1. Used dog sleds & seal-skin kayaks 2. Built permanent stone block homes 3. Built igloos when they traveled 4. Skilled hunters of seals, caribou, walruses, polar bears C. Pacific coast was most populated region north of N. America 1. Natives built cedar houses & canoes 2. Hunted & fished for otters, seals, whales, salmon 3. Carved totem poles from cedar trees BrainPop

Northwester n Totem Poles

D. Native groups in southwest adapted to life in the desert differently adobe 1. some built homes from sun-dried bricks called adobe 2. others carved homes into the sides of cliffs E. Dug irrigation canals & traded as far away as Mesoamerica F. In 1500s, Navajo and Apache arrive and dominate Southwest hogans 1. Hunter-gatherers who built square wooden homes called hogans Great Plains G. Natives on the Great Plains were nomads 1. Farmed for few seasons, moved when land was exhausted or herds moved tepees 2. Lived in skin tents called tepees 3. Women farmed while men hunted IV. North American Natives

Woodland H. Eastern Woodland east of Mississippi River, were home to Woodland tribes 1. Farming was common in southeast 2. Hunting & fur trapping common in northeast I. Complex societies & different governments Iroquois Confederation 1. Iroquois Confederation was an alliance to end fighting between tribes 2. Iroquois wrote first constitution in the Americas IV. North American Natives