The Earliest Americans

Section 1Chapter 1

Focus QuestionsHow did the first people arrive in the Americas?Why was the development of agriculture

important?What were some aspects of early Mesoamerican

cultures?What early societies existed in North America,

and what were their accomplishments?

The First Migration to the Americas

Many Scientists believe that people first arrived in North America during the last Ice Age

Giant glaciers formed and dropped the ocean levels over 300 feet from what they are today

When the water fell, a land bridge formed between northeastern Asia and present-day Alaska– this land mass would be called Beringia

The First Migration to the Americas

There are no written records during this time so historians rely on archaeology– the study of unwritten past

They look at artifacts– remains of objects made by humans

Artifacts suggest that Paleo-Indians, or first Americans, crossed into Alaska sometime between 38,000-10,000 B.C.

Migration– movement of people from one region to another

Many believe the Paleo-Indians first crossed over the land bridge in search of animals to hunt

The First Migration to the Americas

Most of their descendants traveled into present-day Canada, the United States, and Mexico

Eventually the descendents reached the tip of South America

These people were hunter-gatherers– lived by hunting animals (mammoth) and gathering wild plants

Adapting to a New ClimateWhen the Ice Age ended about 8000 B.C. the

oceans rose and covered Beringia with waterThe warmer weather created many new

environments– climates and landscapes (buffalo and deer replaced mammoths)

The different environments lead to the development of Native American societies

A society is a group that shares common culture (values and traditions)

Adapting to a New Climate The earliest farming societies

began in Mesoamerica (Middle America)

The process of breeding plants or animals to meet human needs is called domestication

Mexico shows signs of having the first maize (or corn) grown by people

Agriculture allowed Native American groups to settle in villages and this led to larger and complex societies

Mesoamerica and South America

The Olmec society was the first to settle in Mesoamerica

It is called the “mother culture” because it influenced so many later civilizations

Olmec civilization developed between 1200 and 400 B.C.

They invented a system of writing called glyphs (symbols that represented ideas)

Mesoamerica and South America

The Maya civilization thrived in southeastern Mesoamerica between A.D. 300 and 900

They built many large temples, palaces, and bridges

Along with creating several calendars, they studied mathematics and astronomy

Mesoamerica and South America

Around A.D. 1200, Aztecs occupied the central valley of Mexico

Tenochtitlan was the center of the Aztec civilization and it stood in the middle of a huge lake and had raised highways connecting the city to the shore

The Aztecs conquered neighboring empires and created vast trading networks

Mesoamerica and South America

The Inca civilization created an empire that stretched from present-day Ecuador to central Chile in South America

The Incas build a great road system that stretched 15,000 miles

The great Inca palace in the city of Cuzco had bathrooms with running water

Early North American Societies

The North American societies had to adapt to very different environments

The Anasazi lived in the current four corners area in southwest part of current day U.S.

Pueblos, or villages, were built among high hills and deep canyons

Many pueblos were multistory buildings with ladders connecting the different levels

They built these early pueblos on flat topped hills and later built them into cliff sides for defense (drought or war may have driven them from these homes around A.D. 1300)

Early North American Societies

The Hopewell culture arouse between 300 and 200 B.C. along the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri River Valleys

They supported their large populations with agriculture and trade

By A.D. 400 the Hopewell had declined

Early North American Societies

The Mississippian culture relied on trade

From A.D. 700 to early 1500 they lived along the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys

They built pyramid mounds out of solid earth

The largest of these mounds stands 98 feet tall and covers 16 acres

Focus QuestionsHow did the first people arrive in the Americas?Why was the development of agriculture

important?What were some aspects of early Mesoamerican

cultures?What early societies existed in North America,

and what were their accomplishments?