Chapter 2 Section 1

1. Chapter 2 Section 1

2. Reaching the Americas • First Americans left no written records to tell us where they came from or when they arrived • Earth has gone through several ice ages • Last ice age occurred between 100,000 and 10,000 years ago • Glaciers • Thick sheets of ice – covered one third of the Earth • Stretched across Canada and reached as far south as present-day Kentucky

3. Crossing the Land Bridge • Glaciers • Locked up water causing sea levels to fall and uncovering land • Far north • A land bridge joined Siberia in northeastern Asia to Alaska in North Americans • Early Americans • Early hunters reached the Americas and they had to keep moving in search of food • Native Americans settled on mountain plateaus, dry deserts, fertile plains, lush woodlands, and thick rain forests • Many different customs and languages

4. Adapting to New Conditions • Ice Age • About 12,000 years ago the last ice age ended • Temps rose • Glaciers melted • Land bridge between Siberia and Alaska disappeared under the Bering Strait • Large animals began to die out • Smaller animals, wild berries, nuts, grains, and fis become a larger part of their diet

5. Adapting to New Conditions - Continued • About 5,000 years ago people in Central America learned to grow crops such as corn, beans, and squash • Farming brought changes • People stayed in one place and set up permanent villages

6. Olmec Civilization • Farming key advance • Central America • Grew surplus food to support large populations and the first cities emerged • Cities mark the rise of the first civilization • Civilization • A society that has certain basic features • Cities • Well-organized governments • Different social classes • Complex religion • Method of record keeping

7. Olmec Civilization - Continued • Earliest known civilization in the Americas • Olmecs in Central America • Olmecs • Lived in lowlands along the gulf of Mexico • Stone heads carved by the Olmecs were found by scientist • Farmers supplied nearby cities with food • Powerful leaders built stone temples left few written records • Studied the stars and developed a calendar so they could predict the change of seasons and mark the passage of time

8. The Mayas • Mayans • Early Mayans lived in the rain forests that are currently Guatemala and Mexico • Cleared rain forest and draining swamps to create farmland • produced great harvests of corn, enough to feed large cities • Population grew – cities began • Trade flowed along a network of roads that linked inland cities and the coast

9. Mayans – Social Classes • Social Classes • 1st – Priests • Held greatest power • Performed ceremonies needed to bring good harvests or victory in battle • Ceremonies conducted in temples built on top of huge stone pyramids • 2nd – Nobles • Served as warriors or government officials • 3rd – laborers / farmers • Grew corn, squash, and other crops • Slaves • Prisoners of war or criminals

10. Mayans – Advances in Learning • Priests • Mayan priests had to know exactly when to honor the many gods who were thought to control the natural world • Priests studied the sun, moon, and stars • Made impressive advances in astronomy and mathematics • Learned to predict eclipses and created an accurate, 365 –day calendar • Developed a system of numbers that included the concept of zero

11. Mayans – Advances in Learning - Continued • Around A.D. 900 • Mayans abandoned their cities • Thought for abandoning their cities • Warfare, drought – or both • Rain forest • Swallowed up the great Mayan temples and palaces

12. The Aztecs • Aztec Civilization • Rose far to the north • Aztecs • Nomads • People move from place to place in search of food • 1300’s • Settled around Lake Texcoco in central Mexico • Powerful empire built

13. The Aztecs - Tenochtitlan • Tenochtitlan • Island in the middle of the lake • Capital • System of causeways • Raised roads made of packed earth • Linked the capital to the mainland • Farming • Farmed the shallow swamps of Lake Texcoco • Dug canals • Used the mud to fill in parts of the lake • Placed reed mats to the lake bottom to create farmland • Chinampas – floating gardens

14. The Aztecs - Religion • Priests • Studied the heavens and developed complex calendars • Calendars • Told people when to plant / harvest • Rituals • Designed to please the many Aztec gods • Sun God • Important to the Aztecs • Compared the sun’s battle to their own, calling themselves “warriors of the sun” • Believed the sun required human sacrifices in order to rise each day • Sacrifices • Thousands of captives each year were sacrificed to please this powerful god

15. The Aztecs – A Powerful Empire • 1500’s • Aztecs ruled a huge empire • Empire • Stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean • Far from peaceful community • Heavy taxes and the sacrifice of huge numbers of prisoners of war sparked many revolts • Other people conquered by the Aztecs were eager for revenge

16. The Aztecs – Social Classes • 1st Emperor • 2nd Priests and Nobles • 3rd Warriors • 4th Merchants and Artisans • 5th Farmers • 6th Slaves

17. The Incas • Incas • South of the Aztecs – Incas built one of the largest empires in the Americas • 1500 • Empire stretched for almost 2500 miles along the west coast of South America • Center of the empire • Capital at Cuzco located high in the Andes • Cuzco • Holy city to the Incas • All nobles tried to visit the capital at least once in their lifetime • Massive palaces and temples made of stone and decorated with gold ornaments were located here • Center • Palace of the emperor – who was known as Sapa Inca • Emperor – regarded as god – descended from the sun god

18. The Incas - Continued • Cuzco • Emperor • Ruled more than 10 million people • People • Lived in coastal deserts to the lowland jungles to the highlands of the Andes • Incan Empire • Well organized • Well informed of the affairs in all parts of his empire • Sent officials to act as governors of his domain • Governors • Made sure every person worked some of the time on the states projects

19. The Incas - Continued • Incas • Roads • Maintained a system of roads that covered more than 10,000 miles • Builders carved roads in rock cliffs and stretched rope bridges across deep gorges • Runners • Royal orders were sent with runners across these roads • Carried a device called quipu – a cord or string with knots that stood for quantities • Quantities could be bags of grain, number of soldiers or other amounts • Skilled engineers • Built massive stone temples and forts • Used the engineering skills to farm the dry rugged mountain lands • Terraces • Wide steps of land out of the steep mountainsides

20. People of the Southwest • About 3000 years ago • Farming spread northward • Farming societies emerged to what is now called the American Southwest • Hohokams and Anasazis • Hohokams • Lived in present-day southern Arizona • Dug networks of irrigation ditches to they could farm the desert land • Ditches carried water from the Salt and Gila rivers to fields • Produced corn, squash, and beans

21. People of the Southwest - Continued • Anasazis • Lived in the Four Corners region • Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona • Irrigated the desert to farm • Created a network of roads to link dozens of towns • Traders traveled roads, carrying cotton, sandals, and blankets woven from turkey feathers

22. Anasazi Houses • Built large houses with walls of stone and adobe or sundried brick • Houses called pueblos – Spanish word for village • New homes • Built along steep cliffs • Toeholds cut into the rock let people climb the cliff walls • Farmers planted their crops on land above the cliffs

23. Mound Builders • Built large earth mounds beginning about 3000 years ago • Thousands of these mounds dot the landscape from the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi Valley and from Wisconsin to Florida • First mounds used for burials • Then mounds were used for religious ceremonies • Best known groups of Mound Builders were the Hopewells and the Mississippians • Mississippians built a large city at Cahokia in present day Illinois