Transcript American History

American History
How it all began, the early days
So … to begin with
• We all know that the very first people to
come to the New World came from Asia
across the land bridge that is now the
Bering Strait – right?
• Well – some people say that perhaps
people of the Pacific Islands may have
come over on outriggers early, early on to
parts of South America.
How did they live?
• Much like every other civilization we have
•
studied in the past, early Americans were
hunters and gatherers and later established
agriculture and developed societies.
As one would imagine, people would adapt and
interact with their environment as they
developed their cultures and from here we begin
our journey.
Mesoamerican Cultures
• The Olmec developed the earliest known
civilization around 1200 BC. They are known for
their huge stone heads – rounder than Easter
Island stone heads – they also built the first
pyramids in the new world and used stone in
most of their architecture and sculpture. By the
time their civilization ended around 400 BC, they
had spread their culture throughout the region.
Olmec Culture
Olmec
Maya
• The Maya were next.
They also built
pyramids and grew
corn and other crops
and lived in small
villages. By AD 200,
the Maya were
building great cities
with large stone
palaces and temples.
Maya
• Mayas paved large plazas
for gatherings and built
canals to divert water and
created many different
art works distinctly Maya.
By the 900’s, their society
would begin to collapse
and historians are still
unsure as to why.
Maya
The Aztec
• The Aztec were superior
warriors with great
military ability. Around
1100 AD the Aztec moved
to south central Mexico
conquering towns,
making alliances and
building a large empire
controlling a huge trade
network.
The Aztec
• In AD 1325, they
founded their capital,
Tenochtitlan on an
island in Lake
Texcoco. It would
become the greatest
city in the Americas
and one of the world’s
largest.
The Aztecs
• The island city would
need bridges to connect it
to the rest of the empire,
which they built. Trade
and tribute made the
Aztecs rich and by the
1500’s, they ruled the
most powerful state in
the area. Did I mention
they practiced human
sacrifice?
Aztecs
Inca
• The Inca began as a small tribe in the
Andes. They made their capital at Cuzco.
They began to expand in the 1400’s and
by 1500, the empire stretched along the
Pacific coast from Ecuador through Chile.
They would become home to 12 million
people. They would have a strong central
government with a king as the ruler.
Inca
• The official language
of the Inca was
quechua, which is still
spoken today. This
was not a written
language, so records
were kept on a
system of knotted
strings known as
quipu.
Inca
• The Inca are known
for their buildings, art
and an advanced
system of highways
that united the
empire and along
with bridges to
connect all parts,
made communication
possible and easy.
Inca
Native American Cultures of North
America ‘Cross the Border
• We will visit Native American early cultures
at a later date in a special project. For
now, it is important to note that hey had
varied ways of life, beliefs and basics such
as shelter, dress and food sources. Our
project in the future will allow each of you
to choose a group to research and report
on.
So …
• Stay tuned next time for …
• Europe and The Race to Explore