*Andes Mountains
*4,500 miles from Colombia to Chile
*Many peaks over 20,000’
*Steep, rocky, poor soil
*Hot and dry during the day
*Very cold at night
*Societies in the Andes
*Settlements on the Coastal Plain*Andes Mountains, climate, environment make travel, farming difficult *Harsh deserts lie along Pacific coast*However, coastal areas with rivers have good soil; are settled 3600-2500 BC*Around 3000 BC agriculture starts; by 1800 BC communities arise
*The Chavin
*Chavin-first influential culture in South America (mother culture of South America)
*Arises in highland region of Peru; flourishes from 900 BC to 200 BC
*No evidence of political or economic organization
*RELIGIOUS civilization
*Gods-part human and part animal
*Chavin
*Named for major ruin, Chavin de Huantar
*City has pyramids, plazas, and massive earth mounds
*Chavin culture spreads over north and central Peru
*Influences other cultures
*Religious images reflected in stone carvings, pottery and textiles
*Religious centers featuring pyramids, plazas and giant earthen mounds
*Would the Chavin culture have been more influential if it had arisen along the Peruvian coast?
*Yes-Travel would have been easier.
*No-People made the difficult pilgrimages despite the rugged terrain.
*Nazca
*Nazca-culture on dry, southern coast of Peru
*Flourishes from 200 BC to 600 AD
*They build irrigation systems and make beautiful pottery and textiles
*Nazca Lines—Discovered in 1927*1,000 puzzling designs on
land—images of animals, geometric shapes and mythological beings
*Theories About the Lines*1. Please the gods?
*2. Lines indicated where surface water entered the plain and marked elevated land between ancient riverbeds?
*3. A map that marks the course of underground aquifers?
*4. Straight lines may have led to ceremonial sites?
*How Have the Lines Lasted Over 1,000 years?*One of the driest regions on earth
*Ground is flat and stony
*Wind rarely carries away the soil
*Minimal erosion
*Nazca—Headhunters?
*In ceramic and textile design, Nazca artisans depict the taking of human heads.
*Moche
*Moche-culture that thrives on northern coast of Peru
*Flourishes from 100 to 700 AD
*Images on Moche tombs and pottery reveal how they lived
*GOLD and silver jewelry; musical instruments, woven clothing; doctors, soldiers
*Neither Moche religion nor fall of culture are understood
*No written language
*Moche
*Moche build large irrigation systems to water wide range of crops
*Corn, beans, potatoes, squash, peanuts, fish, ducks, guinea pigs, deer, crayfish
*What can be inferred from the discovery of Nazca shrunken heads and the depiction of soldiers on Moche pottery?
*Both the Nazca and the Moche had enemies; some of their people were warriors.
*Identify similarities in the Chavin, Nazca, and Moche cultures.
*Successfully adapted to a harsh, rugged environment
*All built flourishing civilizations known for their art styles and beautiful crafts.
*Connections Across Time and Cultures
*1. Prospering agricultural villages and surpluses of food helped lead to the rise of civilizations. Give some examples from the rise of civilizations in the Americas
*Food supply—population growth—settled communities—skill and social classes
*Characteristics of Civilizations
*2. Advanced Cities:
*Monte Alban, San Lorenzo, La Venta
*Specialized Workers:
*Urban Design, Craftspeople, Sculptors, Weavers, Musicians, Doctors
*Record Keeping:
*Calendars; Zapotec writing
*Complex Institutions:
*Trade Networks, Ruling Classes, Ceremonies
*Advanced Technology:
*Irrigation
*3. As the economy becomes more specialized, social classes begin to emerge. Describe the social structure in Olmec culture.
*Ruling class (priests to nobles), peasant farmers, artisans and traders (middle class)
*4. As populations grew, religion became more organized. Describe some religious traditions that were followed by some of the earliest American civilizations.
*Jaguar spirits, nature gods, temples
*5. Identify other ways in which the rise of civilization in the Americas parallels the rise of ancient civilizations in different parts of the world.
*Learned to control environment; created solutions to environmental problems; used resources to build thriving communities; applied organized cooperation and leadership to massive building projects