Download 13 May Geography - Farmingdale Schools

Name: ________________________
Holden – Global I (9th Grade)
Date:
Period:
Mesoamerican Civilizations
Introduction
Tens of thousands of years ago, Paleolithic hunters migrated to North America from Asia. People
learned to cultivate plants and to domesticate animals. These changes led to an increase in the amount of food.
As a result, the population increased. In the Americas, complex societies developed. The Olmecs, the Mayas,
the Aztecs ruled great empires in Mexico. In South America, the Incas conquered a vast area along the western
coast. The people in these empires were skilled farmers, were devoted to their religions, and possessed
advanced knowledge in many areas.
1. What is another Social Studies term that can be used interchangeably with Paleolithic Age?
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2. What is the difference between Paleolithic life and Neolithic life?
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3. What are the names of the civilizations that emerged in the Americas? Where were they located?
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Geographic Setting
During the last ice age, large amounts of ocean water froze into thick ice sheets. A frozen land bridge
between Siberia and Alaska was created named the Bering Land Bridge. Across this bridge, groups of
Paleolithic hunters in Asia followed herds of bison and mammoths into North America. Over the centuries, the
nomadic hunter-gathers in North America migrated eastward and southward. These first Americans settled in
many different regions and had to adapt to a variety of climates and landforms, including woodlands, fertile
plains, mountain ranges and thick rain forests.
Slowly, between 8500 B.C. and 2000 B.C., important changes occurred. Groups of Americans learned
to cultivate crops. They began to domesticate animals and farm. Neolithic farmers in Mexico grew a variety of
crops, including corn, beans, sweet potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and squash.
In the Americas, as in Africa, Europe, and Asia, this agricultural revolution had a major impact on the
population. Farmers settled into villages that sometimes developed into large religious centers, which then
grew into major cities. The first great American civilizations developed in Mesoamerica, also called Middle
America, the region that includes present-day Mexico and Central America.
4. How did early settlers arrive to North America?
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5. Why are the ancient civilizations of the Americas called “mesoamerican” civilizations?
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Pre-Columbian
Civilizations in the Americas
Civilizations
that of
emerged
in Mesoamerica
are called
pre-Columbian
because
before the
3. What
are the names
the civilizations
that emerged
in the
Americas? Where
werethey
theyexisted
located?
arrival
of
Christopher
Columbus
in
1492.
The
earliest
of
these
major
American
civilizations
was
the
Olmec
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Empire, which developed along the Gulf coast of Mexico and lasted from around 1400s B.C. to 500 B.C. The
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Olmecs
built pyramid-shaped temples, invented the calendar and a system of writing. They developed a very
religious culture. Through trade links, their influence extended over a large area, and characteristics of their
civilization were common in later Mesoamerican civilizations.
6. What does pre-Columbian describe?
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7. Who were the Olmecs and what did they accomplish?
____________________________________________
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Geography of the Americas
Label:
- North America
- South America
- Siberia
- Bering Strait
- Rocky Mts.
- Appalachian Mts.
- East and West Sierra Madre Mts.
- Andes Mts.
- Gulf of Mexico
- Pacific Ocean
- Atlantic Ocean
- Atacama Desert
Color and Label:
Mayan, Aztec, and Incan civilizations.
First Americans
 Migrated from Asia to Alaska over _____________________________  About 30,000 years ago
 People gradually migrated south
Regions
 ______________________________  modern day Canada, U.S., and Mexico
 ______________________________  modern day Mexico and Central America
 ______________________________  includes modern day Brazil, Peru, and Chile
Physical Features
 Mountain backbone down western Americas
o North America  _____________________________
o _____________________________  East and West Sierra Madre Mountains
o South America  _________________________
 Rivers
o ___________________________  Mississippi River
o South America  ___________________________________
Climates
 Cold, icy, treeless lands  Far North and South
 Hot, wet climate and thick vegetation  rainforests and jungles close to ___________________
 ___________________  Southwest North America and Atacama in Chile in South America
 ____________________ fertile plains in North & South America
Adapting to Geography
 Agricultural Revolution  farming and domesticated animals
 Early Americans depended on crops  corn, beans, sweet potatoes, squash, peppers, and tomatoes
 ______________________________  limits farming abilities
 Farmers settled in villages  villages grew into ____________  large cities became center of first
______________________________________
The World of the Mayans, Aztecs, & Incas:
Geography of Central & South America
First Americans
 Migrated from Asia to Alaska over Bering Land Bridge  About 30,000
years ago
 People gradually migrated south
Regions
 North America  modern day Canada, U.S., and Mexico
 Middle America  modern day Mexico and Central America
 South America  includes modern day Brazil, Peru, and Chile
Physical Features
 Mountain backbone down western Americas
o North America  Rocky Mountains 
o Middle America  East and West Sierra Madre Mountains
o South America  Andes Mountains
 Rivers
o North America  Mississippi River
o South America  Amazon River
Climates
 Cold, icy, treeless lands  Far North and South
 Hot, wet climate and thick vegetation  rainforests and jungles close to
Equator
 Deserts  Southwest North America and Atacama in Chile in South America
 Woodlands  fertile plains in North & South America
Adapting to Geography
 Agricultural Revolution  farming and domesticated animals
 Early Americans depended on crops  corn, beans, sweet potatoes, squash,
peppers, and tomatoes
 No large work animals  limits farming abilities
 Farmers settled in villages  villages grew into cities  large cities became
center of first American Civilizations