Chapter 1 section 1
The Earliest Americans
Summary: History of the People
• 1st: Descendants of those who crossed the
land bridge from Asia to the Americas
• 2nd: Olmecs (1200 BC- 400 BC)
• 3rd: Mayans (AD 200 - 900)
• 4th: Aztecs (AD 1200-1521)
• 5th: Incas (AD 1438-1532)
In your notebook…
1. What was the ice
age?
2. Why were early
people able to use
the Bering Land
Bridge?
3. Why did people
migrate to the
Americas?
Regions
• Mesoamerica: The area
extending approximately
from central Mexico to
Honduras and Nicaragua
in which civilizations
flourished prior to the
arrival of the Europeans.
• South America:
Continent from Colombia
and Venezuela south
Map
Olmecs (1200 B.C.-400 B.C.)
• Arts:
– Decorated cities with large carved stone statues
– Carved jewelry and other small objects from jade
– Used obsidian as a carving tool
• Agriculture:
– First to grow maize (corn) for food
• Engineering
– Built large drainage systems to direct water away
from fields and settlements
In your notebook…
4. Where did
the Olmecs live?
Mayans (250 - 900 A.D)
• Yucatan Peninsula (in the rainforest)
• Religion:
– Society centered around religion and most of
their accomplishments were driven by religious
beliefs.
– RELIGIOUS INSPIRATION: Priests needed to keep
accurate time in order to hold religious
ceremonies at the correct moment
– ACOMPLISHMENT: Mayans studied the sky (sun,
earth, moon, stars) and developed a calendar
system.
Mayans (250 - 900 A.D)
•RELIGIOUS INSPIRATION: Mayans needed temples in
which to worship
•ACCOMPLISHMENT: They built huge pyramids with
steps using careful planning.
• RELIGIOUS INSPIRATION:
Mayans needed to decorate
temples and tombs with
elaborate murals.
• ACCOMPLISHMENT: They
developed hieroglyphics and
a complex number system.
Mayans (250 - 900 A.D)
• Around 900 A.D., civilization declined
mysteriously.
• Possible causes:
– Overused the land and could not grow enough
food
– War
– Spread of disease
• Mayan descendants still live today and speak
Mayan language.
In your notebook…
5. Name 3
accomplishments
of the Maya.
Aztecs (1200-1521 A.D.)
•Moved from the north into central Mexico
around 1100s
•Conquered a large empire (most of
Mesoamerica) because they were fierce
warriors
•Because of their large empire, they created a
huge trade network
•The people they conquered had to pay
tributes (forced payments) to Aztecs
Aztecs (1200-1521 A.D.)
• Tenochtitlan = capital (today =
Mexico City)
– Built on 2 islands with lake in the middle
– Stepped pyramids
-- Marketplaces
where people
traded gold, silver,
and pottery
In your notebook…
6. How did the
Aztec build such
a powerful and
rich state?
Inca (1438-1532)
• Lived in the Andes Mountains in South
America
• Capital = Cuzco
• They expanded their empire to most of
western South America (pacific coast)
• Strong central government (king)
• Language– oral: Quechua
– No written language: only system of knotted
strings (quipu)
Inca (1438-1532)
• Claim to fame:
– Building (allowed for good communication and
control)
•
•
•
•
Huge stone blocks
Highways running the length of the empire
Paved roads
Rope bridges
– Art
In your notebook…
7. How were the
Inca different
from the
Aztecs?