Early Human Migrations

By 700 CE, humans had established communities in almost every habitable part of the world.

Major Pre-Columbian Civilizations

Early Mesoamerican societies 1200 BCE – 1100 CE

Origins of Mesoamerican Societies

• Melting glaciers 18,000 years ago began a rise in ocean waters.

• Migration across Bering land bridge?– Probably 13,000 BCE, perhaps earlier

• By sea from Asia?• By 9500 BCE reached southernmost part

of South America• Hunter/Gatherer societies

– evolve into agricultural societies

Olmecs

• 1200-100 BCE• The “Rubber People”• Ceremonial Centers

– San Lorenzo, La Venta, Tres Zapotes• Olmec Heads

– Up to 10 ft tall, 20 tons– Transported by dragging, rolling on logs– 1000/workers per head

The Olmec heartland where the Olmecs reigned from 1400 - 500 BCE

It is now generally

accepted that these heads are portraits

of rulers, perhaps

dressed as ballplayers.

17 heads have been

unearthed so far!

Agriculture and Herding

• Abundant rainfall, so no need for irrigation– Drainage systems to divert waters

• Staple: maize• Herding: turkeys, barkless dogs

– Both food• No draft animals

– No development of wheeled vehicles

Olmec Society

• Probably authoritarian in nature• Large class of conscripted laborers to

construct ceremonial sites– Also tombs for rulers, temples, pyramids,

drainage systems

The Olmecs• The first major American civilization who

built ceremonial centers around pyramids.

• Had an elaborate calendar, writing system and widespread trading network.

• There is evidence that the Olmec practiced ritual bloodletting and played the Mesoamerican ballgame, hallmarks of nearly all subsequent Mesoamerican societies.

The Olmecs• The first major American civilization who

built ceremonial centers around pyramids.

• Had an elaborate calendar, writing system and widespread trading network.

• There is evidence that the Olmec practiced ritual bloodletting and played the Mesoamerican ballgame, hallmarks of nearly all subsequent Mesoamerican societies.

Mysterious Decline of Olmecs

• Ceremonial centers destroyed• No evidence of warfare• Revolution? • Civil war?

Lands of the Maya

The Yucatan

Peninsula

Maya• Huge cities discovered in 19th c.• 300 BCE-900 CE• Terrace Farming

– Maize– Cotton

• Cacao beans – chocolate– currency

• Major ceremonial center at Tikal (500,000)– Chichen Itza & Palenque b/w 10-30,000 people

Temple I (also known

as the Temple of the Great Jaguar) in the Plaza

Mayor

Chichen-Itza - Pyramid

Maya Warfare

• Warfare for purposes of capturing enemy soldiers

• Ritual sacrifice of enemies– Enslavement– Small kingdoms engage in constant conflict

until Chichén Itzá begins to absorb captives• Some nevertheless choose death• Center of empire develops

Mayan Ritual Calendar• Complex math

– Invention of “Zero”• Calendar of 365.242 days (17 seconds off)

– Solar calendar of 365 days– Ritual calendar of 260 days

• Management of calendar lends authority to priesthood– Timing of auspicious moments for agriculture– Devise written language– Compile astronomical knowledge

Mayan Language and Religion• Ideographs and a syllable-alphabet

– Most writings destroyed by Spanish conquerors– Deciphering work began in 1960s

• Popol Vuh: Mayan creation myth– Humans created from maize & water > flesh &

blood• Agricultural cycle maintained in exchange

for honors and sacrifices• Bloodletting rituals

– Human sacrifices follow after removal of fingers, piercing to allow blood flow

The Maya Ball Game

• Ritual game• High-ranking captives, prisoners of war

contestants• Execution of losers immediately follows

the match• Bloodletting ritual for the gods• Most Maya ceremonial centers, towns and

cities had courts

Chichen-Itza - Ball Court

A Goal in the Ball Court at Chichén Itzá, Mexico

Social Hierarchy

• Most Maya were farmers who supplied resources for an elaborate trading network.

• Each city had a ruling chief, followed by nobles, who served as city officials and military leaders.

City of Teotihuacan• Highlands of Mexico• Lakes in area of high elevation• Village of Teotihuacan, 500 BCE, expands

to become massive city– Important ceremonial center

• Extensive trade network, influenced surrounding areas

• Begins to decline c. 650 CE, sacked in middle of 8th century, massive library destroyed

Pirámide del Sol, Teotihuacan

The End of the Maya

• Around 900, the Maya abandoned their cities. Historians speculate that war or overpopulation made have led to famine or class warfare.

• Today, millions in Guatemala and Southern Mexico speak 28 Mayan dialects.

Andean Societies

• Migration into South America c. 12,000 BCE

• Climate improves c. 8000 BCE

• Largely independent from Mesoamerica

• Highly individualized due to geography

Early Societies of Andean South America

1000 BCE – 700 CE

Food Supply• Those who migrated into the Andes

Mountains hunted deer, llama, alpaca and other large animals not found in Central America.

• Cultivation of maize and squashes spread from Mesoamerica, while gold, silver and copper metallurgy spread from the Andes north.

• By 2500 BCE, the earliest Andean cultivators relied on peanuts, beans, and sweet potatoes.

Chavin Cult• New religion in central Andes, 900-300 BCE• Little known about particulars of religion• Intricate stone carvings• Cult may have arose when maize became an

important crop > cult for fertility and abundant harvests.

• During the era Andean society became increasingly complex– Elaborate woven clothing, cotton fishnets, metallurgy for

jewelry

The Mochica State• Valley of the Moche River• Dominated northern Peru, 300-700 CE

– Artistic evidence of armed warriors maintaining stability throughout region

• Painting survives, mostly on pottery/ceramics• No writing, but complex society with vast job

specialization• One of many states in region, none able to

consolidate into empire• 6th-7th centuries CE saw climactic shifts with

droughts that led to a decline of early Andean civilizations

Early Societies of Oceania, 1500 BCE – 700 CE

Oceania• Prehistoric land bridges, lower seas permit

migration• Outrigger canoes for open-sea travel• Humans in Oceania at least by 58,000 BCE• By 8,000 BCE trade between islands ceased

due to the rising seas.• Early hunter-gatherer societies in Australia• Early agriculture in New Guinea by 3000 BCE

– Yams, taro & raising pigs & chickens

Aborigine of the Naomi Tribe

Early 19th Century Aboriginal Tribe

21st century Aboriginal People

Lapita Peoples• Earliest Austronesian (language group of

Oceania) migrants to sail into the Pacific Ocean and establish settlements in pacific islands.

• Found throughout Pacific Islands• Agriculture, animal herding• Political organization based on chiefdoms

– Relatives formed aristocracy• Trade over open ocean declines 500 BCE

– Greater independence of settlements