Chapter 14 Pre Columbian America 3001550 Lesson 1

Chapter 14 – Pre. Columbian America, 3001550

Lesson 1 – The Peoples of North America and Mesoamerica

North American Cultural Areas c. 1400

Hopewell Indians Burial mounds outside of Nacogdoches, Texas; the Hopewell were known as Mound Builders The Three Sisters of Native American livelihood:

It is thought Cahokia, one of the larger Hopewell cities, had more than 10, 000 inhabitants. The Cahokia burial mounds outside of St. Louis, Missouri were as high as 98 feet with a base larger than the Great Pyramid in Egypt.

In the modern-New York area lived a group called the Iroquois. Their homes were made up of longhouses (below). Groups of men hunted or protected villages while women ruled the roost at home, cooking, caring for the home and taking care of children. Warfare was common until a confederation was established to create order and peace in the region.

The Plains Indians Hunting of buffalo was an essential part of survival for Plains Indians. The lack of trees led to the usage of tepees as dwellings.

Pueblo Bonito within Chaco Canyon Anasazi villages Mesa Verde cliff dwellings in Colorado While this is a largely desert region, groups like the Anasazi were still able to do some farming. Groups in this region were experts as building with mud and clay.

Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica

The Maya Kingdom 300 – 900 CE The Maya civilization was one of the most sophisticated of the American societies and find on the Yucatán Peninsula. They are most known for the intricate and stunning pyramids and temples. The Maya people were mostly farmers but within the cities lived artisans and merchants. Palenqu e The Maya decline around 800 is a mystery but theories include invasion, civil unrest, natural disaster (volcano) and overuse of land. Tikal

Itzamna was the chief god of the Maya and the one who controlled all of life. Sacrifices were required to appease the gods.

The Maya writing system was complex and based on hieroglyphics but the Spanish wiped it out. The other major achievement that the Maya are most known for are their calendar. Based on its religion, it measured time through periods of growth and prosperity and destruction and ruin. They had another calendar that was based on the sun and included 365 days – one of the earliest examples of an accurate calendar.

The Toltecs Around 1000 in central Mexico arose a new power called the Toltec – the capital was Tula, named for the river that flowed through and irrigated the Toltec crops. A militaristic people who conquered most of modern Mexico Tula’s Ceremonial Complex They built pyramids and were the first people in the region to work with gold, silver and copper. Infighting led to its decline around 1170.

Tenochtitlán, Aztec capital

Aztec Social Structure The Aztec government was an authoritarian. The nobles were those who occupied government and military leadership. Commoners made up the bulk of the population and were farmers, cultivated chinampas – swampy islands accessible by canals.

Aztec Religion Ometeotl – the supreme god Huitzilopochtli Quetzalcoatl The largest pyramid in the Aztec capital was dedicated to Huitzilopochtli. Legend had it that he left the region and promised to return, with the Aztecs confusing the Spanish as the return of Quetzalcoatl

Lesson 2 – Early South American Civilizations

The Nazca culture was a pre-Incan civilization that emerged in southern Peru around 200 BCE. While they built no lasting temples or other buildings, they are most known for lines that formed the outline of animals. The figures are so large, they can only be seen from the air. There is no consistent or verified reason for the line but their religion was focused on outdoor events and it might have an religious purpose. The Nazca were not the only pre-Incan civilization – the Moche popped up around 300 CE in far northern Peru and southern Ecuador. They were farmers who focused on maize, potatoes and cotton. Its decline was followed by an absence of a powerful state until the rise of the Incas.

Modern city of Cuzco, Peru – the capital of the Incas Based in Cuzco, the Inca under the leadership of Pachacuti in the 1400 s, began conquering everything and everyone around them.

Pachacuti Along with successors Topa and Huayna Capac, expanded Incan territory up and down the Pacific coast. The Inca was based on military conquest (like the Aztec and Maya). Local leaders conquered by the Inca had their sons captive in Cuzco as a matter of control. They were educated in the Inca ways before they were sent back. The language was called Quechua. Forced labor was essential and often included an entire community moved to where work was needed. Marriage was also highly regimented and regulated with pairings happening within tribal groups and serving traditional roles.

The major economic activity was farming – terrace farming – and they specialized in high altitude crops such as potatoes and corn, among others. The Inca had an intricate and expansive road network that covered some 25, 000 miles. Rest houses were situated a day’s walk apart and were mostly used for government

Machu Picchu – one of the most impressive architectural wonders of the Inca people.

Records were kept using the quipu – a string with knots that was used to record everything from government records, military supplies and agricultural output. The Inca had no writing system but like the griots of West Africa, certain people were the storytellers that would pass down the oral tradition. The Inca too had a calendar that was made up of 365 days based on the path of the sun. Quipu

Similarities between the Maya, Aztec and Inca An aristocratically supported monarchy that oversaw a decentralized state Made up of other states that displayed loyalty to the central state Strong agricultural economies An extensive road network Highly militarized societies Forced labor system Religion was a major influence on society (religious sacrifices was seen but less so with the Inca)