The Americas: A Separate World 40,000 B.C. – A.D. 700

1. The Americas: A Separate World 40,000 B.C. – A.D. 700 Chapter #9

2. The Earliest Americans • There are two theories as to how the Americas were populated. • 1. People crossed the Beringia land bridge • 2. People came across to the Americas via boat through the Pacific ocean. • Evidence for both of these theories have been found such as: • Spearheads have been discovered dating back to 9500 B.C. near Clovis , New Mexico. • A skull has been found in present day Mexico city that dates back to 11,000 B.C. (the oldest skull found) • Monte Verde, Chile- researchers have found evidence of human life pre-dating Clovis, New Mexico. • This means that the timeline of people crossing the Beringia land bridge should be changed or that people came to the Americas in a different way.

3. What were the first Americans like • The first Americans were hunters and gatherers just like the people of the River Valley Civilizations. • For the most part they were nomadic groups searching for food, the few times that they did settle in a place they lived in caves or tem0rary shelters. • What did they hunt? • Their main prey was the Mammoth until they became extinct. They turned to hunting deer, rabbits, and fish for survival. • When did agriculture and farming begin in the Americas? • The development of farming began around 7000 B.C. in what is now central Mexico. • By 5000 B.C. many groups began growing crops like squashes, gourds, beans, avocados, and chilies. • The most important crop, Maize, for the Americas began to be farmed by 3400 B.C.

4. Regions that developed farming • Tehuacan Valley – south of present day Mexico City • Peru • Eastern North America • All these regions developed agriculture around the same time period. And they did not have direct contact with each other.

5. Early Mesoamerican Civilization • The Olmec • began around 1,200 B.C. • They settled along southern Mexico and are called the Mesoamericans – “mother culture”. • They thrived around 800 – 400 B.C. in the modern states of Veracruz and Tabasco. • This civilization are the ancestors to the Nahuatl speaking civilizations like the Aztec (Mexica), Toltecs, and Chichimecs.

6. The Olmec • They settled along the Gulf Coast of Mexico, which was not an ideal place for a high cultured civilization to rise. • The negatives: • There were a lot of swamps • Jungles • Huge trees that prevented sunlight from hitting the ground • 100 inches of rain fall a year which caused flooding of rivers

7. Olmec continued: • Positives of living along the coast: • Abundant deposits of salt and tar • Clay for pottery • Wood and rubber from the trees in the vast rainforest • The hills provided hard stone from which the Olmec made tools and monuments • The temporary flooding of rivers helped fertilize the soil for farming and also provided transportation

8. San Lorenzo, Olmec site • Archeologists have discovered courtyards, pyramids, and earthen mounds. • It is believed that San Lorenzo was established in 1150 B.C. • Researchers have discovered colossal heads that represented Olmec rulers. • These heads weigh around 44 tons • Archeologists believe that these sculptures were moved by rolling them on top of rolling logs towards river banks were they were later floated to their other destinations.

9. La Venta, Olmec site • Established around 900 B.C. • Researchers have found a 100 foot high mound that is believed to be a tomb for a great Olmec ruler. • This mound is known as the “Great Pyramid” and could have also been used as a religious center for the Olmecs. • The Olmecs believed in many nature gods • one in particular was the jaguar spirit. ( the Aztec, Mexica, will also believe in the Jaguar. • The Jaguar represented earth, fertility, and maize.

10. Trade and Commerce/ Decline of the Olmecs • The Olmecs had extensive trade networks • Olmec goods traveled as far north as Mexico City and as far south as Honduras. • These raw materials consisted of: • Iron ore and other stones. • These trade networks helped the spread Olmec influence and to growth its economy. • There are two theories as to how the Olmec civilization fell. • 1. that outside invaders cause the destruction of both San Lorenzo and La Venta. • 2. that the Olmec people destroyed their own monuments after the death of their rulers. • San Lorenzo fell in 900 B.C. and La Venta in 400 B.C. • They left behind lasting influences like the belief of the jaguar, ceremonial centers, and ritual ball games.

11. Zapotec civilization rises and falls. • As the Olmec civilization fell a new one arose to the southwest in what is now the Mexican state of Oaxaca. • Geography: • It is a rugged region of mountains and valleys in southern Mexico. • In the center of the state three valleys meet to create the Oaxaca Valley. • Here agriculture thrived because of a mild climate, fertile soil, and enough rainfall. • By 1000 B.C. San Jose Mogote was beginning to emerge as the main power in the region. • By 500 B.C. they had begun to develop early forms of writing and a calendar system.

12. Monte Alban • In 500 B.C. the Zapotec created the first real urban center in the Americas atop a mountain in the Oaxaca Valley. • By 200 B.C. Monte Alban had about 15,000 people- at its height the population reached 25,000 people. • The Zapotec would rule this region for around 1000 years. • They built observatories to view the stars, created pyramids, and temples made out of stone. • The Zapotec’s fall is as puzzling as the fall of the Olmecs. • Around A.D. 600 the Zapotec began to decline- it is believed that they suffered a loss of trade or other economic difficulties. • They are seen as Americas first city builders.