early americans
DESCRIPTION
EARLY AMERICANS. First Americans. from Asia ca. 40,000 BC walked across land bridge, Beringia, covered by thick ice nomadic hunters (mammoth, bison, giant beaver, caribou and wooly rhino). Early Americans 15,000 Years Ago. First Americans Discovered. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
EARLY AMERICANS
First Americans
from Asia ca. 40,000 BC
walked across land bridge, Beringia, covered by thick ice
nomadic hunters (mammoth, bison, giant beaver, caribou and wooly rhino)
Early Americans 15,000 Years Ago
First Americans Discovered Clovis Man (Clovis, New Mexico)
bones, found chipped stones called Clovis Points, dates 11,000 BC
Monte Verde - Chile, S. America tools, bones, campsite, 12,000 BC.
Kennewick Man (Kennewick, Washington) skull found by students, Caucasian, 9,000 years
Agriculture Revolution in the Americas
• 7,000 BC – 5,000 BC Farming began- “The Three Sisters” = squash, beans, maize (corn)
• Farming led to large populations, cities, social classes, government, art, large buildings (pyramids)
Early Native North AmericansEskimo/Inuit – Alaska/Canada
whale, walrus, seal, fish, etc. -Inuit means “the People”
Pacific Northwest Natives - Chinook, Nez Perce, Shoshone-wooden houses- ate well- deer, salmon, elk, bear, seal, beaver -Totem poles- family history-Potlatch (party)- tribe member gives wealth
Potlatch
Southwest NativesThe Anasazi- “Ancient Ones” lived
in 4 Corners, built in cliffs-“The Basketmakers” - pottery and baskets-“Kokopelli”- flute-playing spirit, fertility to women & crops
The Hopi- peaceful (AZ/NM)- lived in pueblos- apartment buildings of stone & baked clay, no doors on ground-farmed corn
The Apache- war-like, fought, stole, torture
Northeastern Natives
Iroquois
lived in “long houses” (100 ft. long) made of wood and bark w/ 4 or 5 families
-hunted (deer, bear, and rabbit), farmed 3 sisters
-united Northeast tribes in a confederation to stop fighting w/ each other
The Mound BuildersMississippi & Ohio River Valleys• Adena and Hopewell built
large mounds filled with objects
-The Great Serpent Mound in Ohio
• The Mississippians built Cahokia ca. 1200 AD, 60 mounds, 100 ft. pyramid mound & about 10,000 people
Cahokia
Southeastern Natives
The Cherokee
1 of largest of Native American tribes (NC, SC, TN, GA, AL)
Farmers/hunters,
Many Cherokee forced to Oklahoma Territory in the 1800’s on the Trail of Tears.
Others- Seminole, Creek, Choctaw, Catawba, Alabama
Plains Indians
Plains Natives
Sioux, Mandan, Crow, Blackfeet, Comanche, Cheyenne
Lived in central U. S. (the Great Plains)
Nomadic hunters- followed bison, used all parts of the bisonmany lived in teepees
Fought each other over hunting grounds
Coup stick
The Early Meso-American Civilizations
Olmec (1300-400BC) Mexico• “Mother Culture”• astronomy, math,
calendars, hieroglyphic writing
• famous for “Big Stone Heads”- to honor leaders, 6’-8’ tall weighed several tons
• Great Pyramid- 100’ tall religious tomb.
• nature gods- the jaguar• human sacrifice
Zapotec
• (1000BC–600AD) SW Mexico
• Built city Monte Alban, pop. of 25,000 good farming, pyramids, palaces, calendars, hieroglyphic writing
Chavin
• (900 – 200 BC) Andes Mountains
• “mother culture” for S. America
• built a great city with pyramid temples, large mounds and artwork
Nazca
• (200 BC – 600 AD) southern Peru near coastal desert
• underground irrigation systems, woven blankets, rugs,
• pottery• Nazca Lines- giant
drawings out in the desert
Nazca astronaut or alien?
Moche• (100–700 AD) northern
Peru
• large farms w/ irrigation-corn, potatoes, beans, fish, duck, deer, crawfish
• gold/silver, made jewelry pottery
• practiced human sacrifice and decapitation
Moche sun temple pyramid
Moche sacrifice
Great Mesoamerican Civilizations
THE MAYA (200-900 AD)Yucatan Peninsula of
Central AmericaWritingCalendarAstronomyPyramidsMath- zero
Maya SocietyEach city- a separate state w/ its own king Maya Feudalism • Rulers- power thru heredity, like a god• Nobles- wealthy, ran the towns • Lower class- farmers, artisans, merchants • slaves- were prisoners of war used for labor and
sacrifice
Agriculturegood farmers
Canals & underground reservoirs called “cenotes” for irrigation & water
maize, beans, squash, cacao, chilies & bananas
fermented drink- lots of it!
Mayan Cities
over 100 cities
Tikal
Copan
Chichen Itza
great pyramids, palaces, ball courts
Pyramid IV at Tikal- tallest building in the Americas until 1903.
Mayan ball court
Mayan ReligionPolytheisticGods- sun, rain, wind, corn,
war, death, moon, the directions
Self-Sacrifice - cutting arms, legs, chests
Human sacrifice
Kings/Queens- blood from tongue & privates
End of the Maya
walked away from cities- No one knows why???
Wars, food shortage, overpopulation, over-farming, kings lost power
TOLTEC (900-1200 AD)
Central MexicoTula- great city, Tula
statuesGreat Warriors- blood &
human sacrificeThe “Wall of Heads”-
set the heads of victims in the center of the city.
Tula - sacked
Legend of QuetzalcoatlFeathered-serpent god,
god of wind & Venus
Toltec king wanted peace and took the name Quetzalcoatl- was overthrown, cast out to sea on a raft
Quetzalcoatl would return & bring peace to the empire, legend adopted by Aztec
THE AZTEC (1200–1500 AD)
Central MexicoBegan as nomads eating rats
& snakes, poor but tough
Tenochtitlan- capital city, named after chief Tenochtemples & palaces, 200,000 pop.
Two calendars, math advances, hieroglyphic writing
Aztec Farming
Chinampas – floating islands built for farming
Beans, corn, chilies, squash, tomatoes
AztecSociety
Aztec MilitaryBegan fighting for other tribes
All males trained to fight with spear, bow & knife.
At 10 went to school to learn Aztec history, religion, citizenship & a trade
The Aztec attacked other tribes to get human sacrifices and slaves
Hated by other tribes
Aztec Warriors
Aztec ReligionPolytheistic
Huitzilopochtli- sun god – a main god- battled forces of darkness each day so the sun would rise again,
Human sacrifice to make the sun come up - pulled the heart out, 20,000 sacrificed after one war
Individuals made blood sacrifices from their tongues, ears, arms and legs.
Fall of the Aztec
Montezuma II - ruler in 1502, wanted more sacrifice & tributes (payments) from other tribes
Created more hatred toward the Aztec
Spanish ArriveHernando Cortez & the
Conquistadors (Conquerors)Other tribes led Cortez to the
AztecAztec believed Cortez to be a
god (Quetzalcoatl)Aztec gave Cortez gold, jewels,
women, a seat next to Montezuma.
Cortez w/ 500 men, 16 horses, 2 cannon, & 20,000 of the Aztec enemy - kidnapped & killed Montezuma, destroyed Tenochtitlan.
THE INCA
THE INCA (1438-1535 AD)
Andes Mountains of S. America.
*Pachacuti- first Incan emperor defeated his 2 brothers, conquered other tribes.
*The Incan Empire covered over 2500 miles (largest) w/ 16 million people
*Inca Life- strictly controlled by the government (marriages, house, job)
Farming- terraced hillsides- land, crops owned by govt.
Medicine- used herbs, surgery
Roads- 14,000 miles of roads over mountains and deserts, military travel to control the empire & trade
Mummification- Incan royalty buried in tombs, others in caves or sides of high mountains.
Machu PicchuReligious city w/ over 200 buildings, built at 8,000 feet, not
found until 1911
Machu Picchu
End of the IncaCivil wars weakened the empire
Spanish invaded – gold
Francisco Pizarro armor, guns, swords, cannon, horses overwhelmed the Inca
Atahualpa- the last Incan emperor