Chapter 7 – Civilizations of the Americas
Geography: The Americas
30,000 B.C. – Paleolithic hunters and food gatherers cross from Asia into North America probably following
big animals
10,000 B.C. – Global warming – ice melts; large animals probably died and people adapted by farming
North America
Middle America
South America
Agricultural Revolution – people began to learn how to domesticate animals and cultivate plants (including
corn, beans, sweet potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and squash)
North America
Southwest = Desert
Hohokams  “Vanished Ones”
Anasazi (Four Corners Region of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah)
Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys = Mound Builders
Diverse Regional Cultures
Frozen World (Arctic)
Inuits (Eskimos)
Land of Plenty(Northwest Coast)
Iroquois League
Middle and South America
OLMECS (1400 BC – 500 BC)
Rich tombs and temples  powerful class of priests and aristocrats
 built ceremonial centers instead of cities; pyramid temples
 Huge carved stone heads – 40 tons
 calendar invented; carved inscriptions for writing
 *** tradition of priestly leadership and religious devotion***