1. Mesoamerica

2. The First People in the Americas
A) Land Bridge Theory: During the last ice age ocean levels were lower. Siberia and Alaska were connected by land.
B) Clovis points (a type of spear point) have been found in North America that date from 11,500 to 11,000 BCE.
-*This fits in with the Land Bridge Theory.
C) But there is not 100% proof of an ice free passage
-oldest archaeological site in the Americas is Monte Verde in South America
-Therefore, it is possible that people from Asia also came to the Americas by boat.

3. New Theory on How the First Americans Came Here: Multiple Migrations

4. Early Mesoamerican Societies, 1200 B.C.E.-1100 C.E.

5. The Olmecs 1775 – 400 BCE
“Olmec” has been translated to mean “rubber people” or “mouth of the jaguar”. They were the first major civilization in Mesoamerica, and therefore often referred to as the “mother civilization” of later pre-Columbian civilizations. They lived in the Gulf Coast area.

6. Olmec Government & Economy Olmec Culture, Religion, & Society
City-states ruled by priest-kings.
3 main cities: La Venta in Tabasco, Laguna de los Cerros in Veracruz, and San Lorenzo in Tenochtitlan.
Maize
Herding – Turkey?
No draft animals, wheels
Art with images of jaguars
Carved giant stone heads possibly to revere rulers.
Wore helmets for the Mesoamerican ballgame.
First civilization in Mesoamerica to build step pyramids
Created a calendar
No writing system
Large conscripted class

7. Olmec Heads

8. Pyramid of the Sun Teotihuacan, Mexico 
Mysterious Decline of Olmecs
Ceremonial centers destroyed
No evidence of warfare
Revolution?
Civil war?

9. Maya Huge cities discovered in nineteenth century 300 B.C.E.-900 C.E.
Terrace farming
Maize
Cotton
Cacao beans
Chocolate
Currency
City of Teotihuacan
Most important center
Trade networks

10. Maya Warfare Warfare for purposes of capturing enemy soldiers
Ritual sacrifice of enemies
Enslavement
Small kingdoms engage in constant conflict until Chichén Itzá begins to absorb captives

11. Maya Ritual Calendar Complex math
Invention of “zero”
Calendar of days (17 seconds off)
Solar calendar of 365 days
Ritual calendar of 260 days
Management of calendar lends authority to priesthood
Timing of auspicious moments for agriculture

12. Maya Language and Religion
Ideographs and a syllable alphabet
Most destroyed by Spanish conquerors
Agricultural cycle maintained in exchange for honors and sacrifices
Bloodletting rituals
Human sacrifices follow after removal of fingers, piercing to allow blood flow

13. The Maya Ball Game Ritual game
Betting
Large crowds
High-ranking captives, prisoners of war could be contestants
Winners treated well
Execution of losers immediately follows the match
Bloodletting ritual for the gods

14. Andean Societies Largely independent from Mesoamerica
Highly individualized due to geography

15. Chavín Cult New religion in central Andes, 900-300 B.C.E.
Little known about particulars of religion
Intricate stone carvings
Cult may have arisen when maize became an important crop
During this era Andean society became increasingly complex

16. Chavin Civilization 1200 BCE – 200 CE
Government & Economy
Culture, Religion, & Society
Ruled by Priest-Kings
Economy based on hunting, fishing, and irrigation used to farm
Weaving
Llamas, alpaca
Polytheistic, with a pantheon of Gods
First distinctive art style in Peru made from metals, including gold
Most famous archaeological structure was the complex at Chavin de Huantar

17. Chavin de Huantar

18. Chavin Art