Societies of North AmericaWorld History

Setting the Stage Between 40,000 and 12,000 B.C., hunter-

gatherers crossed the Bering Strait land bridge from Asia to the Americas

First Americans reached the southern tip of South America between 12,000 and 7,000 B.C.

Over the centuries, North American peoples adapted to their environments, creating a diverse set of cultures

MayansWorld History

Maya Create Urban Kingdoms Mayan Empire stretched from Southern Mexico

into Northern Central America

There were both highlands and lowlands

Evolving during the same period as the Olmec civilization. By 250 A.D. Mayan culture overtook that of the Olmecs

Urban Centers 250 to 900 A.D. is known as the Classic

Period of Mayan Civilization

The Maya built spectacular cities, including TIKAL, in northern Guatemala

Other important cities were Copan, Uxmal, and Chichen Itza

Urban Centers Each major city was the center of an entire city-

state Each city served as a center for religious

ceremonies and was ruled by a god-king

Urban centers There are at least 50

major Mayan sites, all with monumental architecture

Pyramid IV at Tikal is 212 feet tall

Agriculture and Trade Support Cities Traded goods amongst city-states

Agriculture was the basis for Mayan life

They grew squash, beans, and maize

Religion Shapes Life Believed in many

gods, who inhabited 13 layers of sky and 9 layers of the underworld

Associated colors and direction with certain gods Chaac

Religious Practices Prayed and made

offerings

Made death masks to great the gods

At Chichen Itza they threw captives into a sinkhole lake, called a cenote, along with gold, jade and other offerings

Written Language Preserves History Developed advanced writing system

Mayan writing consisted of 800 symbols, or glyphs

Some represented words, while others represented symbols

Recorded glyphs of importance in bark-paper books known as codex

Most famous of these books is the Popol Vuh, recounting the story of creation

It is VERY close to the Christian story of creation though they had never interacted at this point

Glyphs

IncansWorld History

Setting the Stage Inca capital was in

southern Peru

They created the largest empire ever seen in the Americas

Inca Come to Power First settled in the

valley of Cuzco

By the 1200’s, the Inca had established their own small empire

Incan Traditions Incan rulers were

descendents of the sun god, Inti

There were 11 noble lineages

These 11 families were called orejones, or “Big Ears”

Machu Picchu A mile and a half high,

Machu Picchu was only accessible by a log bridge

A religious ceremonial city

Near Cusco, Peru

AztecsWorld History

Setting the Stage Aztecs settled in the Valley of Mexico

Located where modern day Mexico City is

Preceded by two other important civilizations who traced their ancestry to the Olmec and Zapotec cultures

Valley of Mexico Valley of Mexico is a mountain basin 7,000

feet above sea level

Valley had several large, shallow lakes, accessible resources, and fertile soil

Attracted two cultures, the Teotihuacán and the Toltec

Teotihuacán: An Early City-State First major civilization of

central Mexico, just outside of Mexico City

At their peak in the sixth century, they had 125,000 people

Had the Pyramid of the Sun, 200 ft. tall with a base higher than that of Egypt’s Great Pyramid

Aztecs Build an Empire Arrived in the Valley of

Mexico in 1200 A.D. Aztecs originally called

themselves Mexica Worshipped the sun god

Huizilopochtli LOTS of human

sacrifices- went to war for sacrifices

Nobles Rule Aztec Society Noble class was made up of military

leaders, government officials, and priests

Three classes in Aztec society were nobles, commoners, and slaves

Commoners included merchants, artisans, soldiers

Trade Brings Wealth Economic center was the huge market of

Tlatelolco

Most of the agricultural produce was grown on CHINAMPAS, farm plots built on the marshy fringes of the lake

Tenochtitlan: A Planned City By the 1500’s, city had

a population of 200,000 people

Had planned markets, temples, canals, and roads

Extra Notes In your notes, copy down the three charts

on pages 399, 406, and 411.