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8/14/2019 3 ESO.- Topic 5, America before 1492
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3 ESOTopic Five:
America before 1492
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Ancient America
The first inhabitants of the American
continents were nomadic hunters
and gathers. These nomads probably
arrived in North America around
40,000 years ago, following a land
bridge that formed between North
America and Asia. It is believed that
another group of humans migrated
from Asia into North Americaaround 12,000 years ago. Some
scientist also think that some people
might have used boats to follow
ocean currents to the tip of South
America, while others arrived
following ice from Western Europe.
As these various groups traveled into the new world following wild game, they spread outacross the land, forming new cultures, and in some cases, complex civilizations.
Four thousands of years, these early inhabitants of the Americas made a life by hunting
game, and gathering food from seeds, berries, and wild plants. Then around 5000 B.C. an
agricultural revolution took place near present day Mexico.
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Agricultural Revolution
For thousands of years, the inhabitants who lived on the American continents lived offof the land. Then in 5000 B.C. near present day Mexico many groups of people began
to discover farming.
They realized that they could
plant crops such as corn,
pumpkins, potatoes, and
squash, and by doing so, couldbetter provide for the needs of
their people.
This new technology spread
from Mexico outward to other
parts of the Southwest, so that
by 3000 B.C. many groups of
people in the region wereactively practicing farming.
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Villages Development
The practice of farming the land led to the
development of villages. The people no longer
had to travel in search of wild game and plant
life. Instead, they could settle down in one
place, and begin to build more permanent
structures.
These permanent villages allowed for
more complex societies and cultures toevolve in the region. New religions and
governments began to form, and
individuals began to become more
specialized in their jobs.
This specialization of work tasks allowed
technology to really take off, so that greatadvancements were made. The people
became more skilled in tool making,
creating special implements for farming,
fishing, building and so forth.
All of this meant that the standard of living
in the Americas could be greatly improved.
This improved standard of living led to apopulation explosion. By A.D. 1500 it is
estimated that more than 50 million people
lived in the Western Hemisphere.
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Cultural Differentiation
The various peoples inhabiting North America
gradually developed many different andunique cultures. Each culture was heavily
influenced by the land, and natural resources
around the people. These cultures included
their traditions, religious practices, and their
everyday lives and customs.
As this happened, the various cultures became
regionalized. That is to say that the cultures ofdifferent groups of people were very similar to
one another in the same region, but very
different from the cultures of the peoples in
another region. The process of cultures
developing in a specific region is known as
cultural differentiation.
The regions that developed in North America
were the Arctic, the Northwest, the California
region, The Great Basin, the Southwest, the
Great Plains, and the Eastern Woodlands.
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The Great Basin
Little water, and as a
result, little wildlife. This
made this region a difficult
place to live.
The Southwest
The peoples of the Southwest lived in some of the most extreme conditions in North
America: hot and dry deserts with scarce food and shelter.
The Great Plains
This vast region of
regular rainfall were
covered in wild
grasses. These
grasses supported a
wide variety ofwildlife mainly bison.
The Eastern
Woodlands
People lived in
farming villages.
The land was rich
and fertile.
The Arctic Peoples
The peoples who settled in the Arctic lived in an
area of frigid temperatures. Farming the land was
impossible.
The Northwest People
Like the peoples of the Arctic, the Northwest
peoples lived off of the ocean, and rivers. They
fished, and hunted wildlife.
The California Region
Their lands were warm year
round, with abundant
rainfall and wildlife.
Developed culture, including
art, and religion.
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Mesoamerican and
Southamerican Cultures
The people who inhabited Central America
formed a number of advanced civilizations
between 1500 B.C. and A.D. 1200. As one
civilization faded in the region, another
developed to take its place. Later
civilizations borrowed many aspects ofculture from earlier civilizations, as well as
creating their own unique traditions.
Historians call these civilizations the
Mesoamerican cultures. The word meso
means middle. These peoples all lived in
middle America.
AZTECS
MAYA
INCA
In the Andes Mountains around 1200 a
civilization developed independently
from the civilizations of Mesoamerica.
This civilization would become known
as the Incas.
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The Teotihuacans
The Teotihuacans
thrived for nearly 750years. Then in 750
invaders from the north
known as the Toltecs
conquered and
destroyed them.
The Olmecs
Around 1500 B.C. villages in Mesoamerica became more complex and specialized. These
people formed a nation which they called Olmec.
The ToltecsThe Toltecs began to
conquer much of the
territory in the region.
Their capital city was
called Tul
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OLMECS (1500BC-500 BC)
1500 BC 1500750750 BC 0
TOLTECS
1100 BC 1100400 BC 400
TEOTIHUACANS
THE MAYANS (900 BC-900)
AZTECS
INCAS
(1200-
1533)
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The Mayans
Around 900 B.C a group of people known as the Mayansbegin to settle the territory around the Yucatan
Peninsula. By 300 A.D. they Mayan culture had become
quite advanced. The Mayans were not ruled by a central
government. They shared the same language, traditions,
and culture, but they were lead by small local
governments.
By A.D. 900 the Mayan culture began to decline. It is
not entirely clear as to why, however many historians
believe that war broke out between different
members of royal families. This civil war made
farming difficult, and as a result, many people died
from hunger and disease. By the late A.D. 900s almost
all signs of this once great civilization were gone.
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Mayan Sports
The Mayans are one of the first peoples to develop and play professional sports. One of the
most important sports played by the Mayans was called Pok-a-tok.
Using a solid
rubber ball, which
was about the size
of a basketball,
teams battled one
another. The goal
of this game wasto hit the ball into
a stone hoop.
Mayan Science
The Mayans became excellent scientists in many different fields, including medicine,
astronomy, and mathematics. They tracked the movement of the stars and planets across the
sky, and were able to accurately predict celestial events such as eclipses.
They also developed an accurate calendar of 360 days, which they used to plan their
harvests, and religious ceremonies.
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Mayan Writings
One of the most important advancements developed
by the Mayans was written language. The Mayans
developed a complex system of writing, which
consisted of both an alphabet, as well as symbols,
which represented whole words or thoughts.
These writings were recorded in books made out of
bark and plaster, as well as carved into monuments,
bones, and stone. Many of these writings have
survived to the present, and help give us an accuratelook at their history, and culture.
Mayan Religion
The Mayans believed that the universe was made up of two separate worlds. The everyday
world, and the otherworld. The everyday world was the world in which they lived. The
otherworld, they believed, was were gods, spirits, and their dead ancestors lived.The village chief acted as the leader of political life, as well as the priest. He was responsible
for standing between his people, and the otherworld. He performed important religious
ceremonies, that the Mayans believed would earn the favor of those in the otherworld, and
bring about their blessings. These ceremonies included the sacrifice of humans, as well as the
blood letting of the priest.
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In A.D. 1400 a group of nomadic hunters called the Aztecs migrated into Mesoamerica in
search of food and wild game. By A.D. 1325 the Aztecs had settled in present day Mexico
City, and had built a large, beautiful and powerful city, on a small island which they called
Tenochtitlan
As the population of Tenochtitlan
grew, the island became too
small. Their innovative solutionwas to make the island bigger.
They built large wooden rafts,
which they covered with mud,
and secured to the lakebed with
stakes. Many people lived and
farmed on these floating parcels
of land
THE AZTECS
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By A.D. 1500 the Aztecs had
used both their military
strength, as well as political
ties to conquer almost all of
the territory in and around
their capital city. Their
empire stretched from the
Pacific Ocean in the west, tothe Atlantic Ocean in the
east.
The Aztec Government
The Aztecs founded a strong secure central government. This helped provide stability, and
allowed the empire to thrive. At the top of this government was the royal family, headed by
an emperor or king
This emperor appointed various authorities to rule different regions of his empire. These
leaders swore allegiance to the emperor himself. The emperor maintained his control
over the empire through the use of his vast and powerful army
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The Aztec Empire Falls
In A.D. 1521 the peoples who were ruled by the Aztecs grew tired of the treatment they
received at their taskmasters hands. The Aztecs required all conquered peoples to pay
heavy and burdensome taxes. They also often sacrificed their men to the Aztec gods aspart of their religious practices.
In this year these people joined forces with the Spanish explorers, who had arrived in the
region, and attacked the Aztec capital. They were quickly able to overthrow the Aztec
Empire.
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The Inca Empire
In the Andes Mountains around A.D.
1200 a civilization developed
independently from the civilizations of
Mesoamerica. This civilization would
become known as the Incas
By the late A.D. 1200s the Incas hadsettled in the city of Cuzco, which
would eventually become their capital.
In A.D. 1438 Pachacuti became the
king of the Incas. He and his son Topa
began a great period of expansion,
creating what would be the largest
empire in the new world, and one of
the largest empires in the world.
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The Incas formed a powerful central government. Pachacuti allowed local leaders to
continue governing the people, so long as they remained loyal to him. If they did not,
he relocated the people to distant parts of his kingdom, where they would not pose a
threat.
He passed and recorded laws that were consistent throughout the empire, and
founded courts, trade routes, and initiated many building projects that strengthened
his empire.
In order to further unite the people, Pachacuti required all his subjects to learn and
speak a common language. This language was called Quechua. There are still many
people in these regions who speak Quechua to this
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The Incas Fall
In A.D. 1533 the Spanish arrived in South America. Hungry for territory, and for
converts to Christianity, the Spanish overwhelmed the Incan Empire. Their armies were
no match for the far superior Spanish technologies. While the Incan Empiredisappeared completely, the Incan people remained in the region. To this day, many
descendants of the Incans still inhabit the nations of Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador.
These people still speak Quechua, the official Incan language, and still practice Incan
culture.