CHAPTER 9 NOTES: THE AMERICAS
Geography of the Americas
Both North and South America are dominated by rugged mountains and expansive waterways
-Rocky Mountains run the length of North America (Canada to Mexico)
-Andes Mountains run the length of South America (Peru to Chile/Argentina)
- Mississippi River runs down the central part of North America (Minnesota to Miss.)
- Amazon River runs through Rainforests of South America to Atlantic Ocean
The Americas are separated from Asia by a narrow strip of water known as the Bering Strait
- Bering Strait is shallow, 100-150 ft deep strait between Alaska and Russia
- During the Ice Age, the strait became a land bridge known as Beringia
- Beringia provided a way for Asians to migrate to the Americas
Immigration to America
Most historians believe early peoples migrated from Asia between 35K-8K years ago
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Belief that nomadic peoples had followed migrating animal herds across the land bridge
Historians believe that humans migrated into South America around 10,500 BCE
Myths of creation by North/South American cultures often depict information about a supreme
being and people’s duties in relation to their creator
Agriculture in the Americas
Earliest arrivals to the Americas were believed to be nomadic; followed migrating animal herds in search
of food.
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Large game animals included mastodons, mammoths, camels, and horses
11K years ago, scientists believe that radical climate change (like today??) melted glaciers and resulted
in water covering Beringia
RESULT: Many large animals referenced above became extinct
Hunter-gatherers had to rely more on plants and vegetation as a means of food consumption
Farming began initially in Mexico, then spread throughout the Western Hemisphere
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Beans, corn, squash among earliest crops to be produced
Avocados, sweet potatoes raised in South America and Caribbean regions
Potatoes became important food source in Peru
Farming in the Western Hemisphere was hampered by a lack of resources
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Native American farmers never invented a plow because they did not have any large animals
(horses, oxen) to pull the plow
No wheeled farming vehicles existed
Farming in North America/South America was done primarily via digging sticks and planting rows
What does a constant supply of food result in? (Remember from Chpt. 1) Specialization
NORTH AMERICAN CULTURES
As is in today’s world, culture is oftentimes shaped by geography.
Northwestern North America
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Reliant on fishing (excellent Salmon, trout, ocean fishing)
Expert woodworkers (majority of NW is forested)
Totem poles originated in NW
Potlatches: chief/leader display’s clan’s material goods, and give them away to guests
Southwestern North America
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Irrigation reliant (Southwest is largely a desert area)
Hohokam people were among the earliest settlers (300 BC- 500 AD)
Grew beans, corn, cotton
Pueblo people famously built adobe(sun-dried brick) homes in SW
Great Plains region
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Fertile region in central part of North America between Rocky Mtns and Miss. River
Abundant herds of buffalo roamed the region
Buffalo used as food source, clothing, tepee’s
Some farming occurred (beans, corn, squash)
Eastern Woodlands
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Canada to Gulf of Mexico along the east coast is extremely forested
Peoples in the East were farmers, traders (Miss. River great trade avenue)
Corn was grown, copper, shells, and mica were traded
Eastern peoples believed in the importance of mound-building (similar to acropolis)
Settlements centered around ceremonial mound
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICAN CULTURE
Olmec and Chavin peoples
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Olmec civilization was earliest Mexican culture
Consisted of large farming class, small elite class
Elite held military, political, religious power
Chavin people developed in the Andes mountains
Both civilizations are thought to have disappeared between 400-200 BCE
Maya
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Mayan peoples occupied the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico and lands in El Salvador
Maya were skilled architects and engineers
Constructed pyramid-shaped temples
Developed complete writing system (only early American culture to do so)
Writing based on pictographic characters called hieroglyphs
Mayan society revolved around religion. Mayans worshiped many Gods, and based their religion
around agriculture (Sacrifices made to Rain Gods)
Mayans were able to predict solar eclipses and devise accurate agricultural calendars
Toltec
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800 AD Toltec people invaded Mexico from the north
Military people that spread their empire as far south as the Yucatan
Toltec spread worship of their god Quetzalcoatl, which became one of the chief gods of ancient
Mexico and Central America (feathered serpent)
Aztec
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Built city of Tenochtitlan on an island in Lake Texcoco in Central Mexico
Ruled Central Mexico
By 1400 Tenochtitlan held 200K people, markets, temples, and palaces
Aztecs learned how to metalwork, make pottery, and weave from other cultures
Learned to use calendars and math
Worshiped Quetzalcoatl
Aztec farmed on chinampas- raised fields made with mud taken from lake bottoms
Military dominated Aztec culture
Inca
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Developed in Andes Mountains in South America
Empire encompassed most of S. America west coast (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile)
Inca Emperor had absolute power but used it to improve empire
Inca people built fortresses, irrigation systems, roads, and paved roads
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Used llamas to carry goods across mountainous terrain
Inca people built storehouses throughout the empire to store food in case of crop failure
Incan empire encompassed many different people and languages
Established educational system
Students learned an imperial language, laws, and Incan religious history
Quechua (ke-chuh-wuh), Incan language, still spoken today
Quipu- series of knots on parallel strings that stored info such as records of harvests, population
numbers, dates
Incan people created ceramics, textiles, and metals
Incan surgeons even performed operations on brains (developed anesthetics)