Chapter 1: Colonizing America
Section 1: North America Before
Columbus
Mesoamerican Cultures
• Current science suggests that the first
humans arrived in America between 15,000
and 30,000 years ago.
– DNA tests show that these people most likely
came from Northeast Asia.
– These people used a land bridge that connected
Asia and Alaska.
• Beringia
– Why did these people cross the land bridge?
• Nomadic hunters following large animals.
• Overtime these people began to spread
throughout the Americas.
• Agricultural Revolution– Occurred between 7,500 and 9,500 years ago.
– Early Americans began planting crops.
– Began in Mesoamerica.
• Mesoamerica= central and southern Mexico and
Central America.
– Ag. Revolution allowed for the development of the
first civilizations.
The Olmec
• The first people to develop a civilization in
Mesoamerica.
• Olmec culture emerged between 1500 B.C.
and 1200 B.C.
• They developed a sophisticated society.
– Had large villages, temples complexes, and
pyramids.
• Olmec ideas and culture will spread
throughout Mesoamerica.
The Maya
• Emerged around 200 AD in the Yucatan Peninsula and
expanded into Central America and Southern Mexico.
• The Maya developed complex and accurate calendars
linked to the positions of the stars.
• They also built temple pyramids.
– Some pyramids were 200 ft. high.
– At the top, the Maya performed ceremonies to honor their
gods.
• The Maya were not unified.
– Each city-state controlled its own territory and frequently went
to war with one another.
• The Mayan culture thrived until 900 AD when they
abandoned the Yucatan.
The Toltec and The Aztec
• The Toltec– Built the city of Tula.
– They were master architects building large
pyramids and huge palaces.
– They were among the first American people to use
gold and copper in art and jewelry.
– Around 1150, Tula fell to invaders from the north
known as the Chichimec.
The Aztecs
• One group of Chichimec called the Mexica, founded
the city of Tenochtitlan around 1350. (Modern day
Mexico City)
• The Mexica took the name Aztec for themselves .
• The Aztecs created an empire by conquering their
neighbors.
– Using their military power, they controlled trade in the
region and demanded tribute from the cities they
conquered.
• The Aztecs were known to sacrifice humans to honor
their gods.
• By 1500, 5 million people were living under Aztec rule.
Western Cultures
• The Hohokam– Developed around 700 AD in south-central
Arizona.
– They developed large irrigation canals.
– They grew corn, cotton, beans, and squash.
– The Hohokam civilization flourished for 1000 years
but by the 1300s they abandoned their irrigation
systems and by 1500 they disappeared from
history.
• The Anasazi– Developed in the four-corners region of the USA
around 700-900 AD.
– These people are also known as the Navajo.
– They collected water by building networks of
basins and ditches to channel rain water.
– The Anasazi would be known for building pueblos.
– Pueblos were made out of mud and stone. These
building could be multistory houses.
Mississippian Culture and Its
Descendents
• Between 700-900 AD, Mississippian culture
emerged.
• It began in the Mississippi River valley
– Rich soil allowed the people to grow maize and
beans.
• The Mississippians built big cities and flat top
pyramids.
– Cahokia covered 5 sq miles and was home to
16,000 people.
Peoples of the
Southeast
• Many aspects of Mississippian culture traveled
to the Southeast.
– Most people lived in towns with houses and
buildings surrounding a central plaza.
– Women did most of the farming, while men
hunted deer, bear, and wildfowl.
• The Cherokee was the largest civilization in
the southeast.
– They were located in North Carolina, eastern
Tennessee, and Northeastern Georgia .
– About 20,000 Cherokee lived in 60 towns when
the Europeans arrived.
The Great Plains
• The people of the Great Plains were nomads.
– They abandoned farming and their towns to
become nomads due to war or drought.
– They followed buffalo herds that migrated
throughout the Great Plains.
• The mastery of taming wild horses brought
over by the Spanish allowed native people to
move and hunt more easily.
– The Sioux became the some of the world’s
greatest mounted hunters and warriors.
Northeastern Peoples
• The people of the Northeast combined
hunting, fishing, and farming to make great
societies.
• These people used slash and burn techniques
to clear more land for farming.
• Two groups of people emerged.
– 1. The Algonquian
– 2. The Iroquois
The Algonquian
• The Algonquian speaking people lived in what
it is today the New England area.
• A group of Algonquian people also lived in
Virginia.
• The Algonquian were the first Native
Americans to encounter English settlers.
The Iroquois
• The Iroquois people could be found in New York and
Canada.
• Iroquois tribes– Huron, Neutral, Erie, Wenro, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga,
Oneida, and Mohawk.
• Iroquois lived in longhouses in large towns protected
by wooden stockades.
• Men did the hunting and women were responsible for
planting and harvesting crops.
• Women selected the ruling councilmen
• Iroquois Confederacy– formed by 5 nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca,
and Onondaga.)
– Hiawatha, leader of the Mohawk, founded the