EARLY AMERICANS

First Americans

from Asia ca. 40,000 BC

walked across land bridge, Beringia, covered by thick ice

nomadic hunters (mammoth, bison, giant beaver, caribou and wooly rhino)

Early Americans 15,000 Years Ago

First Americans Discovered Clovis Man (Clovis, New Mexico)

bones, found chipped stones called Clovis Points, dates 11,000 BC

Monte Verde - Chile, S. America tools, bones, campsite, 12,000 BC.

Kennewick Man (Kennewick, Washington) skull found by students, Caucasian, 9,000 years

Agriculture Revolution in the Americas

• 7,000 BC – 5,000 BC Farming began- “The Three Sisters” = squash, beans, maize (corn)

• Farming led to large populations, cities, social classes, government, art, large buildings (pyramids)

Early Native North AmericansEskimo/Inuit – Alaska/Canada

whale, walrus, seal, fish, etc. -Inuit means “the People”

Pacific Northwest Natives - Chinook, Nez Perce, Shoshone-wooden houses- ate well- deer, salmon, elk, bear, seal, beaver -Totem poles- family history-Potlatch (party)- tribe member gives wealth

Potlatch

Southwest NativesThe Anasazi- “Ancient Ones” lived

in 4 Corners, built in cliffs-“The Basketmakers” - pottery and baskets-“Kokopelli”- flute-playing spirit, fertility to women & crops

The Hopi- peaceful (AZ/NM)- lived in pueblos- apartment buildings of stone & baked clay, no doors on ground-farmed corn

The Apache- war-like, fought, stole, torture

Northeastern Natives

Iroquois

lived in “long houses” (100 ft. long) made of wood and bark w/ 4 or 5 families

-hunted (deer, bear, and rabbit), farmed 3 sisters

-united Northeast tribes in a confederation to stop fighting w/ each other

The Mound BuildersMississippi & Ohio River Valleys• Adena and Hopewell built

large mounds filled with objects

-The Great Serpent Mound in Ohio

• The Mississippians built Cahokia ca. 1200 AD, 60 mounds, 100 ft. pyramid mound & about 10,000 people

Cahokia

Southeastern Natives

The Cherokee

1 of largest of Native American tribes (NC, SC, TN, GA, AL)

Farmers/hunters,

Many Cherokee forced to Oklahoma Territory in the 1800’s on the Trail of Tears.

Others- Seminole, Creek, Choctaw, Catawba, Alabama

Plains Indians

Plains Natives

Sioux, Mandan, Crow, Blackfeet, Comanche, Cheyenne

Lived in central U. S. (the Great Plains)

Nomadic hunters- followed bison, used all parts of the bisonmany lived in teepees

Fought each other over hunting grounds

Coup stick

The Early Meso-American Civilizations

Olmec (1300-400BC) Mexico• “Mother Culture”• astronomy, math,

calendars, hieroglyphic writing

• famous for “Big Stone Heads”- to honor leaders, 6’-8’ tall weighed several tons

• Great Pyramid- 100’ tall religious tomb.

• nature gods- the jaguar• human sacrifice

Zapotec

• (1000BC–600AD) SW Mexico

• Built city Monte Alban, pop. of 25,000 good farming, pyramids, palaces, calendars, hieroglyphic writing

Chavin

• (900 – 200 BC) Andes Mountains

• “mother culture” for S. America

• built a great city with pyramid temples, large mounds and artwork

Nazca

• (200 BC – 600 AD) southern Peru near coastal desert

• underground irrigation systems, woven blankets, rugs,

• pottery• Nazca Lines- giant

drawings out in the desert

Nazca astronaut or alien?

Moche• (100–700 AD) northern

Peru

• large farms w/ irrigation-corn, potatoes, beans, fish, duck, deer, crawfish

• gold/silver, made jewelry pottery

• practiced human sacrifice and decapitation

Moche sun temple pyramid

Moche sacrifice

Great Mesoamerican Civilizations

THE MAYA (200-900 AD)Yucatan Peninsula of

Central AmericaWritingCalendarAstronomyPyramidsMath- zero

Maya SocietyEach city- a separate state w/ its own king Maya Feudalism • Rulers- power thru heredity, like a god• Nobles- wealthy, ran the towns • Lower class- farmers, artisans, merchants • slaves- were prisoners of war used for labor and

sacrifice

Agriculturegood farmers

Canals & underground reservoirs called “cenotes” for irrigation & water

maize, beans, squash, cacao, chilies & bananas

fermented drink- lots of it!

Mayan Cities

over 100 cities

Tikal

Copan

Chichen Itza

great pyramids, palaces, ball courts

Pyramid IV at Tikal- tallest building in the Americas until 1903.

Mayan ball court

Mayan ReligionPolytheisticGods- sun, rain, wind, corn,

war, death, moon, the directions

Self-Sacrifice - cutting arms, legs, chests

Human sacrifice

Kings/Queens- blood from tongue & privates

End of the Maya

walked away from cities- No one knows why???

Wars, food shortage, overpopulation, over-farming, kings lost power

TOLTEC (900-1200 AD)

Central MexicoTula- great city, Tula

statuesGreat Warriors- blood &

human sacrificeThe “Wall of Heads”-

set the heads of victims in the center of the city.

Tula - sacked

Legend of QuetzalcoatlFeathered-serpent god,

god of wind & Venus

Toltec king wanted peace and took the name Quetzalcoatl- was overthrown, cast out to sea on a raft

Quetzalcoatl would return & bring peace to the empire, legend adopted by Aztec

THE AZTEC (1200–1500 AD)

Central MexicoBegan as nomads eating rats

& snakes, poor but tough

Tenochtitlan- capital city, named after chief Tenochtemples & palaces, 200,000 pop.

Two calendars, math advances, hieroglyphic writing

Aztec Farming

Chinampas – floating islands built for farming

Beans, corn, chilies, squash, tomatoes

AztecSociety

Aztec MilitaryBegan fighting for other tribes

All males trained to fight with spear, bow & knife.

At 10 went to school to learn Aztec history, religion, citizenship & a trade

The Aztec attacked other tribes to get human sacrifices and slaves

Hated by other tribes

Aztec Warriors

Aztec ReligionPolytheistic

Huitzilopochtli- sun god – a main god- battled forces of darkness each day so the sun would rise again,

Human sacrifice to make the sun come up - pulled the heart out, 20,000 sacrificed after one war

Individuals made blood sacrifices from their tongues, ears, arms and legs.

Fall of the Aztec

Montezuma II - ruler in 1502, wanted more sacrifice & tributes (payments) from other tribes

Created more hatred toward the Aztec

Spanish ArriveHernando Cortez & the

Conquistadors (Conquerors)Other tribes led Cortez to the

AztecAztec believed Cortez to be a

god (Quetzalcoatl)Aztec gave Cortez gold, jewels,

women, a seat next to Montezuma.

Cortez w/ 500 men, 16 horses, 2 cannon, & 20,000 of the Aztec enemy - kidnapped & killed Montezuma, destroyed Tenochtitlan.

THE INCA

THE INCA (1438-1535 AD)

Andes Mountains of S. America.

*Pachacuti- first Incan emperor defeated his 2 brothers, conquered other tribes.

*The Incan Empire covered over 2500 miles (largest) w/ 16 million people

*Inca Life- strictly controlled by the government (marriages, house, job)

Farming- terraced hillsides- land, crops owned by govt.

Medicine- used herbs, surgery

Roads- 14,000 miles of roads over mountains and deserts, military travel to control the empire & trade

Mummification- Incan royalty buried in tombs, others in caves or sides of high mountains.

Machu PicchuReligious city w/ over 200 buildings, built at 8,000 feet, not

found until 1911

Machu Picchu

End of the IncaCivil wars weakened the empire

Spanish invaded – gold

Francisco Pizarro armor, guns, swords, cannon, horses overwhelmed the Inca

Atahualpa- the last Incan emperor