THE MIGRATION TO AMERICA

Ch. 1 Sec. 1

THE MIGRATION TO AMERICA

Native Americans are descended from Asians who probably migrated to America across a land bridge during the last Ice Age.

THE MIGRATION TO AMERICA

How long ago the first people appeared in the Americas in a hotly debated question.

Scientist use DNA to learn about the origins of people (where they came from).

DNA recovered from bones helps scientist determine a person’s geographical origins.

Scientist are also able to determine how hold artifacts are through radiocarbon dating.

THE MIGRATION TO AMERICA

During the last Ice Age, much of the earth’s water froze.

This “freezing” caused the world’s ocean levels to drop which exposed areas of land from Asia to America.

The exposed land was called Beringia, and where people crossed is what is today called the Bering Strait.

THE MIGRATION TO AMERICA

People crossed the Bering in search of food(they were nomads).

These nomads wondered from place to place following herds of animals like wooly mammoths and caribou.

This migration continued until the Ice Age ended when sea levels rose and covered the land bridge.

THE MIGRATION TO AMERICA

Eventually these nomads learned how to plant and raise crops.

The shift to agriculture allowed people to abandon their nomadic ways of life and permanent villages emerged.

In these villages, many technological advances were made. Tools for cutting, digging, and grinding were developed.

THE MIGRATION TO AMERICA

As more people decided to live in one place, complex governments and social classes emerged, and societies were formed.

As societies became more complex, they evolved into civilizations.

A civilization is a highly developed society where trade, government, arts, science, and written language are present.

NATIVE AMERICAN GROUPS

The people that migrated across the Bering Strait mainly settled into areas of Central and South America.

Through time, Native American civilizations were created and were either destroyed by other Native American groups or died away.

THE OLMEC AND THE MAYA

The Olmec settled into what is today Veracruz, Mexico.

The Olmec created sophisticated societies with complex temples and pyramids.

The Olmec used basalt in many of their structures and monuments.

The Olmec were instrumental in the development of different cultures in early Mesoamerica.

THE OLMEC AND THE MAYA

The Mayans lived in what is today the Yucatan Peninsula (Central America and southern Mexico).

The Mayans were known for their engineering and mathematical skill.

The Mayans developed complex accurate calendars based on the stars.

The capital city of the Mayan culture was Teotihuacan (TAY-OH-TEE-WAH-KAHN).

THE TOLTEC AND THE AZTEC The Toltec were master architects and

built the city Tula. They were among the first Native

American groups to use copper and gold.

Eventually, the Toltec were wiped out by a Native group called the Chichimec.

THE TOLTEC AND THE AZTEC The Aztecs were decedents of the

Chichimec group and they settled in an area called Mexia (near present day Mexico City).

The Aztecs were known for their military might and they created the most powerful empire at the time.

The Aztecs practice human sacrifice and would use conquered people for their sacrificial ceremonies.

The capital city of the Aztecs was Tenochtitlan.

THE HOHOKAM

The Hohokam settled in the south central region of Arizona

The Hohokam were known for the elaborate canal system.

Created elaborate pottery, turquoise, and the world’s first etchings by using cactus juice to etch shells.

Flooding ruined the Hohokam irrigation system which eventually led to their demise.

THE ANASAZI

Lived in the Four Corners area of the United States (Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico).

Anasazi was the name given this group by the Navajo Indians.

The Anasazi became well known is the Chaco Canyon (northwest New Mexico) where they constructed large multi-story buildings made out of adobe.

THE ANASAZI

Early Spanish explorers called these elaborate building pueblos.

Beginning in 1130 A.D. the a devastating drought that lasted over 50 years in Chaco Canyon which caused the Anasazi to abandoned their pueblos.

Drought, along with epidemic, caused the Anasazi civilization to collapse.

THE ADENA AND THE HOPEWELL The Adena and the Hopewell developed in

America’s eastern woodland region. The Adena and the Hopewell developed

woodworking tools such as stone axes, gouges, and nets to snare birds.

The Adena and the Hopewell were the first to actually “bury” their dead.

For unknown reasons, the Adena and the Hopewell began to decline around 400 A.D.

THE MISSISSIPPI CULTURE

Developed in the Mississippi River Valley. Capital city was Cahokia where the main

crops were maize and beans. The Mississippi Culture built pyramids with

flat tops. The largest was called Monks Mound which was larger than any pyramid in Egypt.

The Mississippi Culture built three large cities in present-day Spiro, Oklahoma, Moundville, Alabama, and Etowah, Georgia.

THE MISSISSIPPI CULTURE

Cohokia collapsed around 1300 A.D. because it was attacked by other Native American groups.

Even though Cohokia collapsed, much of its culture survived until European colonization, and some of its cultural traits still exist today.

THE END