Transcript Document
Mesoamerica 11-1 Essential question: Analyze how overland trade would have been different if the Mesoamericans would have had pack animals. Mesoamerica Mesoamerica • Location and landforms • Middle America • Southern part of Mexico and Central America • Mexican Plateau separates two highland area • Yucatan Peninsula: divides the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Volcanoes • Volcanoes helped to form the Mesoamerican land • Volcanic mountains can be over 10,000 feet high • More then a dozen are still active • Most are dormant • Craters formed highland lakes • Pacaya Volcano is one of the worlds most active volcanoes Pacaya Volcano Climate • Ranges from hot and humid to desert • Tropics region: Climate hot and wet, Many rain forests • Lowlands: less rain fall, rich grasslands • Northern section: very hot, little rain, desert Elevation • Elevation: the height of the land above sea level • Higher the land = cooler temperature • Temp drops 3.5 degrees for every 1,000 feet up • Growing conditions change with elevation Vegetation • 1,000 feet= dry forest, bananas, cacao sugar cane Vegetation • 2,000 feet= dry forest= corn, beans, squash, cotton, coffee Vegetation • 3,000 feet= cloud forest near mountain peaks constant cloud cover • Wheat, potatoes Vegetation • 4,000 feet= very cold = mountain grass, mosses= animal grazing Natural Resources • Highlands: present day Guatemala = jade and obsidian • Used to make sharp weapons and jewelry • Seashell and sharks teeth also used for jewelry • Quetzal bird feathers used to make headdresses and clothing Natural Resources Agriculture • Floodplains of rivers , slopes of volcanic mountains good for farming • Rain forest not so good for farming • Slash and Burn agriculture: cut down the trees burn to make nutrients in the soil, use land for a couple of years and then move on • Destroying the rain forests • Farmed maize= corn, coaco= beans used to make chocolate prized trade item • ****Better agriculture = bigger population= growth of cities*** SLASH AND BURN Slash and burn rain forest destruction Trade • Looked outside their area for luxury items • TRADE DEVELOPED AS PEOPLE BEGAN TO EXCHANGE LOCAL GOODS FOR GOODS IN OTHER REGIONS • Jade and obsidian= mountain areas • Seashells= coastal areas • People had to carry all goods on their backs • No horses, oxen or pack animals • No wheels • Traded over long distances by water in canoes, rivers and oceans Trade • Trade spread goods, ideas and knowledge to all the Mesoamerican regions • Sharing and blending created a common culture throughout Mesoamerica