1. Americas Before European Encounter

2. Origins of Native Americans
Human presence in North America up to 12,000 years ago
Indian creation stories say they were always here
Maritime people who came here by sea
Crossed Bering Strait
Clovis (N.M.) weapon points date people to 11,500 years ago

3. Human Beginnings in America
Archeologists believe humans were in Chile 12,500 years ago
Monte Verde is site of oldest dated human habitation in Americas

4. Olmecs Precursors of Mesoamerican civilizations
All knowledge of them comes from archeological evidence

5. Olmecs: Lifestyle
Lived on maize, squash, beans, other plants, wild game, fish
Originally egalitarian
After 1500 organized in chieftains, or more hierarchical communities
Common people lived in villages, leaders lived in urban centers

6. Olmecs: Culture Sophisticated system of symbols shown in art
Monumental stone structures
Ruler portraits in stone
Sacred ceremonial sites for human sacrifice
Courts for playing games with hard rubber balls

7. Olmecs: Interaction with others
Trade over long distances
Exchanged rubber, cacao, pottery, figurines, jaguar pelts, and painters and obsidian sculptors, basalt, iron ore, and shells

8. Olmecs: Urban Centers 900 B.C.E. San Lorenzo destroyed
La Venta in Tabasco until 300 C.E.
Tres Zapotes until approx 900 C.E.

9. Maya
In Classic period they achieved intellectual and artistic accomplishments rivaled by few other civilizations before them

10. Maya: Lifestyle
Linguistics causes scholars to believe they migrated from Oregon/California to Guatemala. Cholan-speaking Maya created the culture we identify as “Mayan.”
Staple crop was maize, raised on milpa or on raised, rectangular plots
Also lived on beans, squash, chili peppers, root crops and fruit trees
Could have supported as many as 14 million people

11. Maya: Culture Culture was based on agriculture
Hierarchical society, with wealth concentrated in noble class
Nobles lived in palaces, were buried in pyramids
Steles were stone-slab monuments with historical records
Masonry temples, altars, sophisticated polychrome pottery
Courts for games played with rubber ball

12. Maya: Culture continued
Hieroglyphic writing
Popul Vuh [Book of Council] has Mayan view of creation, concepts of good and evil, and purpose of life
Calendar of day months and one 5-day month
Accomplished in math, astronomy, calendar, and recording of history
Culture peaked in C.E.

13. Maya: Interaction with Others
Public fairs for trade
Long-distance traders considered foreign ambassadors, so merchants were members of noble families
Rivers and swamps used for transportation
Goods carried by humans on wide roads
Mayans were warlike people

14. Maya: Religion Worship of Quetzalcoatl (feathered serpent god)
Worship of rain-god, sun god, and moon god

15. Maya: Urban Centers
Teotihuacan in central Mexico: trade and ceremonial center [Pyramids of Sun and Moon in center]
Oaxaca: great religious center that displayed wealth of nobility

16. What happened to Maya? Agricultural failures Overpopulation Disease
Constant wars

17. Time of Troubles Characterized by disorder and militarism
Militant gods and warriors dominated petty states
Toltec confederation dominated
Toltecs intermarried and assimilated with Teotihuacan people

18. Aztec/Mexica
Mexica people were some of the northern Chichimecas invaders
Spoke Nahuatl language as Toltecs
Arrived as poor barbarians
Settled on swampy islands in Lake Texcoco

19. Aztec Lifestyle Preparation for war was basis of social organization
King prepared and directed war
Lived on food grown by conquered people or by lower classes among Aztecs
No beasts of burden, so all labor performed by humans
War provided laborers and source of human sacrifice victims

20. Aztec Culture
Based on war; success in war was means of social advancement
Social hierarchy: king, nobles, warriors, maceualtin (working class with land), tlalmaitl (landless workers), and slaves
Women practiced weaving, a sacred art. Purpose of woman was marrying and having children.
Berdaches

21. Aztec Interaction with Others
King would announce that he planned to attack
The attacked could either capitulate or fight
Aztecs did not fight to kill but to capture

22. Aztec Religion Chief god was Huitzilopochtli, symbolized sun
Aztecs believed this god had to be fed blood so it would continue to rise every day
Purposes of human sacrifice

23. Aztec Cities
Tenochtitlan

24. Incas Civilization in Andean highlands is unusual
Archeological remains discovered since 1980s

25. Inca Social Organization
Emperors revered when dead
New emperor had to conquer new lands

26. Inca Culture Language: Quechua Relocation: mitima
Communication: runners
Ayllu: clan
Curacas: headman
Mita: draft for men to perform public works