Before Contact with Europeans
Introduction

Migration to the Americas
 Early migrations from northern Asia to Alaska – occurred
35,000 to 15,000 years ago
 Some contact with Polynesians possible

Geography
 Great geographical diversity – frozen regions, tropical rain
forests, vast plains, heavily forested areas, and high
mountain ranges
○ Made farming impossible in some areas
○ Long distance between arable areas made contact
between groups difficult
 Two main areas of agriculture
○ Mesoamerica- Mexico and
○ Andean Mountain region –
S. America
Central America
along the west coast of
Olmecs
Early American Civilizations

Olmecs (1200-400 BCE)
 Society
○ Authoritarian and Hierarchal
 Priestly class
 Ruler and his family
 Artisans and merchants
 Labor class
 Political
○ Form of kingship
○ Giant sculptures of heads. Evidence of
power of the ruling family.
○ Fall was due to internal conflict
Early American Civilizations

Olmecs
 Cultural – SEE MAYANS!!
 Economic
○ Agricultural-based economy
 No large beasts of burden (horse, oxen)
 No wheeled vehicles
 Human labor did all the work
- BUT: Built elaborate drainage systems
○ Traded various products – salt, cacao,
clay and limestone
○ Developed religious centers which grew
into city-states
Chavin
Early American Civilizations

Chavin (900 – 250 BCE)
 Social
○ Hierarchal
 Ruler and his family
 Priestly class
 Artisans and merchants
 Commoners
 Political
○ Empires were created
to control 3 ecological
zones (coastal plains, mountain valleys, and
tropical rain forests and connecting trade
routes)
○ Some evidence of irrigation projects and
organized military
 Shows political power of the central government
Early American Civilizations

Chavin
 Cultural
○ Chavin religion spread to other areas,
perhaps Meso-America
 Economic
○ Chavin capital, Chavin de Huantar was
situated along long distance trade routes
 Trade between west coast of S. America
and Andes mountain region
○ Agriculture-based economy
 Used llamas to carry things up and down
the mountains
Mayan Empire
Classical American Civilizations

Maya (300-900 CE)
 Social
○ Rigid and strict classes
 Political
○ Rulers performed both priestly and political
functions
 Rulers NOT divine but able to communicate with gods
and ancestor spirits
○ Fall of the Mayan Empire
 Around 800 CE – Mayan population moved out of
cities which soon fell into decline
- No evidence as to why – possible explanations
include foreign invasion, civil war, disease
Classical American Civilizations

Maya
 Cultural
○ Religion
 Polytheistic
 Some rituals called for human sacrifice
- Victims were prisoners of war
 Mayan priests constructed very advanced calendar for
religious ceremonies, planting/harvesting crops
 Economic
○ Agriculture-based economy
 Practiced slash and burn agriculture
 Also built terraced fields along the river banks
○ Cities – built large cities
 Primarily religious and administrative cities
Classical American Civilizations

Maya
 Economic
○ Cities (cont.)
 Little trade conducted within the cities
 Included large pyramids, houses for the
elite, ritual ball courts
 Memorial alters and pillars
- To honor great actions of leaders
- Inscribed with pictograms (similar to
hieroglyphics)
Classical American Civilizations

Teotihuacan (300-750 CE)
 Social
○ Priests were an important part of the
elite class
 Political
○ Teotihuacan was the name of the
capital city
○ City was well planned
 Evidence of group of powerful families
ruling cooperatively
 Cultural – See Aztecs!!
Teotihuacan
Classical American Civilizations

Teotihuacan
 Economic
○ Agriculture-based economy
 Irrigation produced abundance of
crops
○ Trade
 Unlike the Mayans, the Teotihuacan
had a large class of professional
merchants who traded their products
Toltecs
Post-Classical American
Civilizations

Toltecs (950-1150 CE)
 Social
○ The priestly class was important part of the elite class
○ Emphasis on military prowess
 Led to rise of an elite warrior class from which rulers would
emerge
 Political
○ Created an extensive Empire from Central Mexico to
Yucatan Peninsula to Guatemala
○ A strong militaristic legacy
 Allowed the Toltecs conquer or intimidate neighboring peoples
 Required “tribute” – in the form of treasure, food,
prisoners/slaves
Post-Classical American
Civilizations
 Toltecs
 Political
○ Had 2 rulers instead of 1, leading to
internal conflicts
○ Decline due to internal fragmentation
 Cultural
○ Relied heavily on religious sacrifices to
satisfy the gods
Post-Classical American
Civilizations
 Toltecs
 Economic
○ Agriculture-based economy
○ The exchange of turquoise with
people in the American Southwest
○ Tributary payment from
surrounding areas was a large part
of the Toltec economy
Aztecs
Post-Classical Civilizations

Aztecs
 Social
○ Militaristic aristocrats headed the social
structure
○ Priests were advisors to the king and performed
religious rituals
○ Warrior class – came from ordinary freemen
who proved themselves in battle
○ Merchant class – conducted long-distance trade
○ Serfs/Freemen
○ Slaves – mainly prisoners of war or debtors
○ Women were subservient to men but those who
bore warrior sons were given higher status
Post-Classical American
Civilizations
 Aztecs
 Political
○ Tenochtitlan was the capital city
○ Emperor appointed military governors to
rule over conquered peoples
○ Empire stretched from Central Mexico to
Guatemala
○ Aztec military power - Led to tributary
empire
 Conquered peoples had to pay tribute – such
as food, luxury goods, and prisoners
Post-Classical American
Civilizations
 Aztecs
 Cultural
○ Religion played an extremely important
role in Aztec culture
 Large step pyramids
 Religion provided political legitimacy
 Human sacrifice practiced extensively
- Victims were mainly prisoners of war
Post-Classical American
Civilizations

Aztecs
 Economic
○ Agriculture-based economy
 Innovations include chinampas – floating islands for
growing food
- Led to increase food production
○ Tribute system
 Gov’t controlled the distribution of tribute to the
population – noble class received the majority and
commoners received much less
○ Long-distance trade
 Traded for luxury goods with neighboring peoples
 Carried by slaves or serfs because there were no beasts
of burden
Inca Empire
Post-Classical American
Civilizations
 Incas (1100-1540 CE)
 Social
○ INCA (Emperor) was on top
○ Aristocratic class – served emperor as advisors and
○
○
○
○
governors
Priests
Warrior class
Peasants – organized into communities
Patriarchal but women did have the ability to inherit
property
Post-Classical American
Civilizations
 Incas
 Political
○ Cuzco was the capital
○ The Inca/Emperor owned all property and the commoners worked
for the Inca
 Mit’a system = all commoners owed required labor to the state for a
certain number of months each year, to build temples, roads, etc.
○ The Inca/Emperor controlled the empire with:
 Vast and powerful military
 Extensive network of roads
○ Alliances were made with neighboring rulers who swore allegiance
to the Inca and were allowed to keep their ruling positions
 Paid tribute to the Inca which was then redistributed throughout the Inca
Empire
Post-Classical American
Civilizations
 Incas
 Cultural
○ Religion played an important role in the Inca
Empire
 Temples were built for religious rituals
 Human sacrifice was practiced but NOT as much
or as frequently as the Aztecs
- Victims were mainly prisoners of war or as
tribute given by neighboring peoples
○ The Incas had no written language
 Relied on system of knots (quipu)
Post-Classical American
Civilizations

Incas
 Economic
○ Agriculture-based economy
 Innovations included terraced farming to utilize the
mountains
 Agricultural surplus was owned by the state and
stored in state storehouses
- For use in times of shortages or famine
○ Mit’a system created a more socialized economy
– people didn’t “own” property but instead worked
for the good of the Inca people
○ No distinct merchant class
 Long distance trade was LESS important than the
Aztecs due to self-sufficiency and state regulation of
production and surplus