1. Early Societies in Americas and Oceania
Chapter 6

2. I. Early Societies of MesoAmerica

4. Major Pre-Columbian Civilizations

5. Early Mesoamerican societies 1200 BCE – 1100 CE

6. The Olmecs 1. Early Agriculture in Mesoamerica Ceremonial Centers
Olmecs: The “Rubber” People
Olmec Society
bce
Mexico to Honduras and El Salvador
maize becomes staple food
did not keep many animals
domesticated animals: turkeys and barkless dogs for consumption
human laborers for cultivation
no wheeled vehicles
Monumental pyramids
temples
palaces located near agriculture villages NOT cities (BIG difference from eastern civilizations)
ceremonial center near Gulf of Mexico became Olmec society
Olmec=rubber people, derives from rubber trees
cultural traditions influenced all complex societies of Mesoamerica
ceremonial centers: San Lorenzo, La Venta, Tres Zapotes
authoritarian in nature
common subjects labored regularly on behalf of the Olmec elite (creating the drainage systems & ceremonial centers)
distinctive art creations: colossal human heads (possible likeness of rulers)

7. The Olmecs Trade in Jade and Obsidian
spread influence by military force, but trade also important
decorative objects of jade (imported jade)
absence of metal they used obsidian (knives, axes, cutting edges)
decline and fall: intentionally destroyed their ceremonial centers (possibly due to civil conflicts, ineffective ruling class)
created calendar to keep track of seasons
distinctive ball game

8. It is now generally accepted that these heads are portraits of rulers, perhaps dressed as ballplayers heads have been unearthed so far!

9. The Olmecs

10. The Olmec heartland where the Olmecs reigned from 1400 - 500 BCE

11. Heirs of Olmecs: The Maya
Tikal
Maya Warfare
Chichen Itza &
Maya Decline
established a larger political framework for Maya society
absorbed captives and integrated them into their own society rather than annihilate them or offer them up for sacrifice
heirs of Olmecs
located in what is S. Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador
excellent conditions for agriculture
permanent villages in 3rd century, prominent Kaminaljuyu (ceremonial city)
fell under economic and political dominance of Teotihuacan
harvested maize, cotton, cacao
cacao precious commodity, mostly consumed by nobles
Maya kingdoms fought constantly w/one another
Maya warfare was not so much to kill but to capture
Warriors won prestige when they brought back important captives from their neighbors
most captives became slaves or sacrificial victims
most important Maya political center (4th& 9th century)
paved plazas, temples, pyramids, palaces & public buildings
Temple of Giant Jaguar represented control over the surrounding region
organized into lots of small kingdoms (ex. Tikal, Palenque & Chichen Itza
800 ce most Mayan cities began to desert their cities
Decline reasons: invasion by foreigners from Mexico, internal dissention & civil war,

12. Chichen-Itza - Pyramid

13. Maya Society & Religion
Maya Calendar
Maya Writing
Maya Religious Thought
Bloodletting Rituals
elaborate calendar of ancient Americas
understand human events in the contexts of cycles
solar year: 365 governed agricultural cycle
ritual year: 260 days governed daily affairs by organizing time in 20 months of 13 days
believed each day derived certain characteristics determining the fortune of activities taken that day
written inscriptions
flexible and sophisticated of all the early American systems or writing.
ideographic elements
symbols for syllables
wrote works of history, poetry and myth
kept genealogical, administrative and astronomical records
Popul Vuh-Maya creation myth, gods created humans out of maize & water
Maya religious thought reflected the fundamental role of agriculture in their society, much like those of the eastern hemisphere
letting of human blood, Mayas believed they would prompt the Gods to send rain to water their crops of maize
would sometimes bloodlet the captives (ex. Cut of ends of fingers or lacerate bodies)
Chan Bahlum, royal bloodletting, testifies to the imitation of the gods sacrifice

14. Maya Society & Religion
The Maya Ball Game
two men against each other
object of the game was for players to propel a rubber ball through a ring or onto a marker w/o using their hands
played ball game for several reasons: sporting purposes, laid bets, honored conclusion of treaties, captives played for their lives

15. Chichen-Itza - Ball Court

16. A Goal in the Ball Court at Chichén Itzá, Mexico

17. Heirs of the Olmecs: Teotihuacan
The City of Teotihuacan
The Society of Teotihuacan
Cultural Traditions
Decline of Teotihuacan
probably a large agricultural village
prominent monuments colossal pyramid for the sun and moon
thriving metropolis w/temples, palatial residences, neighborhood w/ small apartments, markets, workshops
somewhat of a theocracy
cultivators, artisans and merchants
2/3 worked in fields during the day
artisans created obsidian tools and orange pottery
participated in extensive trade and exchange networks
little military organization, no walls
played the ball game
adopted Olmec calendar
complete system of writing
military pressure from other people around 500ce
8th c. invaders sacked and burned the city, destroying books & monuments

18. Pirámide del Sol, Teotihuacan

19. II. Early Societies in S. America

20. Early Societies of Andean South America
1000 BCE – 700 CE

21. Early Andean Society and the Chavin Cult
Early Agriculture in S. America
The Chavin Cult
Early Cities
1000 bce new religion near Andes mountains
don’t know the real significance of the cult
name unsure, named after modern town Chavin
one theory suggests that the cult arose when maize became an important crop in S. America
designed to promote fertility and abundant harvests
built large temples, complex buildings animal carvings, used gold, coppers and silver jewelry and made cotton textiles
a. inspired the building of ceremonial centers rather than the making the true cities
earliest cultivators relied on beans, peanuts and sweet potatoes as their main food crops
domesticated animals were llamas & alpacas,
distinctive styles of pottery

22. Early Andean States: Mochica
Political and Economic Integration
of the Andean Valleys
The Mochica State
Early Andean states
Mohica ceramics take the form of portraits of individuals’ heads, others of gods, deities, and demons
western side of Andes mountains, Peru and Bolivia
states emerges when conquerors unified the individual valleys and organized them into societies.
established trade and exchange networks
each region contributed to the larger economy of the valley, this economic integration was not an accident
even in the absence of writing Mochica left evidence of a complex society with considerable specialization of labor

23. III. Early Societies of Oceania

24. Early Societies of Oceania, 1500 BCE – 700 CE

25. Early Societies in Australia and New Guinea
Early Hunting and Gathering Societies
in Australia
Austronesian peoples
Early Agriculture in New Guinea
seafaring people from SE Asia speaking Austronesian languages
possessed remarkable seafaring skills
sailed with open ocean in large canoes equipped w/outriggers which stabilized their craft
visited northern coast of New Guinea, traded w/indigenous and est. their own communities
Austronesian seafarers that settled down and introduced yams, taro, pigs and chickens to the island.
did not know how to harvest and domesticate animals very well though
when changing to agriculture, permanent settlements arose, pottery and tools appeared throughout the island
aboriginals lived in small mobile communities that took seasonal migrations

26. The Peoples of the Pacific Islands
Austronesian migrations
to Polynesia
Austronesian excellent maritime allowed them to settle in Pacific Islands
inhabited the uninhabited islands
Voyage of Ru story told of the migration from Hawaii to uninhabited islands

27. III. Early Societies of Oceania cont’d
2. Austronesian Migrations to Micronesia and Madagascar a. one branch of Austronesian peoples settled in Polynesia while other settled to the region of Micronesia (islands of Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall) b. others went to Indonesia, became first human settlers in Madagascar. 3. Lapita peoples a. Earliest Austronesian migrants to sail out to Pacific Ocean b. maintained communication and large exchange networks through the Pacific region 4. Chiefly Political Organizations a. discontinued trade networks because they essentially became self-sufficient b. established hierarchical chiefdoms c. regarded themselves as divine or semi-divine and the commoners could not gaze at them