Bell Ringer

Who were the first group of people to come to the Americas? Give a few answers.

Earliest Americans

Bering Land Bridge Theory

Many scientists believe that during the last Ice Age ocean levels dropped and a land bridge was exposed between Asia and Alaska.

During this time evidence shows that Paleo-Indians crossed between 38,000 and 10,000 B.C. then fanned out across the Americas.

Migration from Asia

The Indians who crossed the land bridge were hunter-gatherers who migrated south following animal herds.

Some travelled as far south as the southern tip of South American.

Native American Culture Shift

Native Americans eventually shifted from nomadic hunter-gatherers to farming people.

They learned how breed animals, farm, and grow plants.

Maize was one of their most important early crops.

Farming allowed groups to settle and create civilizations.

Aspects of a Civilization Cities

Well organized government

Social classes

Complex religion

Method of record keeping

South American Societies

Olmec

Maya

Aztec

Inca

Olmec Earliest known American

civilization founded 1200 BC.

Trade helped spread their culture throughout the Americas.

Built the first pyramids in the Americas and sculpted large stone heads.

Mayans

Grew maize and other crops like the Olmecs.

Began building large cities by 200 A.D.

The Mayans had a 365 day calendar and the concept of zero.

There were priests, nobles, warriors, government officials, laborers, and slaves in Mayan society.

Their civilization began to collapse in the 900s, but historians are not sure why.

Aztecs Warring society with superior military ability.

Built their empire buy conquering towns and making alliances which allowed them to expand their trade network in the mid 1100s.

In 1325 they founded Tenochtitlan (modern day Mexico City).

The Aztec were rich in cotton, gold, and food from trade and tribute from conquered peoples.

Inca

The Incas began expanding in the mid 1400s.

Eventually the empire had more than 12 million people in it.

Strong central government with a king as the ruler.

Records were kept with a system of knotted strings called quipu because they did not have a written language.

Large system of buildings and paved roads allowed the Incas to communicate and control their vast empire.

Assignment Using the textbook and the handout, discuss some of the

similarities between the Olmecs, Mayas, and Aztecs.

Section 1 Assessment, question 3.

I will have a link to an article on my website. Tonight you should read the article and then explain if you think the Olmecs were the mother culture of the Americas or just a sister culture. Explain by giving examples from the article.