THE MIGRATION TO AMERICA Ch. 1 Sec. 1

THE MIGRATION TO AMERICA Native Americans are descended from Asians who probably migrated to America across a land bridge during the last Ice Age.

THE MIGRATION TO AMERICA  How long ago the first people appeared in the Americas in a hotly debated question.  Scientist use DNA to learn about the origins of people (where they came from).  DNA recovered from bones helps scientist determine a person’s geographical origins.  Scientist are also able to determine how hold artifacts are through radiocarbon dating.

THE MIGRATION TO AMERICA  During the last Ice Age, much of the earth’s water froze.  This “freezing” caused the world’s ocean levels to drop which exposed areas of land from Asia to America.  The exposed land was called Beringia, and where people crossed is what is today called the Bering Strait.

THE MIGRATION TO AMERICA  People crossed the Bering in search of food(they were nomads).  These nomads wondered from place to place following herds of animals like wooly mammoths and caribou.  This migration continued until the Ice Age ended when sea levels rose and covered the land bridge.

THE MIGRATION TO AMERICA  Eventually these nomads learned how to plant and raise crops.  The shift to agriculture allowed people to abandon their nomadic ways of life and permanent villages emerged.  In these villages, many technological advances were made. Tools for cutting, digging, and grinding were developed.

THE MIGRATION TO AMERICA  As more people decided to live in one place, complex governments and social classes emerged, and societies were formed.  As societies became more complex, they evolved into civilizations.  A civilization is a highly developed society where trade, government, arts, science, and written language are present.

NATIVE AMERICAN GROUPS  The people that migrated across the Bering Strait mainly settled into areas of Central and South America.  Through time, Native American civilizations were created and were either destroyed by other Native American groups or died away.

THE OLMEC AND THE MAYA  The Olmec settled into what is today Veracruz, Mexico.  The Olmec created sophisticated societies with complex temples and pyramids.  The Olmec used basalt in many of their structures and monuments.  The Olmec were instrumental in the development of different cultures in early Mesoamerica.

THE OLMEC AND THE MAYA  The Mayans lived in what is today the Yucatan Peninsula (Central America and southern Mexico).  The Mayans were known for their engineering and mathematical skill.  The Mayans developed complex accurate calendars based on the stars.  The capital city of the Mayan culture was Teotihuacan (TAY-OH-TEE-WAH-KAHN).

THE TOLTEC AND THE AZTEC  The Toltec were master architects and built the city Tula.  They were among the first Native American groups to use copper and gold.  Eventually, the Toltec were wiped out by a Native group called the Chichimec.

THE TOLTEC AND THE AZTEC  The Aztecs were decedents of the Chichimec group and they settled in an area called Mexia (near present day Mexico City).  The Aztecs were known for their military might and they created the most powerful empire at the time.  The Aztecs practice human sacrifice and would use conquered people for their sacrificial ceremonies.  The capital city of the Aztecs was Tenochtitlan.

THE HOHOKAM  The Hohokam settled in the south central region of Arizona  The Hohokam were known for the elaborate canal system.  Created elaborate pottery, turquoise, and the world’s first etchings by using cactus juice to etch shells.  Flooding ruined the Hohokam irrigation system which eventually led to their demise.

THE ANASAZI  Lived in the Four Corners area of the United States (Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico).  Anasazi was the name given this group by the Navajo Indians.  The Anasazi became well known is the Chaco Canyon (northwest New Mexico) where they constructed large multi-story buildings made out of adobe.

THE ANASAZI  Early Spanish explorers called these elaborate building pueblos.  Beginning in 1130 A.D. the a devastating drought that lasted over 50 years in Chaco Canyon which caused the Anasazi to abandoned their pueblos.  Drought, along with epidemic, caused the Anasazi civilization to collapse.

THE ADENA AND THE HOPEWELL  The Adena and the Hopewell developed in America’s eastern woodland region.  The Adena and the Hopewell developed woodworking tools such as stone axes, gouges, and nets to snare birds.  The Adena and the Hopewell were the first to actually “bury” their dead.  For unknown reasons, the Adena and the Hopewell began to decline around 400 A.D.

THE MISSISSIPPI CULTURE  Developed in the Mississippi River Valley.  Capital city was Cahokia where the main crops were maize and beans.  The Mississippi Culture built pyramids with flat tops. The largest was called Monks Mound which was larger than any pyramid in Egypt.  The Mississippi Culture built three large cities in present-day Spiro, Oklahoma, Moundville, Alabama, and Etowah, Georgia.

THE MISSISSIPPI CULTURE  Cohokia collapsed around 1300 A.D. because it was attacked by other Native American groups.  Even though Cohokia collapsed, much of its culture survived until European colonization, and some of its cultural traits still exist today.

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