Transcript Earliest Americans

Earliest Americans
The 1st Migration
• During last Ice Age
water was frozen &
sea levels low
• Exposed land bridge
between Asia and
Alaska over the
Bering Strait
• 1st Native Americans
who crossed were
nomads and huntergathers– followed
herds for hunting
• Spread out all over N
and S America
• Hunted woolly mammoths, mastadons, ran from
saber-tooth tigers
• Sharpened rocks and bones for spears
• Used all parts of animal- skin, meat, bones
• Ice age ends and large animals die out, sea
covers the land bridge
Settling Down
• NA’s begin to hunt small
animals and crops, maize
(early version of corn)
• Allowed them to stay in
one place
• Form villages, turn into
civilizations
• Create culture and
religion
• Several large civilizations
develop before
Europeans get here
The Maya
• Farmers in rainforest of central America
• Built flat top pyramids of stone in center of each
city– used for religious ceremonies
• Largest was at Tikal
• Believe in many gods that controlled all things,
priests ruled– theocracy
• Skilled in astronomy and math
• Created 365 calendar and hieroglyphic writing
system
• Empire suddenly declined– unknown what
happened
• Many think soil wore out, slave revolt, aliens?
• Calendar ends 12-2012– end of world scare?
The Aztec
• Centuries after Mayans
• Wandering hunters in
central Mexico
• Saw religious symbol
(eagle on cactus with
snake in mouth) told them
to stop wandering
• Large island in center of
lake– built the city of
Tenochtitlan
• Tenochtitlan– huge city with canals, paved
roads, 3 draw bridges and floating gardens
• Military people, conqueror surrounding tribes,
used as slaves and human sacrifice– sun god
The Inca
• Largest of the 3,
same time as
Aztec
• Andes mountains
of S. America
• Capital of Cuzco
• Captured others
and made part of
empire
• Farming on sides
of mountains-terraces
• Huge army, clubs, spears, spiked balls on ropes
• All controlled by emperor, thought to be
descendant of sun god
• Temples lined with gold– sun god
• Miles of paved roads and rope bridges, used
runners to communicate messages
The Hohokam
• Present day Arizona, earlier than Aztec/Inca
• Experts at using water/irrigation in the desert
• Stone and pottery, traded with Pacific Coast
The Anasazi
• Four corners region of southwest US
• Stone dwellings called pueblos, built like
apartments
• Cliff dwellings– Mesa Verde, Colorado
• Were abandoned, no one knows why
The Mound Builders
• Central US, Penn
to Miss. River and
down to Florida
• Built mounds of
earth that
resembled
pyramids and
animals
• Mounds for burial,
religion, and trade
centers