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Chapter 1 section 1 The Earliest Americans

Chapter 1 section 1 The Earliest Americans. How well did you take notes?. Summary: History of the People. 1 st : Descendants of those who crossed the land bridge from Asia to the Americas 2 nd : Olmecs (1200 BC- 400 BC) 3 rd : Mayans (AD 250 - 900) 4 th : Aztecs (AD 1200-1521)

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Chapter 1 section 1 The Earliest Americans

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  1. Chapter 1 section 1The Earliest Americans How well did you take notes?

  2. Summary: History of the People • 1st: Descendants of those who crossed the land bridge from Asia to the Americas • 2nd: Olmecs (1200 BC- 400 BC) • 3rd: Mayans (AD 250 - 900) • 4th: Aztecs (AD 1200-1521) • 5th: Incas (AD 1438-1532)

  3. Regions • Mesoamerica: The area extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua in which civilizations flourished prior to the arrival of the Europeans. • South America: Continent from Colombia and Venezuela south

  4. Map

  5. Olmecs (1200 B.C.-400 B.C.) • Arts: • Decorated cities with large carved stone statues • Carved jewelry and other small objects from jade • Used obsidian as a carving tool • Agriculture: • First to grow maize (corn) for food • Engineering • Built large drainage systems to direct water away from fields and settlements

  6. Mayans (250 - 900 A.D) • Yucatan Peninsula (in the rainforest) • Religion: • Society centered around religion and most of their accomplishments were driven by religious beliefs. • RELIGIOUS INSPIRATION: Priests needed to keep accurate time in order to hold religious ceremonies at the correct moment • ACOMPLISHMENT: Mayans studied the sky (sun, earth, moon, stars) and developed a calendar system.

  7. Mayans (250 - 900 A.D) • RELIGIOUS INSPIRATION: Mayans needed temples in which to worship • ACCOMPLISHMENT: They built huge pyramids with steps using careful planning. • RELIGIOUS INSPIRATION: Mayans needed to decorate temples and tombs with elaborate murals. • ACCOMPLISHMENT: They developed hieroglyphics and a complex number system.

  8. Mayans (250 - 900 A.D) • Around 900 A.D., civilization declined mysteriously. • Possible causes: • Overused the land and could not grow enough food • War • Spread of disease • Mayan descendants still live today and speak Mayan language.

  9. Aztecs (1200-1521 A.D.) • Moved from the north into central Mexico around 1100s • Conquered a large empire (most of Mesoamerica) because they were fierce warriors • Because of their large empire, they created a huge trade network • The people they conquered had to pay tributes (forced payments) to Aztecs • Tenochtitlan = capital (today = Mexico City) • Built on 2 islands with lake in the middle • Stepped pyramids • Marketplaces where people traded gold, silver, and pottery

  10. Inca (1438-1532) • Lived in the Andes Mountains in South America • Capital = Cuzco • They expanded their empire to most of western South America (pacific coast) • Strong central government (king) • Language- • oral: Quechua • No written language: only system of knotted strings (quipu)

  11. Inca (1438-1532) • Claim to fame: • Building (allowed for good communication and control) • Huge stone blocks • Highways running the length of the empire • Paved roads • Rope bridges • Art

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