1. Mitten – CSHS AMAZ History – Semester 1
Three Worlds Meet, 1200 B.C. – A.D Section 1: Peopling the Americas Section 2: North American Societies Around 1492
Mitten – CSHS
AMAZ History – Semester 1

2. Peopling the Americas Three Worlds Meet
Native America culture
European culture
African culture
Main Idea = In ancient times, migrating peoples settled the Americas, where their descendents developed complex societies
Why it Matters Now – Patterns of immigration have always shaped and continue to shape American history

3. Peopling the Americas – Sect. 1
Ancient Peoples Come to the Americas
The First Americans
22,000 years ago hunters from Asia to Alaska over Beringia
Hunting and Gathering
Inhabitants hunt large animals until climate warms
12,000 to 10,000 years ago hunt small game, gather nuts and berries
Agriculture Develops
Planting of crops begins in central Mexico 10,000 to 5,000 years ago
Some cultures remain nomadic – moving in search of food and water
In ancient times, migrating peoples settle the Americas, where their descendants develop complex societies.

4. Paleo-Indian Age Clovis Points
Fluted projectile points – medium/large spear
Similar projectiles are found all across the Americas
unique and distinctive - pressure flaking
Kennewick Man – skeletal remains an estimated 6 to 9 thousand years old*

5. Review
Where did the first people to inhabit the Americas come from and how did they get there?
They were from northern Russia and they walked across a region known as Beringia.
What did they do to survive and how do we know this?
Hunted big game – mammoth bones and other artifacts such as Clovis Points
Where was evidence found of early native agricultural efforts?
Central Mexico – estimated to have begun some 5 to 10 thousand years ago.

6. Complex Societies Flourish
Early Cultures in the Americas
About 3,000 years ago, inhabitants begin forming large communities
Empires of Middle and South America
The Olmec flourish 1200 to 400 B.C. along Gulf of Mexico
A.D. 250 to 900, Maya culture thrives in Guatemala and Yucatan
Aztec begin building civilization in the Valley of Mexico in 1200’s
Inca establish empire around A.D in western South America
Cultures have cities or ceremonial centers; some have writing

7. Complex Societies Flourish
Ancient Desert Farmers*
People have lived in Arizona for at least 11,000 years
About 3,000 years ago, groups begin growing crops in Southwest
Groups establish civilizations, 300 B.C. to A.D. 1400
Hohokam settle in river valleys
Anasazi live in mesa tops, cliff sides, canyons
Mogollon developed prehistoric culture in the mountains of Eastern Arizona

8. Complex Societies Flourish
Mound Builders
In East, Adena, Hopewell, Mississippian establish trading societies
Adena, Hopewell build huge burial and animal-shaped mounds
Mississippian people build giant pyramidal mounds

9. North American Societies Around 1492 – Sect. 2
Main Idea: The varied landscapes of North America encouraged the diversity of Native American cultures
California
Kashaya Pomo hunt waterfowl along northwest coast
Yurok, Hupa gather acorns in forests, fish in mountain streams
Northwest Coast
Large communities live along streams, seashore, and in forests
Kwakiutl, Nootka, Haida gather shellfish, hunt whales, otters, seals
Place totems, symbols of ancestral spirits, on masks, boats, poles (totem poles)
Potlatches – elaborate ceremonies where families give away possessions – 12 years planning

10. Diverse Native Americans
Southwest
By 1300, Pueblo settle near waterways, build multistory houses
Hopi, Acoma live near cliffs, develop irrigation systems
Grow corn, beans, squash; build kivas = underground ceremonial rooms
Eastern Woodlands
Tribes like Iroquois build villages in forests; farm, hunt, gather
People develop woodworking tools, craft objects from wood

11. Shared Cultural Patterns
Trading Networks
Trade one of biggest factors in bringing tribes into contact
Groups specialize in making different products
Traders on transcontinental network
Land Use
Native Americans consider land the source of life, not to be sold
Disturb it only for important reasons, like food gathering, farming
For Europeans, land is power, land is wealth. This is contrary to most Native American groups.

12. Shared Cultural Patterns
Religious Beliefs
People believe all things are filled with spirits; ancestors guide people
Conversely - Europeans are mostly Catholic with a growing Protestant minority – monotheistic
Social Organizations
Bonds of kinship, ties among relatives, ensure customs are passed on
Division of labor – tasks by gender, age, status – creates social order – groups organized by families