North America Before Columbus Mesoamerican Cultures First People

North America Before Columbus

Mesoamerican Cultures • First People The first people came to the Americas between 15, 000 -30, 000 years ago from Asia. • Agricultural revolution Crops were planted first in Mesoamerica, today called Mexico and Central America. Most important of these was maize. Agriculture led to settlements and civilization. • Olmec The first civilization, the Olmec, developed about 1200 B. C. They built cities and developed trade. • Maya The Maya developed city-states in Yucatán and Central American regions. They are renowned for their architecture and advanced calendar. The civilization diminished around 900 A. D. for unknown reasons. • Toltec The Toltec were master builders and used precious metals for ornamentation. • Aztec The Aztec conquered the Toltec around A. D. 1150. They built the city of Tenochtitlán where Mexico City stands today. They were the dominant empire in North America when Europeans arrived.

Western Cultures • From hunter-gatherers to farmers Agricultural knowledge spread from Mesoamerica to the Southwest. Maize became a staple and tribes that were onced primarily nomadic began to settle and develop unique cultures. • Hohokam In Arizona, the Hohokam used a complex system of irrigation canals to bring water for cotton, maize, beans, and squash. They produced pottery and jewelry for trade. • Anasazi The Anasazi emerged in the Four Corners area of the southwest. They built villages of interconnected structures into the sides of cliff faces. They practiced dry farming with catch basins for sparse rainfall.

Mississippian Culture and Its Descendants • Mississippians Native culture thrived in the Mississippi River valley due to its climate and soil, which were ideal for maize and beans. Flourishing agriculture created conditions for large cities to be established. • Cahokia This city was first settled around A. D. 600. Flat pyramid shaped mounds were the distinctive work of the indigenous culture. By A. D. 1200, the population was as large as many European cities. • Southeastern peoples The cultures of the Southeast emerged from the Mississippian culture, with towns built around a central square. The Cherokee was one of the largest groups—they were settled in more than 60 towns when Europeans arrived. • Plains peoples Originally the people of the Plains were settled in towns like other Mississippian cultures. Around 1500, they became nomadic cultures that followed the migration of buffalo herds.

Northeastern Peoples • Characteristics of the northeast Northeastern forests provided game for hunting. Cultures used slash-and-burn agriculture to grow maize, beans, and squash. • Algonquians Cultures speaking the Algonquian language lived along the East Coast from New England to Virginia. They were the first to come into contact with English settlers; Premier Chief Powhatan and the Powhatan Confederacy (Pocahontas was Powhatan’s daughter). • Iroquois Cultures speaking the Iroquois language lived in New York and west into modern-day Canada. Women had political power. The Iroquois Confederacy was one of the first alliances of Native American groups.