CHAPTER 2: BEFORE THE FIRST GLOBAL
AGE
PREHISTORY-1600
Section 1: The First Civilizations of the Americas
In this section, we will:
• explain how people first reached the Americas.
• Describe the Olmec, Mayan, Aztec and Incan civilizations.
• summarize the development of early cultures in North America.
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Key vocabulary words this section:
glacier
surplus
causeway
quipu
terrace
culture
adobe
pueblo
Mound Builders
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• How did people reach the Americas?
Let's look at the map on page 37 for some
theories...
Who
i
man s that
w
the w ith
hair ild
a
bush nd the
y
mus
tach
e???
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• One theory is that
hunters crossed a land
bridge into the Americas
that connected Asia to
Alaska.
• glaciers soaked up
water from the oceans,
causing sea levels to fall
and exposing land that
had been underwater.
• others disagree,
suggesting that the
first Americans
crossed the arctic
waters by boat.
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• however they
ultimately arrived in
the Americas, the
early hunters had to
keep moving to
follow the_____of
animals.
• over many
centuries, they
spread out and
settled in North
America, South
America & Central
America.
• These Native
Americans developed
many customs &
languages.
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d
r
wo
b
ca !!
o
v rt!
ale cier eets
a
h
Gl ck s
i
!
th ice!
of
Ice tri
via: wh
at is
the dif
ference
betwee
n a glac
ier
and an
iceberg
?
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• Around 5,000 years
ago, an incredible thing
happened.
• people in Central
America learned how to
grow corn, beans &
squash.
• What did this mean
for people of that
region?
• How did it impact the
growth of villages?
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Surplus:
excess, or
extra food to
support large
populations
• Let's talk about
the early
Americans.
• 4 major groups:
1) Olmecs
2) Mayas
3) Incas
4) Aztecs
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If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Wanta change the world?
There's nothing
Good advice!
To it
Who sang it in
Secret Song
a famous
movie??
10
Olmec
Civilization
• Surplus food provided
for the needs of a large
population. With these
surpluses, the first cities
emerged.
• earliest known
civilization in the
Americas was that of the
Olmecs in Central
America about 3,500
years ago.
• Olmecs lived in the
lowlands along the Gulf
of Mexico.
• Olmec farmers supplied
nearby cities with food.
Olmec stone carving
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The Mayas
• lived in rainforests of
what is present-day
Mexico & Guatemala.
• around 1000 B.C. they
began clearing
swampland to use for
farming.
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Mayan ruins at Palenque
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• religious leaders had great power in the Mayan civilization.
• they were counted on to perform ceremonies to bring good harvests or victories in battle. • these rituals were done on tops of stone pyramids. • nobles also enjoyed high status in Mayan society, serving as warriors and government officials.
• near the bottom were laborers and farmers.
• at the bottom of the social structure were slaves & POWs. 14
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• Let's read about Mayan accomplishments on page 38 of our text! 2 other groups in the Americas
Aztecs
Incas
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• Aztecs were
nomads, who
settled near Lake
Texcoco
(pronounced TaySho-Ko).
• built capital city
on an island in the
middle of the lake.
• connected the
capital to the
mainland with
causeways, which
are raised roads
made of packed
earth.
Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan
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Aztec
"chinampas"
or floating
gardens
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• Far to the
south on the
west coast of
South America
were the Inca
people.
• let's read
about the Inca
on page 39.
What is
this?
How
about
this??
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!!!!
g
rnin
Wa
vocab
alert!!!
Culture: way of life of a people
Early Cultures of North America
• knowledge of
farming gradually
spread north.
• two groups
settled in the
American
Southwest.
• these groups
were the
Hohokams and the
Anasazis.
• Hohokams lived in
AZ, Anasazi in the
"Four Corners."
• Anasazi built adobe houses.
• Spanish would later call them
"pueblos."
• built their homes in cliffs (p. 41)
• Let's finish by reading about the
Mound Builders on p. 41
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American
Southwest
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