Civilizations in the Americas

1. Civilizations in the Americas

2. Land of the Americas -2 Continents – North and South America -2 major mountain ranges: -Rockies – North America -Andes – South America -2 great rivers: -Mississippi – North America -Amazon – South America -First Humans appear in America: -Last Ice Age – 1.9 million to 10,000 BC -Created a Land Bridge from Asia to Alaska – Bering Strait -Animals migrated and hunters followed them – they were unaware they were entering a new continent

3. Rocky Mountains

4. Andes Mountains

5. Mississippi River

6. Amazon River

7. Bering Strait

8. Bering Strait

9. People of North America -Debate when migration first began – between 40,000 BC and 10,000 BC -Spearheads discovered that date back to 9,500 BC in New Mexico -Skull found in Mexico City that dates back to 11,000 BC -40,000 BC – Inuit peoples move across land bridge -Hunters and fishermen -By 10,000 BC farming villages were formed in the eastern woodlands -Agriculture developed a little slower in America than the rest of the world -Never developed a plow -Little agricultural use of the wheel -Why? No large animals to use -Development of corn, squash and beans as main crops

10. 3 Types of Civilizations -Sedentary -Larger Civilizations -Settled in one place -Concentrated heavily on agriculture -Tribute societies -Semi-Sedentary -Smaller civilizations that still for the most part settled in one place -Had to move depending on their agriculture -Nomadic -Hunters and Gatherers -Always one the move -Never settled in one place for too long

11. Development of Farming -7,000 BC – revolution in central Mexico -Many began to grow plants -Included: squashes, gourds, beans, avocados and chilies -By 3400 BC – farmers began to grow maize (corn) -Maize soon became the most important crop -Flourished in the tropical climate of central Mexico -Development of farming played a huge role in the development of Sedentary and Semi-sedentary civilizations