Chapter 7 Civilizations of the Americas

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Chapter 7 Civilizations of the Americas
Section 1- Civilizations of Middle America
Section 2- The World of the Incas Section 3-
Peoples of North America
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Legend of the Five Suns

• The Aztecs had a complex system of religious
  beliefs. But like many other religions they
  believed that the world would one day come to a
  fiery end.
• According to the Aztec legend of the Five Suns
  the universe had been created and destroyed five
  times in the past.
• People living under the first sun had been
  destroyed by jaguars
• People living under the second sun had been
  swept away by wind
• People of the third sun perished in the fire and
  ash of volcanoes
• People living under the fourth sun had been
  swallowed by water
• The people living under the fifth sun
  represented the time of the Aztec empire
• The legend of the five suns reflects the
  important role of the sun in Aztec religion and
  the feeling of helplessness when it came to the
  force of nature.

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• During the last ice age so much water froze into
  thick ice sheets that the sea level dropped which
  exposed a land bridge between Siberia and Alaska.
  Hunters followed herds of animals cross the
  bridge and others paddled small boats and fished
  along the coast.
• Climates grew warmer, the ice melted and the
  water level rose covering the land bridge under
  the Bering Strait
• As this happened people adapted by hunting
  smaller animals gathering fruits and vegetable
  and fishing and they slowly migrated eastward and
  southward across the Americas
• They also cultivated the land and domesticated
  animals but the lack of draft animals limited
  development in some areas.
• The agricultural revolution helped people settle
  into villages where population expanded, people
  grew into religious centers, and eventually into
  great cities

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Olmecs

• The Olmecs were the first American civilization.
  They emerged in the tropical forest along the
  Mexican Gulf Coast and lasted from about 1400 BC
  to 500 BC. Rich tombs and temples suggest a
  powerful class of priests and aristocrats. They
  made ceremonial centers. The most significant
  remains of the Olmec civilization are the giant
  carved stone heads. Through trade their influence
  spread over a wide area . They also invented a
  calendar and used carved inscriptions as a form
  of writing. But their most important tradition
  was of priestly leadership and religious devotion.

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Mayans

• Mayan civilizations flourished from 300 AD to
  about 900 from southern mexico to Central America
• Mayan farmers cleared fields that caught and held
  rainwater and then built raised fields that
  caught and held rainwater
• Temples were also where priests were buried.
  Large palaces and huge stone pillars were covered
  with carvings.
• Each Mayan city had its own ruling chief
  surrounded by nobles and officials. Most Mayans
  were farmers and grew corn beans, squash, fruit
  trees, cotton and beautiful flowers.
• They developed a hieroglyphic writing system, an
  accurate calendar, and invented a writing system
• At about 900 AD the Mayans abandoned their cities
  possibly because of frequent warfare, revolts, or
  overpopulation

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Aztecs

• Each Aztec city state had its own king, but an
  emperor was chosen to lead during war. Under them
  were nobles, then warriors, commoners and finally
  slaves. The priests were in a class of their own
  and performed rituals to please the gods. The
  Aztecs offered human sacrifices to please the
  god. Priests recorded laws and historical events.
  They had an accurate calendar. They also used
  herbs and medicines set broken bones, and treated
  other illnesses.

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Incan empire

• The Incan empire had a wide variety of climates
  and terrains in Western America. The people
  settled in fishing villages along the coast of
  Peru and expanded inland where they grew crops
  and eventually domesticated animals.

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Incas

• Pachacuti was the founder of the Incan empire,
  and he was called Sapa. He claimed that he was
  the son of the sun god and owned everything. They
  ran an efficient government from the capital at
  Cuzco. They imposed their own religion called
  Quechua, and created a road system that wound for
  more then 12,00 miles. It allowed news t travel
  rapidly throughout the empire, but all roads led
  to the capital at Cuzco.
• The Incas strictly regulated the lives of the
  people within the empire.
• Farmers used terraces which kept rains from
  washing away the soil and the government took
  part of each harvest
• The Incas were polytheistic and each month had
  its own festival.
• The Apopanaca made a selection amongst a group of
  girls and the girls that were chosen would be
  trained to serve the sun god. At the age of 16
  when the training was over some of the girls
  would be married off to high class families while
  others would spend their lives in service of the
  sun god.
• The Mayans excelled in learning they made
  advancements in medicine and astronomy and used
  herbs and antiseptics to cure illnesses
• But when Huayna Capac dies a civil war broke out
  over who would be his successor.

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• Fields of corn, beans and squash bloomed in the
  desert southwest, to farm the built a complex
  irrigation system.
• The Hohokams lived near the Gila River and built
  temple mounds and ball courts
• The Anasazi was the best known society of the
  southwest and they lived in the four corners
  region
• The Anasazi built kivas which was an underground
  chamber used for religious ceremonies
• They built houses near cliff dwellings to protect
  from raiders but a drought forced them to leave
  and attacks by Navajo and Apache tribes may have
  contributed to their decline

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• The Adena and Hopewell people left behind huge
  earthen mounds in the shape of cones or animals
• The Cahokia people grew richer through food
  surpluses and built mounds that were even homes
  for nobles and rulers or temples

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Native American Culture Groups of North America

• Arctic/Sub arctic- lived as nomadic hunters and
  food gatherers in cold climates, honored ocean
  weather and animal spirits
• Northwest Coast- lived in villages, benefited
  from natural resources in forests rivers and
  oceans, and they held potlatches
• California/Great Basin Plateau- lived as hunters
  and gatherers in small family groups, ate mainly
  fish berries and acorns
• Southwest- lived in villages in homes made of
  adobe, built irrigation systems to grow crops
  honored earth sky and water spirits
• Great Plains- lived in tepees, men hunted and
  women grew crops, relied on buffalo for food
  shelter and clothing
• Eastern Woodlands- lived in farming villages but
  also hunted for food longhouses were shared by
  many families and women held much of the social
  and political power
• Southeast-grew corn squash beans and other crops,
  held yearly Green Corn Ceremony to mark the end
  of the year and celebrate the harvest

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Iroquois

• Because of the Prophet Dekanawidah, five nations
  who spoke the same language formed the Iroquois
  League and were at piece with one another
• The Iroquois League did not always succeed in
  keeping the peace, but they were the best
  organized political group north of Mexico