MEDIEVAL AMERICA

Chapter 15

• Archaeologist believed humans arrived in the western hemisphere about 12,000 years ago.

• There is evidence that humans came to the Americas 40,000 years ago

• Tribes from Asia followed bison and other extinct animals across the Bering Strait.

- A land bridge connecting Asia to North America

• They were hunter and gathers, who used the resources of their environment for food, clothing and shelter.

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- people along the coasts collected mussels and snails

- people living inland hunted game or fish

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• Around 5000B.C. people started to plant a reliable (but limited) food source:

Maize or corn

• Food supply increased population

• By the time Europeans arrive in North America there were about 30 million to 100 million Native Americans

• Nearly 15 million to 20 million people live in present-day Canada and America

- Archaeological digs have found ancient home, burial mounds, pottery baskets, stone tools, and bones of animals and humans

Arctic and Northwest

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• Nomadic tribes move around hunting and fishing

• In 6500 B.C. people were living in small villages of pit houses made out of whale bone and driftwood

Villagers hunted whales, sea lions and water birds

1. Kwakiutl 2000B.C. – 500B.C

• Hunted whales, fish and other sea animals

• Forests from the Northwest provided small forest animals and acorns as additional a food source

• North western people were organized into lineages, that were claimed to be descendants of mythical ancestors

• They had their own ceremonies • Developed trading networks to the

south

• Used stone and copper woodworking tools

• Built canoes and houses with wood

• Weirs- wooden traps to harvest salmon

California 2000 B.C.• Lived along the

coast• Fished for bass

The Chumash - had harvest

festivals to celebrate the goodness of the earth

Southwest• Present day Arizona, New Mexico

1. Hohokam

• Dug irrigation canal to draw water from rivers

• Planted maize, kidney beans, and squash

2. Pueblo/ Anasazi• Built sun-dried brick dwellings called

adobes• Religious leaders governed these villages 3. Apache• Did not farm• Hunted birds, rabbits, and gathered plants• Traded with Pueblo

Great Plains• Stretched from

Rocky Mt. to the Mississippi Rivers

- Groups such as Kiowa, Crow, and Blackfoot lived in this area.

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• Dependent on buffalo• Farming was hard because:• Thick sod was hard to plow• Other plants like maize need more water

Eastern Woodland

• East of the Mississippi

• Hunted any animal

• Used every part of the animals

• Lived in farming villages growing corn, squash, beans, and tobacco

• In the Ohio Mississippi valley were Mound Builders

• Many were in the shapes of animals

- it is believed that the mounds were ceremonial centers and tombs

• Cahokia mounds is the largest ceremonial center

- about 40,000 people inhabited this area

- men controlled the government, Hunting and relations with other nations

- confederation – loose union

Meso

America

• Consists of present day Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize

1. Olmec 1500 B.C. – 400 B.C.

- It was the earliest meso. culture

- In the excavation sites of San Lorenzo and La Venta, large stone heads were found

-They were made of basalt rock

- Some more than nine feet tall and weighed as much as 40 tons

- They moved with logs more than 60 miles

• A hill top of San Lorenzo was sheared off to create a central plaza for ceremonies

• The Olmec also built drains to carry water during the rainy season

• They had hieroglyphic writing and a calendar

• Worshiped Olmec god -human body with a jaguar head

• They used the slash and burn farming to clear land for crops

Mayans Mayans 900 B.C.900 B.C.

- Height of power - Height of power 300A.D. - 900 300A.D. - 900 A.D.A.D.

- Lived in the - Lived in the Yucatan Yucatan PeninsulaPeninsula

• Many ruins are scattered around Many ruins are scattered around the areathe area

• Did not have unified kingdomDid not have unified kingdom

• They had city -states and They had city -states and kingdoms that were linked by kingdoms that were linked by culture political ties and tradeculture political ties and trade

• ReligionReligion• The Mayans believed in 2 The Mayans believed in 2

existencesexistences• worldly life : where people liveworldly life : where people live• otherworldly : where gods, otherworldly : where gods,

ancestors, and supernatural beings ancestors, and supernatural beings livelive

• The king spread The king spread the information the information about the about the otherworldotherworld

• practice practice ceremonies and ceremonies and sacrificessacrifices

• They were polytheisticThey were polytheistic

• The main god was The main god was ChacChac, the rain , the rain godgod

• Other gods are going to be Other gods are going to be depicted as animalsdepicted as animals

• They built plazas temples and pyramidsThey built plazas temples and pyramids

• The Mayan created a game called The Mayan created a game called Pok-a-tokPok-a-tok

• A part basketball game played to please the godsA part basketball game played to please the gods

• ScienceScience• Like the Greek the Mayans believed Like the Greek the Mayans believed

that the celestial bodies were godsthat the celestial bodies were gods• They charted the stars and became They charted the stars and became

excellent mathematicians and excellent mathematicians and astronomersastronomers

• They created 260 and They created 260 and 365-day calendars365-day calendars

• -which -which predicted eclipsespredicted eclipses

• when to plant crops when to plant crops and to harvestand to harvest

• the times of religious the times of religious ceremoniesceremonies

• Economy Economy • The Mayan economy was based on The Mayan economy was based on

agriculture and tradeagriculture and trade

• Trade started when farmers had Trade started when farmers had surpluses of cropssurpluses of crops

• cotton, beans, fish , deer, salt, jadecotton, beans, fish , deer, salt, jade

• WritingsWritings

• The Mayans were The Mayans were one the first people one the first people to create a writing to create a writing systemsystem

• -they made -they made booksbooks

Aztecs• Moved from the

north into central Mexico in 1200’s A.D.

• Ended in early 1500’s

• Founded a city in central Mexico called Tenochtitlan (present day Mexico City)

They built chinampas – artificial islands used for farming

• By 1500 the Aztecs conquered parts of northern Mexico to Guatemala

• Conquered peoples had to pay taxes in clothing, food, raw materials and prisoners for sacrifice

• Government• The Aztecs created a system of hierarchy of

government• Emperor is at top• Aztecs had 4 social classes:• -nobility• -commoners• -serfs• -slaves

Chief deity:– Huitzitupochlia

Incas • Western

South America 100 and 600A.D.

- Moche – Peru

- Social order is based on skill

- Pachacuti was the 9th Inca ruler and with his son, Topa Inca Yopanqui, they expanded their territory

- Expanded to Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Argentina

Government and Society

• They had a common language called Quechua

• The emperor own the land and regulated the growing and distribution of foods - potatoes and quinoa

• Farmers cut step terraces into hillsides and built irrigation systems

• The emperor had roads and bridges built to connect regions of the empire

DeitiesInti – sun god

Vico Cacha – creator

• Revolts at the boarders of the Empire weakened Incan control

• When Spanish Conquistadors arrived the Incas were overpowered