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 Chichn Itz
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
http://ca.hss.glencoe.com
Read first and take
notes afterwards. Y
ou
are likely to take d
own
too much informat
ion if
you take notes as y
ou
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. Beringianamed 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
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 320321. 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
The First AmericansLooking Back, Looking Ahead
While Western Europe rebuiltitself after the fall of Rome, diversecultures thrived in the Americas.
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
(MEHzohuhMEHR ihkuh)Teotihuacn
(TAYohTEEwuhKAHN)
Meeting PeopleOlmec (OHLmehk)Maya (MYuh)Moche (MOHcheh)
Content Vocabularyglacier (GLAYshuhr)
Academic Vocabularyexpose (ihkSPOHZ)estimate (EHStuhMAYT)
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. 400Teotihuacnprospers
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
Teotihuacan
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 ifpeople 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 earths geogra-phy during the Ice Agea period whentemperatures dropped sharply. At thattime, much of the earths 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
Coastalroute
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
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps
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 nextyears 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 formiddle. This region includes landsstretching from the Valley of Mexico toCosta Rica in Central America.
The regions 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
90W 80W
100W
10N
0EQUATOR
10S
P A C I F I CO C E A N
Gulf of MexicoYucatan
PeninsulaValley ofMexico Tikal
Moche
La Venta
Teotihuacan
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
WH7.7.1 Study the locations
