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1.1 The Earliest Americans

1.1 The Earliest Americans. The First Americans. The Land-Bridge Theory 10,000 to 100,000 years ago much of the earth was covered in ice This allowed more of the land to be dry During these times a land bridge was accessible between Asia and N.A.

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1.1 The Earliest Americans

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  1. 1.1 The Earliest Americans

  2. The First Americans • The Land-Bridge Theory • 10,000 to 100,000 years ago much of the earth was covered in ice • This allowed more of the land to be dry • During these times a land bridge was accessible between Asia and N.A. • 20,000-30,000 years ago hunters followed game across this land-bridge

  3. The First Americans • Other Theories • Coastal –route theory • People traveled by boat across the arctic • Then down the Pacific coast • Native American traditions • Many Nat. Am. Cultures have their own traditions as to how they settled the land • These are their creation stories

  4. The First Americans • Learning to Farm • Hunting met most of the needs for centuries • When the big game was gone or nearly gone Nat. Am. They became hunter-gatherers • About 8,000 years ago farming began in Mexico • In dry areas farmers learned to irrigate • The surplus created in farming communities lead to surplus • Which leads to cities

  5. The First Americans • Three Civilizations • Mayas • Built cities in Mexico & Central America • Plazas • Pyramids • Temples • Ball courts • Palaces

  6. The First Americans • Three Civilizations • Mayas • Other developments • Arts • System of gov. • Written language • Studied the stars • Calendar

  7. The First Americans • Three Civilizations • Mayas • Abandoned cities • Why? • Disease • Overpopulation • Their language is the root of 20 languages in Cen. Am.

  8. The First Americans • Aztecs • Nearby, in central Mexico, the Aztecs were coming into power • Tenochtitlan • Their capital city • Where present day Mexico City is • Built on islands in the middle of a lake

  9. The First Americans • Aztecs • Nearby, in central Mexico, the Aztecs were coming into power • Tenochtitlan • Connected to the mainland by a series of causeways • Farmed on the lake in floating boxes called chinampas • 200,000 people lived there • May have been the largest city in the world at the time

  10. The First Americans • Aztecs • Religion was central to the Aztec way of life • Temples were located in the center of the city • Depended on the goodwill of their gods • Practiced human sacrifice • Their armies conquered the surrounding area (modern day Mexico) • The people they conquered had to pay high taxes

  11. The First Americans • Incas • While the Aztecs were conquering their neighbors the Inca had built the largest empire in the world • Along the west coast of South America • The capital, Cuzco, was connected to the rest of the empire by a vast series of roads

  12. The First Americans • Incas • Known for their stone buildings • Built canals, and terraces for farming • Gold and silver jewelry • Fine cloth • Metal working • Used quipu (knotted ropes) for communication

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