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Early America’s
Pre-history – 1600 CE (AD)
Pre-history
• The first humans arrived in the
America’s thousands of years ago.
• Archaeologists disagree on
exactly when the first migrants
came and where they came from.
• There is no evidence dating
earlier than about 12,000-15,000
years ago
• Most believed that people
crossed over to the America’s
(North and South) during the Ice
Age due to the land bridge.
• Most Archaeologists think that
early Americans came from
Europe, Africa or the South
Pacific.
Early Americas
• The first Americans
migrated in small groups
across the continents.
• Took thousands of years
to spread from the Arctic
to the Southern tip of S.
America
• The first Americans had
to adapt to their
environment much like
those in the Eastern
Hemisphere had to adapt
to theirs.
The FIRST Americans
• Hunter and gatherers
• Migrated and followed
wild herds of big game
– Mastodons
– Mammoths
• As big game herd died
out, the men turned to
hunting bison and
smaller game like deer
and rabbit.
• Women gathered
plants, nuts, berries
and dug root.
Mexico and South America
• Learned to domesticate
plants and began growing
crops
• Farming produced a
surplus of food, which
freed some people to
become craft workers, fulltime soldiers and priests.
• Due to being able to
settle, this made living in
one place year round
possible, which in turn
created civilizations which
led to cities.
The Mysterious Mayans
300 CE-900 CE
Mayan Civilization
300 CE – 900 CE
• Largest civilization in
Mexico and Central
America
• Located on the Yucatan
Peninsula in what is
Mexico today.
– This area is mainly rain
forest
• They did not build cities.
Instead they built large
religious centers, known
as ceremonial centers.
Video
Mayan Ceremonial Centers
Video
• Temples dedicated to the
deities
• Palaces for ruler and other
nobles
• Huge ball courts and
marketplaces
• Each center and its nearby
villages made up an
independent city-state
• Rival city-states often warred
against each other
Mayan Temples
• Several stories high
• Built in the shape of
pyramids
– tops were flat
– Priests carried out human
sacrifices on the flat surface
to the gods in order to satisfy
them.
– Humans to sacrifice came
from the losing side of the
ball games, as well as
enemies captured in battle.
– Sometimes battles were
fought just to get prisoners
for sacrifice
– WHY DO YOU THINK THEY
DID ALL THIS SACRIFICING TO
THE GODS???
Video
Mayan Social Class
• Ruler and His Family
• Nobles and Priest
– Ran government and
collected taxes.
• Warriors
– Led soldiers into battle
• Craft workers, merchants,
traders
– Small part of the
population
• Farmers
– Took up most of the
population
– Chief crops were beans,
corn and squash.
• Slaves
Mayan Accomplishments
Video
• Developed a form of
hieroglyphic writing
• Very accurate calendar
– Economy was based on
farming and so the
calendar was very
important
Mayan Decline/Fall
• Sometime around 900,
the Mayans left the area.
• No one really knows why
they left
• Archaeologists think it
could be been:
– Over-farmed their land
– Migrated in search of new
land
– Enemies may have invaded
their territory
– Farmers may have rebelled
under a burden of high
taxes.
Video
Connections to Today
Today descendants (people related to) of the Mayans
live in Guatemala, the Yucatan Peninsula and
Northern Mexico
The Awesome
Aztecs
1325-1521
Introduction
• The Aztec tribe lived in ancient
Mexico for about 400 years.
• For the first 200 years, the
Aztecs were constantly on the
move. No one wanted the
Aztecs as neighbors.
 The Aztecs practiced human
sacrifice. They believed that if
their gods were not fed, they
would not do their jobs. The
sun god would not bring up
the sun, and everyone would
die.
Video
Introduction
• To keep their gods happy, the Aztecs
believed that human sacrifice was
necessary. They used people to feed their
hungry gods.
• Some of the people they sacrificed
were Aztecs. However, most of
the people they sacrificed were
captured from neighboring tribes.
This did not make them popular
with their neighbors. Sooner or later,
their neighbors would band together to
chase the Aztecs away.
Video
Settlement
• When the Aztecs first arrived in the
Valley of Mexico, other tribes were
already living on the best land in the
area.
• This time, rather than fight for the best
land or for captives to feed their hungry
gods, the Aztecs quietly settled along
the swampy shores of Lake Texcoco.
• They built canoes so they could fish,
hunt waterfowl, and trade with other
tribes for the building materials they
needed.
Video
Free School for Everyone
•
To build the city they wanted, they
knew that they would need many
engineers, builders, and traders.
This required an educated
population. To solve this problem,
the Aztecs set up a system of public
schools.
•
Attendance was mandatory for all
Aztec children, even girls and
slaves.
•
The Aztecs were the only people up
to that time in history to have free
schools that every child had to
attend.
All-Girls School
• There were three
different schools: one for
girls, and two for boys.
• Girls learned about
religion and were
trained to be good
wives and mothers.
They learned how to
cook, sew, and how to
care for their children.
They also learned how to
make beautiful woven
textiles.
Sons of the Upper Class
• Sons of the upper class went to the
nobles’ school. Sons of wealthy
traders and merchants also went
to this school. They studied law,
writing (hieroglyphics), medicine,
engineering and building,
interpretation of dreams and
omens, and self-expression. They
also learned about their history
and religious beliefs.
• It was a tough school. The boys were
humiliated and tormented to toughen
them up.
Sons of Commoners
and Slaves
• The other boys’ school was
for sons of commoners. Its
main goal was to train
warriors and farmers. Boys
had to sleep under skimpy
blankets. They were given
hard bread to eat.
• The commoners’ school also
taught history, religion,
manners, correct behavior,
and important rituals, along
with singing and dancing.
Specialized Professions
• No matter which school an Aztec
boy attended, he was trained to
be a specialist. Boys studied
how to be farmers, traders,
engineers, builders,
astronomers, and doctors.
• Students who became builders
and engineers designed and
built the amazing Aztec cities,
including the capital city of
Tenochtitlan, located on the
swampy shores of Lake
Texcoco.
Video
Floating Gardens
• As the Aztec population grew,
more food was needed. To
solve this problem, Aztec
engineers created “floating”
gardens. They built a series of
rafts, which they anchored to
the lake bed. They piled on dirt
and grew crops. They made
walkways out of mud and reeds
to connect the floating rafts.
• The gardens were quite
successful. The Aztecs grew
chili peppers, squash, corn,
tomatoes, and beans.
The
Incredible
INCAS
1438-1535
BackgroundVideo
• Started as a small group
in the mountains of Peru.
• Empire extended along
the Pacific coast and
Andean highlands from
northern border of
modern Ecuador to Maule
River in central Chile
• Inca originated in village
of Paqari-tampu, about
15mi south of Cuzco
• Official language: Quecha
Events leading to
Rise and Fall
• 1438: Manco Capac established capital at
Cuzco (Peru) .
• 1438 Pachacuti set out to conquer
surrounding groups.
• By 1527 Pachacuti gained control of Andean
population about 12 million people
• 1532: Spanish arrived in Peru
• 1535: Empire lost
Pachacuti (1438-1471)
• Usurped (overthrew)
throne from brother
Inca Urcon
• Considered the founder
of the Inca Empire
• Skilled warrior and
chief religious leader
• Claimed he was divine,
son of the sun
• Exercised absolute
power
Incan Society: Social Class
1. Ruler and Family
2. Nobles and Priest
3. Merchants and
craft workers
4. Farmers and slaves
– Most of the
population were
farmers
Important Positions
• Local governors responsible for exacting
labor tax which could be paid by service in
army, on public works, or in agricultural work
• Coya carried out important religious duties
and governed when Sapa Inca absent
• Nobles ruled provinces w/ chieftains Inca
conquered
Incan Society
• Did not develop a writing
system, instead they
knotted and colored
strings to keep records
called quipu. (explained in
a later slide)
• Developed a calendar
• Developed a way to farm
in the mountains
– Terraced style farming,
cut out like steps
– Irrigation system to bring
water to their fields high
in the mountains.
•
•
•
•
•
Inca
empire
Inca was divided into four
provinces
As soon as a group was
conquered, their land was
take over by the
government
Some of the land was
given back to the people,
some went to the Empire
and some was given to
the sun god.
– Lands for the sun god
supported the priests
who took care of the
temples.
Local rulers could remain
in power as long as they
were loyal to emperor.
Did not demand gold or
goods from conquered
people, instead wanted
labor.
Video
How they Controlled
• Taught conquered
people their language of
Quechua
– The Inca would send
Quechua-speaking
colonists to live among
the newly conquered
people and teach them the
ways of “Inca”.
• A road system kept
Cuzco in touch with all
parts of the Empire.
• Had 24,000 miles of
criss crossing roads.
– What other civilization
does this sound like?
Political (Government)
System
• policy of forced resettlement ensured political stability
• officials collected taxes, enforced laws, kept records
on a quipu (collection of knotted colored strings) which
noted dates, events, population, crops
• use of road system strictly limited to government,
military business
• all land belonged to Inca, crops allotted to specific
groups, government took possession of each harvest
• private property forbidden, crime nonexistent,
citizens never starved
• no written records; oral tradition preserved through
generations
Economic Developments
Video
• constructed aqueducts, cities, temples, fortresses,
short rock tunnels, suspension bridges, 2250mi
road system
• metal works of alloy, copper, tin, bronze, silver
gold
• developed important medical practices- surgery on
human skull, anesthesia
• resources-corn, potatoes, coffee, grain
• created woven baskets, woodwinds
Inca Religion
• Polytheistic religion• Pantheon headed by
Inti-the sun god
• offered food, clothing,
and drink
• rituals included forms
of divination, sacrifice
of humans and
animals
Incan Fall/Decline
• Like the Aztec, the
Inca Empire ended
when the Spanish
came
• Incan Swords were
no match for
Spanish guns and
horses
Today
• descendants of Inca are present day Quechua-speaking
peasants of Andes, constitute about 45% population of
Peru
• combine farming, herding w/ simple traditional
technology
• rural settlements three kinds: families living in midst of
fields, true village communities w/ fields outside of
inhabited centers, combination of two
• towns centers of mestizo (mixed-blood) population
• Indian community close-knit, families usually
intermarrying; much of agricultural work done
cooperatively
• religion is Roman Catholicism infused w/ pagan
hierarchy of spirits and deities
Role of Women in Mesoamerica
• MAYAN
– Take care of home and children
• AZTEC
– Could inherit property
– Could make legal contracts
– Take care of home and children
• INCA
– Could inherit property
– Could own property
– Work the fields
– Take care of home and children