1. Ch 9 The Americas: A Separate World
40,000 BC – AD 700

2. How did the first people come to North America?

3. Land Bridge
Today the Americas are isolated from the rest of the world by vast oceans
Thousands of years ago the Americas were connected to Asia by a land bridge
Beringia- land bridge between Asia and the Americas

4. Peopling the Americas
The first Americans arrived sometime toward the end of the last Ice Age, which lasted from roughly 1.9 million to about BC.
Huge ice sheets covered large portions of North America
The buildup of glaciers locked up huge amounts of earth’s water
The lowered sea levels created a land corridor between Asia and Alaska

7. When did the first Americans arrive?
Humans are believed to have arrived in the Americas between 40,000 BC and 10,000 BC
Arrowheads discovered in Clovis, New Mexico date back to 9500 BC
A recent discovery in Monte Verde, Chile provides evidence of human life dating back to 10,500 BC
A skull found in Mexico City has been dated to 11,000 BC and is believed to be related to the Ainu people of Japan

14. Hunters and Gatherers
The first Americans likely migrated across the Beringia land bridge following herds of animals, including the mammoth
Mammoth were the most challenging and rewarding prey
Weighing more than 7 tons, they provided meat, bones, and hide for clothes, food, shelters, and tools

18. Following the Game
Eventually large animals like the mammoth were overhunted and became extinct
Hunters had to turn to smaller game like deer and rabbits
Because they were hunters they had to move regularly to follow their food source

19. End of the Land Bridge
With the end of the Ice Age around 12,000 to 10,000 years ago sea levels rose and the land bridge was gone

20. Agriculture
Gradually, early Americans became more familiar with plant foods and began to experiment with simple farming methods
By 5000 BC, many farmers began to grow plants from seeds such as avocados, squash, gourds, beans and chiles
By 3400 BC, maize, or corn, became the most important crop

21. Farming Brings Great Change
The cultivation of corn and other crops provided a more reliable and expanding food supply
This encouraged population growth and the establishment of large settled communities
As farming became more productive people began to turn to more nonagricultural pursuits such as art, crafts, and building trades

22. More Changes Differences between social classes emerged
Society became more complex

23. Early Mesoamerican Civilizations
Sec 2

24. Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica- area stretching from central Mexico to northern Honduras, where the first complex societies in the Americas arose

26. Olmec Society
Olmec- first known civilization builders in Mesoamerica that began creating a society around 1200 BC
The Olmec culture thrived from around BC and lived along the Gulf Coast of Mexico

28. Gulf Coast Geography
The Gulf Coast is hot and humid and covered with swamps and jungle
In some places, giant trees form a thick cover that prevents sunlight from reaching the ground
Up to 100 inches of rain fell every year causing severe flooding

30. What are the advantages of living there?

31. Environmental Advantages
Abundant deposits of salt and tar
Fine clay for making pottery
Abundance of wood and rubber
Stone found in the hills to the north
Rivers provided transportation
Flood plains provided fertile soil

33. Olmec Society
Archeologists have discovered earthen mounds, courtyards and pyramids
Among the earthworks were large stone monuments that included columns, altars and colossal sculpted heads
Most of all, they probably worshipped a jaguar spirit

40. What do those things tell you about Olmec society?

41. Trade and Commerce
The Olmec appear to have been a prosperous people with a trading network throughout Mesoamerica
Helped to boost their economy and spread Olmec influence

42. Decline of the Olmec Nobody is sure Possibly outside invaders
May have destroyed own monuments after death of leaders

43. Zapotec Civilization
Zapotec- advanced society that developed in southwestern Mexico after the decline of the Olmec
Oaxaca is rugged region of mountains and valleys in southern Mexico that has fertile soil, mild climate, and plentiful rainfall

44. Monte Alban
Monte Alban- first real urban center in the Americas that at its peak was home to 25,000 people
Characterized by a giant plaza paved with stones, towering pyramids, temples and palaces

50. Early Mesoamericans Legacy
The Olmec were an influence to many later civilizations, particularly the Maya
Olmec art styles can be seen in later civilization especially the jaguar
The Olmec also left the notion of planned ceremonial centers, ritual ball games, and an elite ruling class

51. Zapotec Contributions
The Zapotec legacy includes a system of writing, calendar system based on the sun, and the first city

52. Early Civilizations of the Andes
Sec 3

53. The Andes
The Andes Mountains are the second highest mountain range in the world and stretch about 4,500 miles down the western edge of South America
The mountains are steep, rocky, and have poor soil
Hot and dry during the day and freezing during the night

57. First Inhabitants
Between 3600 and 2500 BC people began to establish villages on the Pacific coast
The first inhabitants were hunter-gatherers who relied on seafood and small game for survival
Around 3000 BC, they began to farm

58. Chavin Period
Chavin- first influential civilization in South America that flourished from 900 to 200 BC
Chavin de Huantar- major ruin featuring pyramids, plazas, and massive earthen mounds
Archeologists have found no evidence of political or economic organization so they conclude that the Chavin were primarily a religious civilization
Chavins are considered the mother culture of Peru

65. Nazca
The Nazca flourished along the southern coast of Peru from around 200 BC to AD 600
They created an extensive irrigation system that included underground canals that let them farm the dry climate
They are most famously known for the Nazca Lines

79. Nazca Lines - Google Sightseeing

80. Moche
The Moche culture lived on the northern coast of Peru from around AD 100 to AD 700
Their achievements include an extensive irrigation system
Although the Moche did not have written language much is known about their civilization through the pottery they left behind