Transcript Bell Ringer - RC Schools

Bell Ringer
Who were the first group of people to
come to the Americas? Give a few
answers.
Earliest Americans
Bering Land Bridge Theory
 Many scientists believe that during the last Ice Age
ocean levels dropped and a land bridge was
exposed between Asia and Alaska.
 During this time evidence shows that PaleoIndians crossed between 38,000 and 10,000 B.C.
then fanned out across the Americas.
Migration from Asia
 The Indians who crossed
the land bridge were
hunter-gatherers who
migrated south following
animal herds.
 Some travelled as far
south as the southern tip
of South American.
Native American Culture Shift
 Native Americans eventually
shifted from nomadic huntergatherers to farming people.
 They learned how breed
animals, farm, and grow
plants.
 Maize was one of their most
important early crops.
 Farming allowed groups to
settle and create civilizations.
Aspects of a Civilization
 Cities
 Well organized government
 Social classes
 Complex religion
 Method of record keeping
South American Societies
 Olmec
 Maya
 Aztec
 Inca
Olmec
 Earliest known American
civilization founded 1200
BC.
 Trade helped spread their
culture throughout the
Americas.
 Built the first pyramids in
the Americas and sculpted
large stone heads.
Mayans
 Grew maize and other crops like the Olmecs.
 Began building large cities by 200 A.D.
 The Mayans had a 365 day calendar and the concept of
zero.
 There were priests, nobles, warriors, government officials,
laborers, and slaves in Mayan society.
 Their civilization began to collapse in the 900s, but historians
are not sure why.
Aztecs
 Warring society with superior military ability.
 Built their empire buy conquering towns and making alliances
which allowed them to expand their trade network in the mid
1100s.
 In 1325 they founded Tenochtitlan (modern day Mexico City).
 The Aztec were rich in cotton, gold, and food from trade and
tribute from conquered peoples.
Inca
 The Incas began expanding in the mid 1400s.
 Eventually the empire had more than 12 million people in it.
 Strong central government with a king as the ruler.
 Records were kept with a system of knotted strings called
quipu because they did not have a written language.
 Large system of buildings and paved roads allowed the Incas
to communicate and control their vast empire.
Assignment
 Using the textbook and the handout, discuss some of the
similarities between the Olmecs, Mayas, and Aztecs.
 Section 1 Assessment, question 3.
 I will have a link to an article on my website. Tonight you
should read the article and then explain if you think the
Olmecs were the mother culture of the Americas or just a
sister culture. Explain by giving examples from the article.