|
Chapter 1
I. Early American Civilizations
A. Several great civilizations arose in present-day Mexico and in
Central and South America. The most advanced were the Olmec, the Maya, the
Aztec, and the Inca. Each thrived for centuries.
B. The Olmec people lived in what is now Mexico, Guatemala, and
Honduras, between 1500 B.C. and 300 B.C.
C. The Olmec built stone pavement and drainage systems and sculpted
large stone monuments. Their civilization influenced their neighbors.
II. The Maya
A. The Mayan civilization flourished in present-day Mexico, Guatemala,
Honduras, and Belise.
B. The people built large cities, each having at least one stone
pyramid.
C. Tikal was the largest Mayan city and had five pyramids.
D. The Mayan civilization was a theocracy, or a society ruled by
religious leaders.
E. The Maya believed that the gods controlled all that happened on
earth. Atop the pyramids were religious and governmental centers.
F. The Maya became skilled astronomers and developed a writing system
called hieroglyphics.
G. Mayan traders transported their goods such as maize, vegetables,
jade, turquoise jewelry, and cacao beans on their backs and along the water.
H. No one knows what caused the decline of the Maya around A.D. 900,
but descendents of the Maya still live in parts of Central America.
III. The Aztec
A. Founded in 1325, Tenochtitlan was the home of the Aztec and their
capital city. Situated on an island, it was one of the largest cities in the
Americas.
B. Tenochtitlan was also a center of trade.
C. The Aztec people were warriors and conquered nearly all rival
communities. They built a military empire.
D. From the conquered people, the Aztec took weapons, maize, cotton
cloth, and copper. The Aztec forced their captives to work as slaves.
E. The Aztec people also believed in pleasing the gods. Their society
was organized around religion, and they sacrificed thousands of prisoners in
religious ceremonies.
IV. The Inca
A. The Inca Empire developed in the western highlands of South America.
B. Cuzco, the capital city, was founded around A.D. 1200.
C. The Inca ruler Pachacuti and his son, Topa Inca, conquered
neighboring lands to build their empire.
D. The empire stretched more than 3000 miles from present day Colombia
to northern Argentina and Chile.
E. The Inca were very advanced.
1. They built 10,000 miles of paved roads.
2. Rope bridges crossed canyons and rivers.
3. They developed a record-keeping system using quipus so that runners
could take messages from one part of the empire to another.
4. The language Quechua, became the official language of the empire.
5. They developed a system of terracing the land by building platforms
so that they could plant crops on slopes.
F. They were also a religious people, worshipping the sun god.
Part 2
I. Early Native Americans
A. Many Native American cultures existed in North America before
Europeans arrived in the 1500’s.
1. The Hohokam
2. The Anasazi
3. The Mound Builders
4. The Adena
5. The Hopewell
6. The Cahokia
7. The people of the north were the Inuit
8. The peoples of the west were Tlinget, Haida Chinook, Nez Perce,
Yakima, Pomo, Ute, Shoshone
9. The peoples of the southwest were the Hopi, Acoma, Zuni
10.The peoples of the Plains were nomads.
11.The peoples of the east were Cherokee, and the
Iroquois who formed five groups: Onondaga, Seneca,
Mohawk, Oneida, and the Cayuga
12.The peoples of the southwest were the Creek,
Chickasaw, and the Cherokee
| |
