Chapter 6 Early Societies in the Americas and

Chapter 6 Early Societies in the Americas and Oceania 1 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Early Mesoamerican societies 1200 BC – 1100 AD 2 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Origins of Mesoamerican Societies n Migration across Bering land bridge? q n n n Probably 13, 000 BC, perhaps earlier By sea from Asia? By 9500 BC reached southernmost part of South America Hunter/Gatherer societies q evolve into agricultural societies 3 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Olmecs n n n 1200 -100 BC The “Rubber People” Ceremonial Centers q n San Lorenzo, La Venta, Tres Zapotes Olmec Heads q q q Up to 10 ft tall, 20 tons Transported by dragging, rolling on logs 1000/workers per head 4 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Agriculture and Herding n n Staple: maize Herding: turkeys, barkless dogs q n Both food No draft animals q No development of wheeled vehicles 5 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Olmec Society n n Probably authoritarian in nature Large class of conscripted laborers to construct ceremonial sites q Also tombs for rulers, temples, pyramids, drainage systems 6 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Mysterious Decline of Olmecs n n Ceremonial centers destroyed No evidence of warfare Revolution? Civil war? 7 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Maya n n n Huge cities discovered in 19 th c. 300 BC-900 AD Terrace Farming q q n Cacao beans q q n Maize cotton chocolate currency Major ceremonial center at Tikal 8 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Maya Warfare n n Warfare for purposes of capturing enemy soldiers Ritual sacrifice of enemies q Enslavement q Small kingdoms engage in constant conflict until Chichén Itzá begins to absorb captives n n Some nevertheless choose death Center of empire develops 9 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Mayan Ritual Calendar n Complex math q n Calendar of 365. 242 days (17 seconds off) q q n Invention of “Zero” Solar calendar of 365 days Ritual calendar of 260 days Management of calendar lends authority to priesthood q Timing of auspicious moments for agriculture 10 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Mayan Calendar: 11 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Mayan Language and Religion n n Ideographs and a syllable-alphabet q Most writings destroyed by Spanish conquerors q Deciphering work began in 1960 s Popol Vuh: Mayan creation myth Agricultural cycle maintained in exchange for honors and sacrifices Bloodletting rituals q Human sacrifices follow after removal of fingers, piercing to allow blood flow 12 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

The Maya Ball Game n n Ritual game High-ranking captives, prisoners of war contestants Execution of losers immediately follows the match Bloodletting ritual for the gods 13 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

City of Teotihuacan n n Highlands of Mexico Lakes in area of high elevation Village of Teotihuacan, 500 BC, expands to become massive city q Important ceremonial center Extensive trade network, Begins to decline c. 650 AD, sacked in middle of 8 th century, massive library destroyed 14 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Andean Societies Early societies of Andean South America, 1000 BC – 700 AD n n Migration into South America c. 12000 BC Climate improves c. 8000 BC Largely independent from Mesoamerica Highly individualized due to geography 15 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Chavin Cult n n n New religion in central Andes, 900 -300 BC Little known about particulars of religion Intricate stone carvings Cult may have arose when maize became an important crop During the era Andean society became increasingly complex Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 16

The Mochica State n n Valley of the Moche River Dominated northern Peru, 300 -700 AD Painting survives One of many states in region, none able to consolidate into empire 17 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Early societies of Oceania, 1500 BC – 700 AD 18 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Oceania n n Prehistoric land bridges, lower seas permit migration Outrigger canoes for open-sea travel Early hunter-gatherer societies in Australia Early agriculture in New Guinea 19 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Aborigine of the Naomi Tribe 20 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.

Lapita Peoples n n Found throughout Pacific Islands Agriculture, animal herding Political organization based on chiefdoms Trade over open ocean declines 500 BC q Greater independence of settlements 21 Copyright © 2007 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display.