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American HistoryPre Columbian Amerindians First arrival migration of peoples across the Bering St. 15,000-30,000 yrs ago Group of hunter gathering nomads Development of Permanent Societies First development of farming approx. 8,000 yrs. Ago Great societies develop in America without contact from old world Myth of Amerindian: Great advanced societies in modern day Mexico, Guatamala and along the Andes Also in N.America along Miss. River valley and along Eastern seaboard Olmecs and MesoAmerica Intensive agriculture with corn, beans , squash Stone carvings and monuments Widespread trading network and had rudimentary written language Will be ancestors and of course influence Mayas and Aztecs Mayas Centered on Yucatan Peninsula in modern Guatamala Height of Maya influence during first millenium A.D. up to 3 million Most are farmers but there are large urban areas such as Tikal which has up toward 50,000 people and was the size of Manhatten Maya religion is polytheistic with several pyramids for human sacrifice Mayan interpretations Unknown people until 1800’s as they are not around when Europeans arrive First finds of huge stone temples and remains of urban areas many assume must be from? “Great cultivation and refinement” Recognition that Maya were advanced….had great astronomical knowledge and mathematical ability Maya used to be viewed as peaceful, priestly group who glorified knowledge and science and tragically their empire ended for no apparent reason Bloody warlike people a la the Aztecs with many sacrifices Mayan Achievements Great urban areas Central pyramids with temples, palaces and housing for thousands Ball courts where loses are rewarded with sacrifice Advanced writing system 1/5 in world but most are burned during Spanish times 1945 as German libraries burn key book found and picked up by Russian officer which has Maya hieroglyphs….eventually he and his wife work to decipher Maya language Calendar and astronomy…knowledge so precise scientists today at a loss Maya calendar has beginning point of world thousands of yrs ago and an ending date Empire lasts from about 200-900 A.D. but declines for unknown reasons Tenochtitlan • Center of Aztec world on an island connected by many bridges • Consolidate control over region throughout much of modern Mexico as they are noted as great warriors • Aztecs arrive in twelth century and become dominant group by 1400’s • Several million under sway with one god Huitzilopochtli….still not centralized state completely • Huge population center with several thousands and temples and pyramids and canals and extensive trading networks • Authoritarian state creates ill will amongst the conquered according to Spanish Tenochtitlan • One of largest cities of world with over 200,000 inhabitants • Most of lake eventually drained • Pre columbian city interlaced with canals and bridges……Great ex. Of city planning • Fresh water with aquaducts • Major roads in cities supposedly wide enough for 10 horses • Specialized markets • Public buildings, temples and schools • Many Spaniards mention city as greatest most efficient they have ever seen Aztec World • Borrowed heavily from earlier societies in region • Farm extensively of three sisters of crops • Use obsidian to cut precisely • Huge city and great wealth described with awe by Spaniards • Massive pyramid devoted to Sun God where human sacrifices occur with paintings and sculptures Aztec Society • Hereditary nobility sons schooled by the state to become priests, military or govt. • Divided into nobility, slaves, ind. Servants and commoners • Rigid stratification of classes • Almost half of pop in Valley live in urban areas so many work in stonecutting, commerce or weaving • Polytheistic society with lots of human sacrifice to appease Gods….gruesome with hearts ripped out for the Gods S.America Older urban areas known of than in MesoAmerica Difficult environment Several empires or peoples settle and urbanize and develop before Incas perfect it Incas come in early 1000’s to control region Farming and Society Dealing with elements Great stone foundations still stand today Huge bridges and terraced farming growing corn and beans and cocoa plants and tomatoes and potatoes Society built for war as universal male conscription for huge well trained army Kept records with Quipu by knotting strings of diff. colors and lengths Machu Picchu undiscovered Inca ruins for hundreds of years after Spanish arrival Many buildings, a playing field, aqueducts, terraces All forced to marry, state controls land, mining and trade are nationalized, huge warehouses of food for famine times Incas conquered in 1530’s by Spanish North America Longer period of hunter-gathering societies Anasazi in West or cliff dwellers have large groups of people in settled areas Eastern Woodland Indians adopt permanent villages along the rivers of East Coast….grow corns and other crops and hunt and fish No domesticated animals or written language or iron tools but in Virginia as in other places in Eastern Woodlands high level of advanced governments develop Powhatan Indians throughout our region Powhatans Government with 30 or so tribes loosely linked together with one overall chief Tributes paid to leader who is in contact via canoes and rivers Polytheistic religion Stone and bone tools Gender roles defined Mississippi Valley Indians From first millenium A.D. up until about 1200 Cahokia serves as central spot of society for long while Great farming ability Administrative center with upwards of 20,000 people Contacts far and wide