Ch. 1, Sec. 1 (Prehistory-­‐1500 ¡  1. Students will understand how people may have first reached the Americas ¡  2. Students will find out how people learned to farm ¡  3. Students will explore the civilizations of the Mayas, Aztecs and Incas. ¡  The First Americans §  The Land-­‐Bridge Theory §  Other Theories §  Learning to Farm ¡  Three Civilizations §  Mayas §  Aztecs §  Incas ¡  Glacier – thick sheets of ice ¡  Irrigate – a method to water crops by channeling water from rivers or streams ¡  Surplus – extra
¡  Civilization – an advanced culture in which people have developed cities, science, and industries ¡  Between 10,000 and 100,000 years ago, much of the world was covered by glaciers ¡  As more water froze, the water level in the oceans dropped ¡  Areas where shallow water had been turned into dry land ¡  One of these such areas stretched between Siberia and Alaska ¡  A bridge of land, many miles wide appeared, now it lies under a narrow waterway called the Bering Strait ¡  The Land-­‐Bridge may have appeared and disappeared several times ¡  Scientists believe that the first people came to the Americans 20 to 30,000 years ago ¡  They also believe that they were probably hunters, searching for large mammals such as the wooly mammoth ¡  Hunting bands slowly spread across North and South America The Land-­‐Bridge Theory (Video) ¡  Not everyone accepts the Land-­‐Bridge theory as truth, some believe that people may have first crossed the arctic waters by boat and traveled southward along the Pacific Coast §  Known as the coastal route theory ¡  Many Native Americans also dispute both theories, having their own creation stories which differ among each tribe ¡  For most of early civilizations, hunting was the primary means of survival. ¡  Game animals provided food, furs for clothing, and bones for tools ¡  In time, after much hunting, many larger animals began to disappear ¡  Deprived of their primary food source, hunters had to change their patterns ¡  In many place, hunters became gatherers, moving from place to place looking for small game & plants ¡  Around 8,000 years ago, gatherers in Mexico began growing food plants, including squash and lima beans. ¡  The discovery of farming transformed life and led to the development of modern civilizations ¡  No longer did families have to wander in search of food ¡  In dry regions, farmers began to develop systems of irrigation. ¡  They also learned how to raise animals such as cattle, pigs and llamas ¡  With a more dependable food supply, the population grew much more rapidly ¡  Native Americans began producing a surplus and trading with other groups ¡  No longer did families have to wander in search of food ¡  In dry regions, farmers began to develop systems of irrigation. ¡  They also learned how to raise animals such as cattle, pigs and llamas ¡  With a more dependable food supply, the population grew much more rapidly ¡  Native Americans began producing a surplus and trading with other groups How do scientists think people first reached the Americas? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ How do scientists think people first reached the Americas? Most scientists believe that the first people arrived by land. ¡  The development of farming led to the development of cities ¡  The development of cities led to the beginning of civilizations ¡  Over the centuries, several significant civilizations rose and declined in the Americas. ¡  The largest 3 were the Mayas, Aztecs, and the Incas ¡  The Mayas existed in what is now Mexico and Central America ¡  They built splendid cities containing large public plazas lined with pyramids, temples, ball courts, and palaces. ¡  They also developed arts, a system of government, and a written language. ¡  Their observation of the stars led to the most accurate calendar available, until modern times ¡  They carved the stories of their Gods and their histories into the stones of their buildings ¡  Around 900 A.D., they began to abandon their cities ¡  Why this happened remains a mystery. Most agree that it was either disease or over-­‐population ¡  The Mayan language is the root of over 20 civilizations in Central America today. As the Mayan civilization declined, another was on the rise ¡  The Aztecs built a great capital city, Tenochtitlan, on the site of present-­‐day Mexico City ¡  It was built on a series of small islands in the middle of a large lake ¡  The city was connected to the mainland by stone roadways ¡  Many farmers raised crops on floating platforms ¡  More than 200,000 people resided here during the height of the Aztecs, making it the largest city in the world at that time ¡
¡  The center of the city was a sacred place with dozens of temples that honored Aztec gods ¡  Religion dominated Aztec life ¡  To the Aztec’s, prosperity depended on the good will of the Gods ¡  They, like a number of other civilizations, practiced human sacrifice as an offering to their Gods. ¡  During the 1400’s, Aztec armies brought half of modern-­‐day Mexico under their control ¡  They had effective, but harsh rulers ¡  Conquered tribes were forced to send treasure, food, and prisoners to the Aztec capital. ¡  They also forced these conquered people to pay extremely high taxes ¡  Resentful subjects would eventually turn on the Aztecs when they needed allies ¡  In the 1400’s, the largest empire was in South America ¡  The Incan Empire stretched down the coast of South America along the Andes mountains, across the Atacama desert, and reached the fringes of the Amazon rain forest ¡  At the center of the Incan empire was Cuzco, their capital ¡  It was linked to other cities by a great series and system of roads ¡  They constructed buildings of huge stones, carefully shaped to fit together. ¡  They built walls solid enough to contain soil, canals to carry water, and bridges over deep canyons. ¡  They produced fine weavings and metalwork ¡  They wore jewelry made from gold and silver Where were the Aztec and Inca civilizations located? _______________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Where were the Aztec and Inca civilizations located? The Aztec civilization was in Central America and the Inca civilization was in South America. ¡  1) Name one skill that people had to learn in order to grow crops ¡  2) What benefits could farmers get from learning to raise animals? ¡  3) What is a civilization? ¡  4) How did the Mayas and Aztecs fit the definition of a civilization? 1. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ 4. ________________________________________ ________________________________________