The Ancient A mericas

1. The Ancient Americas

2. Ancient Americas First inhabitants were nomadic hunters and gatherers. These nomads probably arrived in North America around 40,000 years ago, following a land bridge that formed between North America and Asia. It is believed that another group of humans migrated from Asia into North America around 12,000 years ago.

3. As these various groups traveled into the new world following wild game, they spread out across the land, forming new cultures, and in some cases, complex civilizations.

4. For thousands of years, these early inhabitants of the Americas made a life by hunting game and gathering food from seeds, berries and wild plants. Around 5000 B.C., an agricultural revolution took place near present day Mexico.

5. Agricultural Revolution For thousands of years, the inhabitants who lived on the American continents lived off the land. Then, in 5000 B.C. near present day Mexico, many groups of people began to discover farming.

6. They realized that they could plant crops such as corn, pumpkins, potatoes and squash, and by doing so, could better provide for the needs of their people. This new technology spread from Mexico outward to other parts of the Southwest, so that by 3000 B.C., many groups of people in the region were actively practicing farming.

7. Villages Develop The practice of farming the land led to the development of villages. The people no longer had to travel in search of wild game and plant life. Instead, they could settle down in one place, and begin to build more permanent structures. 

8. These permanent villages allowed for more complex societies and cultures to evolve in the region. New religions and governments began to form, and individuals began to become more specialized in their jobs. 

9. This specialization of work tasks allowed technology to really take off, so that great advancements were made. • The people became more skilled in tool making, creating special implements for farming, fishing, building and so forth. • All of this meant that the standard of living in the Americas could be greatly improved. • This improved standard of living led to a population explosion. • By A.D. 1500 it is estimated that more than 50 million people lived in the Western Hemisphere.

10. Cultural Differentiation The various peoples inhabiting North America gradually developed many different and unique cultures. Each culture was heavily influenced by the land and natural resources around the people. These cultures included their traditions, religious practices, and their everyday lives and customs.

11. As this happened, the various cultures became regionalized: the cultures of different groups of people were very similar to one another in the same region, but very different from the cultures of the peoples in another region. The process of cultures developing in a specific region is known as cultural differentiation. The regions that developed in North America were the Arctic, the Northwest, the California region, the Great Basin, the Southwest, the Great Plains, and the Eastern Woodlands.

12. Native American Culture Areas

13. The Arctic Peoples The peoples who settled in the Arctic lived in an area of frigid temperatures. The hostile cold created a condition in the ground known as permafrost. This permafrost was a layer of ice underground that never melted. This meant that farming the land was impossible.

14. These peoples survived by hunting seals, whales, bears, sea birds, and other animals. Because resources were scarce, they learned to make use of every part of the animals they hunted. The meat and fat could be used as food, while the bones could be used to build huts, and skins could be used to create warm clothing.

15. The Northwest Peoples The peoples of the Northwest settled along the West Coast of North America. The warm ocean currents helped keep the climate in this region more moderate. Like the peoples of the Arctic, the Northwest peoples lived off of the ocean and rivers. They fished and hunted wildlife.

17. The peoples of the Northwest had an advantage, though, that the Arctic peoples did not. • Their lands were covered with thick forests. • These forests provided another source of food, including many wild animals, as well as wild berries, nuts and fruits. • Over time, these peoples became experts in hunting and fishing, developing some of the most advanced hunting and fishing technologies of the era. • They also developed trade routes with other native peoples in order to obtain goods that they could not produce themselves.

18. The California Region The peoples who lived along the California coast and mountains enjoyed a lifestyle that was somewhat easier than that of other inhabitants of North America. Their lands were warm year round, and were endowed with abundant rainfall and wildlife. This warm climate and abundant food allowed these peoples to spend more time developing their culture, including art and religion.

19. The Great Basin The Great Basin is an area in North America where there is little water, and as a result, little wildlife. This made this region a difficult place to live.

20. The peoples of the Great Basin did not have permanent housing. Instead, they moved about from place to place in search of food. To survive, they often ate grasshoppers, lizards, and other small insects and animals.

21. The Southwest The peoples of the Southwest lived in some of the most extreme conditions in North America. The North American deserts were hot, dry, and offered little in the way of food and shelter. Yet, despite these difficult circumstances, the people of the Southwest were well adapted to their environments. They developed complex systems for irrigating their crops, including massive irrigation projects. They also created unique methods for building villages.

22. One group of peoples in this region, known as the Pueblo, built their villages into the side of desert cliffs. These villages were made out of cement and stone, and often included buildings that could be several stories high. The ruins of many of these villages still exist to the present day, showing just how skilled these builders were.

24. The Great Plains The Great Plains stretched from the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains out to the Mississippi River. This vast region of rolling hills and regular rainfall was covered in wild grasses. These grasses supported a wide variety of wildlife, which included bison herds that were almost unimaginable in size.

25. These herds could stretch across miles of terrain and include millions of individual animals. The peoples who lived in this region depended heavily on the bison as a source of food as well as skins which they used to create clothing and shelters.

26. One group of people who lived near the Mississippi River began to build large mounds where they buried their dead, along with tools and implements in elaborate religious ceremonies.

27. Mesoamerican Cultures

28. Mesoamerican Cultures The people who inhabited Central America formed a number of advanced civilizations between 1500 B.C. and 1200 A.D. As one civilization faded in the region, another developed to take its place. Later civilizations borrowed many aspects of culture from earlier civilizations, as well as creating their own unique traditions.

30. Historians call these civilizations the Mesoamerican cultures. The word ‘meso’ means ‘middle.’ These peoples all lived in Middle America.

32. The Olmecs The first civilization to evolve in Mesoamerica was that of the Olmecs. Around 1500 B.C., villages in Mesoamerica became more complex and specialized. These people formed a nation which they called Olmec.

33. The Olmecs built huge religious stone emblems of their gods and rulers. Some of these emblems were more than nine feet tall, and weighed more than 40 tons. These massive figures were transported miles across the terrain without the use of wheels or the aid of animals.

34. The Olmec villages were organized, with a market square in the center where trade and business could take place. They worshipped a variety of gods and deities. Their chief god was believed to be a being with a human body and a jaguar face.

35. The Olmecs were expert farmers and practiced a type of farming known as slash-and-burn farming. They would cut the trees of a forest down and wait a period of several months as the trees dried out. They would then light the trees on fire, burning them all into ashes. These ashes acted as a fertilizer, making the soil more fertile. These farmers then farmed the land a few years until it was no longer fertile, at which point they moved on to the next forest.

36. The Mayans Around 900 B.C., a group of people known as the Mayans begin to settle the territory around the Yucatan Peninsula. By 300 A.D., the Mayan culture had become quite advanced. The Mayans were not ruled by a central government. They shared the same language, traditions and culture, but they were led by small local governments.

37. Mayan Religion The Mayans believed that the universe was made up of two separate worlds. The everyday world and the otherworld. The everyday world was the world in which they lived. The otherworld, they believed, was where gods, spirits, and their dead ancestors lived.

38. The village chief acted as the leader of political life as well as the priest. He was responsible for standing between his people and the otherworld. He performed important religious ceremonies that the Mayans believed would earn the favor of those in the otherworld and bring about their blessings. These ceremonies included the sacrifice of humans as well as the blood letting of the priest.

39. Mayan Sports The Mayans are one of the first peoples to develop and play professional sports. One of the most important sports played by the Mayans was called Pok-a-tok. Using a solid rubber ball, which was about the size of a basketball, teams battled one another in a way that reminded the people of ancient Mayan battles and legends. To protect themselves from injury, these players wore protective padding.

40. The goal of this game was to hit the ball into a stone hoop. The ball could not be picked up, however. It had to be bounced off of leather shields that were attached to the players' arms, legs and chest.

41. Mayan Science The Mayans became excellent scientists in many different fields, including medicine, astronomy and mathematics. They tracked the movement of the stars and planets across the sky, and were able to accurately predict celestial events such as eclipses.

43. Mayan Writings One of the most important advancements developed by the Mayans was written language. The Mayans developed a complex system of writing, which consisted of both an alphabet, as well as symbols, which represented whole words or thoughts.

45. These writings were recorded in books made out of bark and plaster, as well as carved into monuments, bones and stone. Many of these writings have survived to the present, and help give us an accurate look at the Mayans’ history and culture.

46. The Mayans Decline By 900 A.D., the Mayan culture began to decline. It is not entirely clear as to why; however, many historians believe that war broke out between different members of royal families. This civil war made farming difficult, and as a result, many people died from hunger and disease. By the late 900s A.D., almost all signs of this once great civilization were gone.

48. The Teotihuacanos Just outside of present day Mexico City, a civilization developed known as the Teotihuacanos. This people built a massive capital city that at its height had more than 200,000 inhabitants. This city was expertly laid out, with wide streets, town squares, markets and plazas.

50. This massive city had over 600 pyramids, which were believed to be used for religious purposes. It also had well over 2000 apartment buildings where many of the people of this civilization lived. The Teotihuacanos thrived for nearly 750 years. Then, in 750 A.D., invaders from the north, known as the Toltecs, conquered and destroyed them.