Bell Work• Who were the Ancient North

Americans?

• What do you know about the Ancient North Americans?

• Why do you know about the Ancient North Americans?

Ancient North

Americans

A Bridge to America

• I would like you to please read pg. 111 and take outlined formed notes

Earliest Americans

Southwest Peoples

Earliest Americans

Desert Cities

Earliest Americans

Eastern Peoples

A Bridge to America

• Ancient hunters arrived in North America around 15,000-30,000 yrs. ago during the Ice Age

• Came many ways to North America– Boat from Asia & Europe or walked across glaciers

Europe &

–Walked over land bridge Beringia• Connected Asia to Alaska

• Ice Age=the water dropped, so could walk across land

• Animals came 1st to graze & people followed East & South

A Bridge to America

• New Environments –Bison & deer led ppl. across area that is Canada, Mexico, & the U.S.

–Comparing America then to America now•Washington D.C.=A swamp•Manhattan (NY City) skyscrapers=only trees

–Human culture developed all over N. America

Earliest Americans

• Civilizations created in SW & Eastern part of U.S.

• This is before the Pilgrims land

Earliest Americans

Southwest Peoples

Earliest Americans

Desert Cities

Earliest Americans

Eastern Peoples

Earliest Americans

• Southwest Peoples

Earliest Americans

• Desert Cities

Earliest Americans

• Eastern Peoples

The Olmec• Olmec Farmers

The Olmec• Olmec Culture

The Olmec• The Olmec Decline

The Olmec• Olmec means- “people of the rubber country”–Rubber trees–Became known as Olmec by outsiders–Settled in hot, wet, & thick rain forests• 200 Ft. trees & vines cover trees•Plants covering the floor

The Olmec• Olmec Farmers

The Olmec• Olmec Culture

The Olmec• The Olmec Decline

The Maya• 600 yrs. after Olmec decline–Maya civilization reached peak

–Lived in Southern Mexico

–Highlands of present day Guatemala & Honduras• There as early as 1000 B.C.• A.D. 900=Spectacular civilization

The Maya• Maya Civilization–Maya Cities• Tall, stepped pyramids of stone blocks–Temple built on top–Tombs=burial place for the king–Pictures & murals covered the walls

•Maya Crops–Maize=Corn, but smaller than ears of corn now–Maize god in drawings–Myth says ppl. made from maize dough

The Maya• Maya Civilization–Maya Religion•Worshipped hundreds of gods–Ex. Beekeepers, hunters, & poets had own gods

•King & nobles led religious ceremonies

•Studied the stars & planets for their religion

The Maya• More Than a Game–Most Maya cities had a ball court

–Men from different cities played game pok-ta-pok•Possibly help settle political problems• Losing players possibly put to death

The Maya• Writing & Numbers–Written language=300 B.C.

– Paper=agave plant or dried animal skins• Codex-Sheets folded into a long book• Spanish conquerors in 1500s burned most

– Only 4 survived-still learned language

–Written in glyphs• Picture symbols like Egyptian hieroglyphics• Some represent actions & objects• Some represent sounds & syllables • These could not be read-now archeologists can

The Maya• Writing & Numbers–Maya writings describes the lives of rulers

–Earliest paintings tell the maize god story•Painting was made in Guatemala in 100 B.C.

–Important events put on tall, flat stones called stelae•Displayed in cities & described history

The Maya• Writing & Numbers– Maya used glyphs to create number system

• One of the 1st number system to have zero

• Developed advanced calendar system

• “Sacred Round”-13 cycles of 20 name days

• Calendar had religious importance & other followed 365 days

• Astronomers could predict eclipses

– Mayans still live in region, use their calendars, some speak language, and follow the customs