Cultures of the Americas, 1200 BC–AD 1600
MOUND BUILDERS
(ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER)
Key Groups: Adena (500 BC), Hopewell (100 BC)
Religion and Culture: Known as mound builders because they buried the dead in large earth mounds, these
groups lived in small farming villages, which were likely run by leaders of clans (relatives). The villages grew
and became increasingly complex, building trade networks and creating elaborate artwork using materials
from as far away as the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. Adena culture was absorbed by the Hopewell
in about 100 BC.
Agriculture: Adena and Hopewell societies were highly organized farming communities, and the Adena are
credited with introducing agriculture to the Ohio River Valley.
MISSISSIPPIAN CULTURE
Key Groups: Cahokia (AD 1100), Moundville
Religion and Culture: The Mississippians built towns with large temple-mounds and central plazas. The
rulers’ and nobles’ homes stood on pyramids surrounding the central square.
Agriculture: The Mississippian Culture’s most significant contribution to agriculture is their introduction of the
hoe as a farming tool. They were the most advanced farming society north of Mexico.
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
(MESOAMERICA)
Key Groups: Olmec (1200 BC), Maya (400 BC), Aztec (AD 1400), Inca (AD 1400)
Religion and Culture:
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The Olmec were the first major Mesoamerican society, and their religion, art, agriculture, and social
organization influenced later civilizations. They are best known for their engineering and artistic skills, due to
the survival of huge sculpted heads carved from black volcanic rock. They are also the first known
Mesoamerican society to develop a writing system.
The Mayan civilization developed religious centers that grew into huge city-states with thousands of people.
They are also known for their writing system and a number system that used the concept of zero.
The Aztecs were a warlike group and built an elaborate capital (Tenochtitlán) on an island in a shallow lake.
They conquered many neighboring groups, demanding regular payments of tribute and taking slaves and
captives, who often became sacrifices in religious ceremonies.
The Incas held a vast empire (including as many as twelve million people at its peak), which was connected
by roads and bridges. Incan religious beliefs were varied, consisting of several different polytheistic religions.
Agriculture: The Olmec used the “slash and burn” technique of farming, which was also used by
the Mayans. The Aztecs devised elaborate farming systems such as floating gardens (chinampas), as well
as irrigation, fertilization, and terrace systems. Like the Aztecs, theIncas used terrace farming.
SOUTHWEST
Key Groups: Hohokam (200 BC), Anasazi (200 BC), Zuni, Hopi, Acoma, Apache, Navajo
Religion and Culture: Early cultures in the Southwest probably developed around 2,000 years ago, and were
linked with cultures in Mexico through trade. Anasazi culture grew eastward, spreading their multistory
adobe buildings (named pueblos by the Spanish) to other cultures. The Zuni, Hopi, Acoma, Apache, and
Navajo peoples also adopted pueblos, which were governed by religious elders. The Zuni, Hopi, and Acoma
tribes are also known for their distinctive baskets and pottery. The Apaches and Navajos later took up
weaving.
Agriculture: The Hohokam people dug irrigation ditches and grew corn, beans, and squash. The Zuni, Hopi,
and Acoma cultures farmed in river and creek bottoms in the desert. The Apaches and Navajos were
originally nomadic hunters, but began farming after coming into contact with the Pueblo cultures.
WEST COAST
Key Groups: Kwakiutl, Haida, Pomo, Hupa, Yurok
Religion and Culture: The American Indians on the northwest coast (Kwakiutl and Haida) were skilled
woodworkers and carved elaborate totem poles and masks after being introduced to iron tools. They had
access to rich resources and held feasts where they would provide guests with valuable gifts. The Pomo,
Hupa, and Yurok peoples, in addition to many other groups in present-day California, lived in small
communities of 50 to 300, with over 100 different languages spoken.
Agriculture: The Kwakiutl and Haida hunted wild game, salmon, and whales in the Northwest. Neither group
farmed due to the difficult terrain, though Kwakiutl women did collect shellfish, berries, and seaweed. The
Pomo, Hupa, and Yurok groups in California did not farm because of the variety of food sources available
year round.
GREAT BASIN AND THE PLATEAU
Key Groups: Ute, Shoshone, Nez Percé
Religion and Culture: As a result of the challenges of living in the dry Great Basin, the Utes and Shoshones
had rather small populations, but were exceptional artists, creating elaborate religious and ceremonial
beadwork. Like their neighbors in the Great Basin, the Nez Percé created elaborate beadwork.
Agriculture: The Utes and Shoshones were hunter-gatherers, due to the difficult climate in the Great Basin
(little rain, few trees, no large rivers, and little wild game). The main food sources were small animals, roots,
and seeds. The Nez Percé, living in the less-arid Plateau region had more rain and forests, as well as large
rivers for fishing. Like the Utes and Shoshones, the Nez Percé were hunter-gatherers, though they had
access to large game.
FAR NORTH
Key Groups: Inuits, Aleuts
Religion and Culture: There are few archeological artifacts from these cultures, most likely because of rising
sea levels after the Ice Age, which covered settlements on the coast. Aleut culture is based heavily on the
sea, and they are known for their basketry. Inuits lived in an icier area, and were more mobile than the
Aleuts. The Inuits made tools and weapons for hunting and fishing.
Agriculture: Because most of the far north is treeless and frozen for most of the year, Inuits and Aleuts did
not farm, and lived mainly by hunting seals, seabirds, and whales on the coast and caribou, beaver, and
bear inland.
GREAT PLAINS
Key Groups: Sioux, Pawnee, Cheyenne
Religion and Culture: The cultures of the Great Plains were largely migratory, following the movement of the
bison, which the tribes depended on for survival. Because of the constant movement, they needed portable
homes, and invented the tepee, which could be easily put together and taken down. They believed in many
gods, and that these gods showed themselves in the form of the sun, moon, stars, or anything that was
strong or strange. Men would also go to lonely places for several days without food or water to receive
visions.
Agriculture: Farming was difficult due to the tough roots of the prairie grasses, so these groups depended on
hunting buffalo. In the southern plains region, farming was more feasible, and descendants of the
Mississippian culture brought new crops and built new villages in the fertile valleys of the Mississippi River.
EASTERN COAST AND WOODLANDS
Key Groups: Iroquois (included the Mohawks and Oneidas), Chippewa, Fox, Sauk
Religion and Culture: The Iroquois lived in longhouses, which were large wooden buildings with a central
hall with living spaces on either side, clusterd in large villages. The longhouse was central to Iroquois
culture, and they often called themselves “people of the longhouse.” All woodland groups made the best of
their abundant natural resources, making flour from bitter acorns, hunting for both food and fur, and fishing.
Agriculture: Farming was a possibility in the area, and women grew corn and squash and harvested wild
rice.
SOUTHEAST
Key Groups: Choctaw
Religion and Culture: Some groups continued Mississippian practices into the 1500s and beyond, and
another group created elaborate carved shells, which archaeologists believe had religious meaning.
Agriculture: A warm climate, fertile land, and plenty of rain made several crops a year possibly for American
Indians of the Southeast.