1. Chapter 1: Section 1 The First Americans: Migration to the Americas
Where did the first Americans come from and how did they survive?
The first Americans came from Asia and they were hunters and gatherers
Obj: explain how agriculture changed the lives of early people

2. The First Americans: Migration to the Americas
The Journey from Asia
The first Americans were hunters and gatherers who migrated from Asia
By A.D. 1500, millions of Native Americans were living on North and South America
spotlight video

3. The First Americans: Migration to the Americas
The Journey from Asia
Crossing the Land Bridge
The most recent Ice Age began 100,000 years ago and ended about 12,000 years ago
A land bridge known as Beringia was exposed during the ice age due to the lower sea level
Beringia joined Asia and the Americas and allowed early Americans to come across those two lands
Beringia now lies under the Bering Strait

4. Beringia and the Bering Strait
The Land Bridge

5. Beringia and the Bering Strait
The Land Bridge

6. Searching for Hunting Grounds
Early Americans were nomads.
They ate grains and fruits but they were also hunters
It is believed that they were following mammals for food when they crossed Beringia into what is now Alaska and Canada (see map on pg. 8)
These early Americans migrated as far east as the Atlantic Ocean and as far south as the tip of South America

7. Hunting for Food Huge mammals roamed the Earth in ancient times:
Saber-toothed tiger, wooly mammoth, mastadon

8. Hunting for Food Early Americans hunted these huge animals in groups
Armed with spears, they stalked herds of bison, mastodons and mammoths.
A single mammoth provided enough meat to feed a group of people for months
Skin and bones were used to make clothing, weapons and shelter

9. Settling Down
About 15,000 years ago, the Earth’s temperatures began to rise.
The sea levels rose and Beringia was submerged into the ocean.
The large animals disappeared and early Americans needed to find other food sources

10. Planting Seeds and Farming
Agriculture changed the way of life for early Americans
About 9,00 years ago, people living in what is now known as Mexico learned to grow maize.
They also grew pumpkins, beans, and squash

11. Settling Down Agriculture changed the way of life for early Americans
Farming allowed people to spend time on activities other than finding food, improving the lives of early Americans
Scientists have discovered villages dating back 5,000 years ago supporting the theory that agriculture changed the lives of these early Americans
Early Americans who settled down built permanent shelters from clay, stone, or wood and made pottery and cloth
These early Americans developed their own cultures as they settled down into villages with permanent shelters

12. Chapter One- Section One Vocabulary
archaeology
artifact
nomad
migration
maize
carbon dating
culture

13. Chapter 1, Section 2: Cities and Empires
The Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations of Mexico and Central America flourished long before the arrival of Europeans.
Essential Question: How did the early civilizations of Mexico and Central America develop socially, politically, and economically?

14. The Olmec, Maya and Aztec
The Olmec, Maya and Aztec were three of the largest and most advanced civilizations in what is now Mexico and Central America.
Each of these civilizations spread out over hundreds of miles, included millions of people and thrived for several centuries

15. The Olmec
1500 B.C. – 300 B.C.
Lived along the Gulf Coast of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras
Produced enough food to sustain cities
Stone monuments, pavements and drainage systems
Declined and collapsed for unknown reasons

16. The Olmec are well known for gigantic heads carved from huge boulders

17. The Maya
A.D. 300 – A.D. 1100
Rainforests of present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize
Built large cities and stone pyramids
Theocracy- society ruled by religious leaders
The Maya believed the gods controlled everything that happened on Earth

18. The Maya Developed 365-day calendar
Used a number system of dots and bars
Developed hieroglyphics, a form of writing that uses symbols or pictures to represent things, ideas, and sounds
Maya hieroglyphic writing was the only true system of writing in the Americas before the 1400s

19. Maya Transport and Trade
Carried goods on their backs
Farmers traded maize and vegetables for cotton cloth, pottery, deer meat, and salt
Maya traders also carried goods up and down Mexico’s coast to trade jade statues, turquoise jewelry, and cacao beans

20. Decline of the Maya By A.D. 1100, Maya civilization was mostly gone
Cause of the civilization’s decline is unknown; possible theories:
Soil too exhausted by erosion and fire to produce enough food
Maya Video

21. The Aztec
Aztec legend: Eagle with snake in its beak sitting on cactus was a sign from their god that meant they had found their permanent home

22. The Aztec: Tenochtitlan

23. Aztec War and Religion