Americas Before 1500

1. Americas Before 1500 Intro, Olmecs, & Mayans

2. Introduction Paleolithic (hunter-gatherers) peoples probably came to the Americas as early as 40,000 years ago, while most migrated during the last of the great ice ages (about 10,000 BCE), crossing the Bering Straits on a land bridge.� After the glaciers melted, these new Americans were cut off from cultural developments elsewhere.� Over time, these migrants settled down in widely dispersed and isolated groups, and they developed different languages and cultures.�

3. Introduction Technological advances allowed them work softer metals like gold, silver, and copper, but they did not use bronze or iron; further, metal objects were made primarily for decorative purposes, while tools and weapons were made of stone (obsidian), wood, or bone.� Agriculture was probably invented in the Americas between 9,000 and 6,000 BCE, largely because climatic changes reduced opportunities for hunting.�

4. Introduction The earliest farm communities were located in Mexico, Central America, and the Peruvian highlands, and early Americans grew corn, beans, squash, and assorted root crops, like the potato.� Plows were not invented because no domestic animals large enough to pull them were available, nor were wheeled vehicles used.� By the time the first voyages of discovery reached the Americas late in the 15th century, agriculture had developed sufficiently to support towns, and advanced civilizations had grown up in Mexico, Central America, and the Andes Mountains along the Pacific coast of South America.

5. Olmec Civlization

6. Olmec Civilization Originated about 1200 BC along the Gulf of Mexico in present-day Mexico The Olmec developed a written language using hieroglyphics, which unfortunately is unreadable today They also invented intensive agriculture, a number system and calendars derived from observing the heavens� For religious purposes, the Olmecs built huge temples and they carved gigantic heads from volcanic rock