Different Worlds Meet

Unit 1

What we will learn...

• Who are the natives of Mesoamerica?• Where did they settle?• Why did these great empires fall?• Who were the explorers from Eurasia and

what were their motivations?

The First Americans

• There are a few different theories about where these first people came from...

Conflicting Theories

• Theory 1: People came across the Pacific Ocean from Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Phillippines by boat

• Theory 2: People came across the Atlantic Ocean by boat

• Theory 3: People crossed a land bridge from northern Asia into the Americas that was exposed during the last Ice Age

• Since we have no written records to look at, how do archaeologists figure out which theory is correct?– Artifacts: tools, weapons, baskets, and carvings

left behind• Each theory has some support, but the most

compelling argument is for...

#3: People crossed a land bridge (Beringia) from northern Asia into the Americas

• Ice Age: Period of extreme cold– Glaciers covered the Earth– Most recent ice age lasted from 100,000-12,000

years ago– Causes lower sea levels

• Which leads to?• Land from underwater being exposed!• Why doesnt this land bridge exist today?

– About 15,000 years ago, global temperatures rose, causing the bridge to disappear back into the water, cutting off the first Americans

Who were these first people?

• Nomads: People who move from place to place– Where does their food come from?

• Hunting and Gathering

• Early Americans relied on large game (mammoth, bison, mastodons), but these animals began to die off

• About 9,000 years ago, people in what is today Mexico began to plant maize, pumpkins, beans, and squash

• What does farming allow these people to do?

New Skills!

– Before farming, everyone had to focus on gathering food to survive

– Now, some people can focus on gathering food while others focus on other needs of the group• What does this sound like to you?

• Farming allows people to develop other skills– Pottery, Cloth– Permanent shelters made of clay, stone, or wood