c. 1200 B.C. Olmec buildan empire

c. A.D. 100Moche civiliza-tion begins

c. A.D. 500Mayan civiliza-tion reachesits peak

c. A.D. 950Mayancities abandoned

1100 B.C. 400 B.C. A.D. 300 A.D. 10001100 B.C. 400 B.C. A.D. 300 A.D. 1000

The AncientAmericas

The ancient Mayancity of Chichén Itzá

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Chapter OverviewVisit ca.hss.glencoe.com for a preview of Chapter 6.

The First AmericansPhysical geography plays a role in how civilizations develop and

decline. The first people in the Americas arrived thousands ofyears ago. Farming led to the growth of civilizations in what isnow Mexico, Central America, and Peru.

The Mayan PeopleCivilizations are strengthened by a variety of advances. The Maya built

a complex culture in Mesoamerica with great temples and madeadvances in science and writing.

View the Chapter 6 video in the Glencoe Video Program.

309

Compare-Contrast Make this foldable to help you compare and contrast whatyou learn about the ancient Americas.

Reading and WritingAs you read the sectionson the ancient Americas,record importantconcepts and eventsunder the appropriatetabs. Then record ideassimilar to both under themiddle tab.

Step 1 Fold a sheet of paper in half fromside to side.

Step 2 Turn the paperand fold it into thirds.

Step 3 Unfold and cut only thetop layer along both folds. Step 4 Label as shown.

Fold it so the leftedge lies about

inch from the right edge.

12

This will makethree tabs. Olmec Both Maya

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Read first and take

notes afterwards. You

are likely to take down

too much information if

you take notes as you

read.

When you do research for a report or study for a test, it helpsto write down information so that you can refer to it later. By tak-ing notes, you can:

• phrase the information in your own words• learn to restate ideas in short, memorable phrases• stay focused on main ideas and only the most important sup-

porting details.

Taking Notes

A

CThese notes were recorded for the paragraph above.A. Asians followed animals across Beringia to the

AmericasB. Beringia—named after European explorer Vitus

BeringC. People came to Americas about 15,000 to 40,000

years ago

B

As the ice froze and the seas fell, an area ofdry land was exposed between Asia andAlaska. Scientists call this land bridge Beringia(buh • RIHN • jee • uh), after Vitus Bering, afamous European explorer. They think thatpeople in Asia followed the animals they werehunting across this land bridge into theAmericas. By testing the age of bones and toolsat ancient campsites, scientists estimate thatthe first people arrived between 15,000 and40,000 years ago.

—from page 313

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Choose an important per-son or place from thechapter. Then do researchusing at least threesources and take notesusing the two-columnmethod. Use your notesto write a brief paragraphsummarizing your topic.

Read to Write

311

As you read one of the sections, makea chart with important dates, names,places, and events as main ideas.Under each main idea, list at least twodetails from your reading.

Using a two-column chart can make note-taking easier. Writemain ideas in the left column. In the right column, write at least twosupporting details for each main idea. Read the text from this chap-ter under the heading Mayan Culture on pages 320–321. Then takenotes using a two-column chart, such as the one below.

Main Idea Supporting Details

Life in Mayan Cities 1.2.3.4.5.

Mayan Science 1.and Writing 2.

3.4.5.

What Happened 1.to the Maya? 2.

3.4.5.

Mayan ballplayer

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The First Americans

Looking Back, Looking AheadWhile civilization flourished in

Mesopotamia, India, and China,thousands of miles away in theAmericas, new civilizations began to develop.

Focusing on the • People came to the Americas during

the Ice Age, and about 10,000 yearsago, farming began in Mesoamerica.(page 313)

• The first civilizations in America werebased on farming and trade.(page 315)

Locating PlacesMesoamerica

(MEH•zoh•uh•MEHR• ih•kuh)Teotihuacán

(TAY•oh•TEE•wuh•KAHN)

Meeting PeopleOlmec (OHL•mehk)Maya (MY•uh)Moche (MOH•cheh)

Content Vocabularyglacier (GLAY•shuhr)

Academic Vocabularyexpose (ihk•SPOHZ)estimate (EHS•tuh•MAYT)

Reading StrategySummarizing Information Create achart to show the characteristics of theOlmec and Moche.

c. 1200 B.C.Olmecbuild anempire

c. A.D. 100Mochecivilizationbegins

c. A.D. 400Teotihuacánprospers

1500 B.C. A.D. 1 A.D. 5001500 B.C. A.D. 1 A.D. 500

312 CHAPTER 6 • The Ancient Americas

HistorySocial ScienceStandardsWH7.7 Studentscompare and contrastthe geographic, political,economic, religious, andsocial structures of theMeso-American andAndean civilizations.

Olmec Moche

Location

Dates

Lifestyle

Teotihuac´an

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WH7.7 Students compare and contrast the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the Meso-American and Andean civilizations.

Farming in MesoamericaPeople came to the Americas during the

Ice Age, and about 10,000 years ago, farming beganin Mesoamerica.

Reading Connection What would our lives be like if

people never learned to farm? Read to learn how farm-

ing made civilization possible in Mesoamerica.

We know people came to America along time ago, but how did they get here?Today, America is not connected by land tothe rest of the world, but in the past it was.Scientists have studied the earth’s geogra-phy during the Ice Age—a period whentemperatures dropped sharply. At thattime, much of the earth’s water froze intohuge sheets of ice, or glaciers (GLAY • shuhrz).

As the ice froze andthe seas fell, an area ofdry land was exposedbetween Asia andAlaska. Scientists callthis land bridge Beringia(buh • RIHN • jee • uh), afterVitus Bering, a famousEuropean explorer. Theythink that people in Asiafollowed the animalsthey were hunting acrossthis land bridge into theAmericas. By testing theage of bones and tools atancient campsites, scien-tists estimate that thefirst people arrived be-tween 15,000 and 40,000years ago.

When the Ice Age ended about 10,000years ago, the glaciers melted and releasedwater back into the seas. The land bridge toAmerica disappeared beneath the waves.

Hunting and Gathering Hunters in theAmericas were constantly on the move insearch of food. They fished and gatherednuts, fruits, or roots. They also hunted mas-sive prey, such as the woolly mammoth,antelope, caribou, and bison.

It took several hunters to kill a woollymammoth, which could weigh as much as 9 tons. These big animals provided meat,hides for clothing, and bones for tools.

As the Ice Age ended, some animalsbecame extinct, or disappeared from theearth. Other animals found ways to survive

CHAPTER 6 • The Ancient Americas 313

N

S

W E

Mercator projection2,000 km0

2,000 mi.0

PACIFICOCEAN

ATLANTICOCEAN

ARCTIC OCEAN

BeringSea

NORTHAMERICA

SOUTHAMERICA

ASIA

AUSTRALIA

AFRICA

Greenland

EUROPE

Land bridge theory

Coastal route

Migration to America

KEYExtent of ice sheetLand now under waterPossible migration routes

1. Movement How did prehistoricpeople get to America from Asia?

2. Human/EnvironmentInteraction Why do you thinkprehistoric people spreadthroughout the Americas?

Find NGS online map resources @ www.nationalgeographic.com/maps

Stone arrowhead

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the spring, helping seeds to sprout. Theydecreased in the summer, allowing crops toripen for harvest. Then, in the autumn, therains returned, soaking the soil for the nextyear’s crop.

The first crops grown in the Americasincluded pumpkins, peppers, squash,gourds, and beans. It took longer todevelop corn, which grew as a wild grass.Early plants produced a single, one-inchcob. By about 2000 B.C., early Americanshad learned the technique of crossing cornwith other grasses to get bigger cobs andmore cobs per plant. This increased thefood supply and allowed Mesoamericanpopulations to grow. Corn, also known asmaize, became the most important food inthe Americas.

Summarize How did theagricultural revolution begin in America?

the change in environment. The warmweather, however, opened new opportuni-ties to early Americans.

The Agricultural Revolution in AmericaThe first Americans were hunter-gatherers,but as the Ice Age ended and the climatewarmed, people in America made an amaz-ing discovery. They learned that seedscould be planted and they would grow intocrops that people could eat.

Farming began in Mesoamerica (MEH •zoh • uh • MEHR • ih • kuh) 9,000 to 10,000 yearsago. Meso comes from the Greek word for“middle.” This region includes landsstretching from the Valley of Mexico toCosta Rica in Central America.

The region’s geography was ideal forfarming. Much of the area had a rich, vol-canic soil and a mild climate. Rains fell in

An Olmec stone head

Moche pottery in the shape of a llama

MEXICO

N

S

W E

300 km0Bipolar Oblique projection

300 mi.0

90°W 80°W

100°W

10°N

0°EQUATOR

10°S

P A C I F I CO C E A N

Gulf of MexicoYucat´an

PeninsulaValley ofMexico Tikal

Moche

La Venta

Teotihuac´an

1. Region What geographical trait didall three civilizations share?

2. Location How far apart were theMayan and Moche civilizations?

Olmec c. 500 B.C.

Moche c. A.D. 700 Maya c. A.D. 750

KEY

Ancient American Civilizations

Michael Holford

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WH7.7.1 Study the locations, landforms, and climates of Mexico, Central America, and South America and their effects on Mayan,Aztec, and Incan economies, trade, and development of urban societies.

Early American CivilizationsThe first civilizations in America were

based on farming and trade.

Reading Connection Have you ever traded something

with your friend for something you wanted? Read to find

out how early American civilizations traded goods to get

what they needed.

Growing corn and other crops allowedMesoamericans to form more complex soci-eties. Starting around 1500 B.C., the firstAmerican civilizations appeared.

Who Were the Olmec? Near present-dayVera Cruz, Mexico, a people called theOlmec (OHL• mehk) built a far-reaching trad-ing empire. It started around 1200 B.C. andlasted about 800 years.

The Olmec enjoyed rich farming re-sources. For example, they received abundant

CHAPTER 6 • The Ancient Americas 315

rainfall and crops grew well. Instead of build-ing irrigation systems, they built drainagesystems to divert water to protect their crops.

The Olmec lacked important raw materi-als. They traded salt and beans with inlandpeoples to get jade for jewelry and obsidian,or volcanic glass, to make sharp-edgedknives. They used other trade goods such ashematite, a shiny volcanic stone, to makepolished mirrors and basalt to carve gigan-tic stone heads.

The Olmec used the region’s many riversas highways for trade, but eventually, theinland peoples seized control of the trade.One of these groups built the first plannedcity in the Americas. It became known asTeotihuacán (TAY • oh • TEE • wuh • KAHN), or“Place of the Gods.” The city reached itsheight around A.D. 400. It had a populationof between 120,000 to 200,000 people.

This pyramid was in the Mayan city of Tikal, whichwas located in present-day Guatemala. Whatcaused the downfall of the Mayan civilization?

The Pyramid of the Sun is located in theMesoamerican city of Teotihuacán. At over200 feet tall, this pyramid is the tallest inpresent-day Mexico.

Am

eric

an M

useu

m o

f N

atur

al H

isto

ry

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Who Were the Maya? As Teotihuacán’spower spread, a people called the Maya(MY • uh) built a civilization in the steamyrain forests of the Yucatán Peninsula (YOO •kuh • TAN). They, too, traded throughoutMesoamerica. The Maya used their centrallocation to reach into what is now southernMexico and Central America. Mayantraders in seagoing canoes paddled alongthe coast, perhaps reaching as far as thepresent-day United States. You will readabout the Maya in Section 2.

The Moche South of Mesoamerica, a civi-lization developed on the west coast ofSouth America. The Moche (MOH • cheh)people lived in the dry coastal desert wherePeru is today.

The Moche civilization lasted from aboutA.D. 100 to A.D. 700. They dug canals that

carried water from rivers in the Andes totheir desert homeland. Because of this irri-gation, the Moche suffered no shortage offood. They ate corn, squash, beans, andpeanuts. They also hunted llamas andguinea pigs and fished in the Pacific Ocean.Llamas also served as pack animals and pro-vided wool for weaving.

This surplus of food freed the Moche todo other things. Moche engineers built hugepyramids, and Moche traders exchangedgoods with people as far away as theAmazon River valley. These goods includedpottery, cloth, and jewelry.

For all their achievements, the Mochenever expanded much beyond their home-land. They were eventually replaced by acivilization called the Inca.

Describe What wasAmerica’s first civilization? Where did it develop?

Reading SummaryReview the

• The first Americans were mostlikely hunter-gatherers who camefrom Asia across a land bridge.The first civilization appeared inMesoamerica when peoplelearned to farm.

• A number of civilizations devel-oped in the Americas, includingthe Olmec and Maya in CentralAmerica and Mexico, and theMoche in South America. All weredependent on farming.

1. Why was Mesoamerica’s geog-raphy ideal for farming?

2. How did the first Americansdevelop corn?

Critical Thinking3. Summarizing Information

Draw a chart like the onebelow. Add details about theearly peoples of Mesoamericaand South America.

4. Summarize How did the firstpeople come to the Americas,and how did they live oncethey were here?

5. How did geogra-phy shape Moche civilization?

6. Expository Writing Write ashort essay comparing the civi-lizations that developed inMesoamerica and SouthAmerica.

7. Taking NotesReview Section 1 and takenotes. Create an outline of thesection from your notes. Usethis outline to review the sec-tion. CA 6RC2.4

CA 6WS1.3

CA CS3.

CA 6RC2.0

CA 6RC2.4

What Did You Learn?

Study Central Need help understanding therise of civilization in the Americas? Visitca.hss.glencoe.com and click on Study Central.

316 CHAPTER 6 • The Ancient Americas

Mesoamerica

South America

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