Early Migration and Civilizations in the Americas

Ch 9 The Americas: A Separate World 40,000 BC – AD 700

How did the first people come to North America?

Land Bridge • Today the Americas are isolated from the rest of the world by vast oceans • Thousands of years ago the Americas were connected to Asia by a land bridge • Beringia- land bridge between Asia and the Americas

Peopling the Americas • The first Americans arrived sometime toward the end of the last Ice Age, which lasted from roughly 1.9 million to about 10000 BC. • Huge ice sheets covered large portions of North America • The buildup of glaciers locked up huge amounts of earth’s water • The lowered sea levels created a land corridor between Asia and Alaska

When did the first Americans arrive? • Humans are believed to have arrived in the Americas between 40,000 BC and 10,000 BC • Arrowheads discovered in Clovis, New Mexico date back to 9500 BC • A recent discovery in Monte Verde, Chile provides evidence of human life dating back to 10,500 BC • A skull found in Mexico City has been dated to 11,000 BC and is believed to be related to the Ainu people of Japan

Hunters and Gatherers • The first Americans likely migrated across the Beringia land bridge following herds of animals, including the mammoth • Mammoth were the most challenging and rewarding prey • Weighing more than 7 tons, they provided meat, bones, and hide for clothes, food, shelters, and tools

Following the Game • Eventually large animals like the mammoth were overhunted and became extinct • Hunters had to turn to smaller game like deer and rabbits • Because they were hunters they had to move regularly to follow their food source

End of the Land Bridge • With the end of the Ice Age around 12,000 to 10,000 years ago sea levels rose and the land bridge was gone

Agriculture • Gradually, early Americans became more familiar with plant foods and began to experiment with simple farming methods • By 5000 BC, many farmers began to grow plants from seeds such as avocados, squash, gourds, beans and chiles • By 3400 BC, maize, or corn, became the most important crop

Farming Brings Great Change • The cultivation of corn and other crops provided a more reliable and expanding food supply • This encouraged population growth and the establishment of large settled communities • As farming became more productive people began to turn to more nonagricultural pursuits such as art, crafts, and building trades

More Changes • Differences between social classes emerged • Society became more complex

Early Mesoamerican Civilizations Sec 2

Mesoamerica • Mesoamerica- area stretching from central Mexico to northern Honduras, where the first complex societies in the Americas arose

Olmec Society • Olmec- first known civilization builders in Mesoamerica that began creating a society around 1200 BC • The Olmec culture thrived from around 800-400 BC and lived along the Gulf Coast of Mexico

Gulf Coast Geography • The Gulf Coast is hot and humid and covered with swamps and jungle • In some places, giant trees form a thick cover that prevents sunlight from reaching the ground • Up to 100 inches of rain fell every year causing severe flooding

What are the advantages of living there?

Environmental Advantages • Abundant deposits of salt and tar • Fine clay for making pottery • Abundance of wood and rubber • Stone found in the hills to the north • Rivers provided transportation • Flood plains provided fertile soil

Olmec Society • Archeologists have discovered earthen mounds, courtyards and pyramids • Among the earthworks were large stone monuments that included columns, altars and colossal sculpted heads • Most of all, they probably worshipped a jaguar spirit

What do those things tell you about Olmec society?

Trade and Commerce • The Olmec appear to have been a prosperous people with a trading network throughout Mesoamerica • Helped to boost their economy and spread Olmec influence

Decline of the Olmec • Nobody is sure • Possibly outside invaders • May have destroyed own monuments after death of leaders

Zapotec Civilization • Zapotec- advanced society that developed in southwestern Mexico after the decline of the Olmec • Oaxaca is rugged region of mountains and valleys in southern Mexico that has fertile soil, mild climate, and plentiful rainfall

Monte Alban • Monte Alban- first real urban center in the Americas that at its peak was home to 25,000 people • Characterized by a giant plaza paved with stones, towering pyramids, temples and palaces

Early Mesoamericans Legacy • The Olmec were an influence to many later civilizations, particularly the Maya • Olmec art styles can be seen in later civilization especially the jaguar • The Olmec also left the notion of planned ceremonial centers, ritual ball games, and an elite ruling class

Early Migration and Civilizations in the Americas