The document summarizes the peoples and civilizations of the Americas between 400 CE and 1500 CE. It describes the diverse landscapes of North and South America and discusses the first peoples who crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Asia over 10,000 years ago. It then outlines the major indigenous civilizations that developed across North and Mesoamerica, including the Olmec, Teotihuacan, Maya, Toltec, Aztec, and Inca. It provides details on their social structures, religious beliefs, and accomplishments.

1. THE AMERICAS
400 CE – 1500 CE

2. LANDS OF THE AMERICAS
The Americas make up an enormous land
area, stretching about 9,000 miles from the
Arctic Ocean in the north to Cape Horn at the
tip of South America.
The Americas encompass many landscapes:
desert, mountains, forests, river
valleys, coastal regions, and more.
Two major mountain ranges extend through
the western Americas: the Rocky Mountains
of North America and the Andes in the South.
On the eastern coasts run the Appalachian
Mountains in North America and the Brazilian
Highlands in the South.
Great river valleys exist in both North and
South America; the Mississippi in the North
and the Amazon in South America.

3. Between 100,000 and 8,000
years ago, the last Ice Age
FIRST AMERICANS produced low sea levels that in
turn created a land bridge in
the Bering Strait between the
Asian and North American
continents.
Small communities of people
from Asia crossed this land
bridge; most likely they were
hunters who were pursuing the
herds of bison and caribou that
moved in search of grazing.
These people became the first
Americans. They were hunter-
gatherers who eventually
spread throughout North and
South America.

4. PEOPLES OF NORTH AMERICA

5. ARCTIC & NORTHWEST: THE INUIT
 About 3,000 BCE, a group of people called the Inuit moved into
North America from Asia. They settled along the coasts of the
tundra region, the treeless land south of the Arctic (in present-day
Alaska).
 The Inuit made harpoons and spears from antlers or tusks and
were skilled hunters of seal, caribou, and fish.
 They built homes of stones and turf. The igloo was used as a
temporary shelter during traveling.

6. EASTERN WOODLANDS: THE MOUND
BUILDERS
Around 1,000 BCE, farming villages
appeared in the Eastern Woodlands, the
land in eastern North America from the
Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.
The best known people of this region were
the Hopewell people in the Ohio River
valley. The Hopewell culture extended along
the Mississippi River. They are known for
the elaborate earth mounds they built for
tombs or ceremonies. They came to be
known as the Mound Builders.
The Mound Builders prospered and cities
By 700 CE, most of these peoples had began to appear, some of them containing
shifted to full-time farming, growing more than 10,000 citizens. One
corn, squash, and beans. city, Cahokia, is located near present-day
East St. Louis. It flourished from 850 to
1150, but collapsed in the 13th century for
unknown reasons.

7. EASTERN WOODLANDS: THE
IROQUOIS
 To the Northwest of the Mississippian culture were the people
known as the Iroquois. The Iroquois lived in villages that
consisted of longhouses surrounded by wooden fences for
protection. Each longhouse housed about a dozen families.
 The Iroquois hunted deer, bear, caribou and small animals. They
were also warriors who protected the community.
Women owned the
dwellings, planted the
seeds and harvested
crops – primarily
corn, beans, and squash.
Women also took care of
the children.

8. IROQUOIS
 The Iroquois lived in modern-day Pennsylvania, New York, and parts
of Southern Canada
 Wars were common among groups of Iroquois
 In the 1500s, the Iroquois were torn apart by war; Deganawida, an elder of the
people appeared and preached the need for peace.
 Hiawatha, a member of the Onondaga group listened to Deganawida and helped
negotiate the Great Peace, which created an alliance of five groups called the
Iroquois League
 A council of representatives known as the Great Council met regularly to settle
differences among the league members
 Each Iroquois group was made up of clans (related families); the women of each
clan chose the most well-respected woman to be the clan mother; it was the clan
mothers who chose the male members of the Grand Council
 The Grand Council was an experiment in democracy and helped the
Iroquois to deal with their problems.
 Some scholars believe that in 1754, Benjamin Franklin used the Iroquois League
as a model for a Plan of Union for the British Colonies.

9. PEOPLE OF THE GREAT PLAINS
 West of the Mississippi, the Plains Indians cultivated
beans, corn, and squash.
 Every summer, the men left their villages to hunt buffalo, an
important animal in Plains Indian culture.
 The Plains Indians are known for their teepees made of buffalo
hide that provided shelter for their tribes.

10. PEOPLES OF THE SOUTHWEST:
ANASAZI
 The Southwest covers the territory of present-day New
Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.
 The Anasazi people established an extensive farming society in
the Southwest.
 Between 500 and 1200 CE, the Anasazi used canals and earthen
dams to turn parts of the desert into fertile gardens
 They were skilled at making baskets and pottery
 They used adobe to build pueblos, multi-storied structures that
could house many people
 The Anasazi people created Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, the
heart of the Anasazi culture. They also built Mesa Verde, in
Colorado.

11. MESOAMERICA: OLMEC
 Mesoamerica is the areas of Mexico and Central America that
were civilized before the Spanish arrived.
 The Olmec peoples began around 1200 BCE, living in the
swampy lowlands along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in
southern Mexico.
 The Olmecs farmed along the muddy riverbanks in Mesoamerica.
 The Olmec built large cities that were centers for their religious
rituals. One of these was La Venta, which had a pyramid that
towered above the city.
 Colossal stone heads, probably representing their gods, were
found at their religious sites.
 The Olmec civilization collapsed around 400 BCE.

12. MESOAMERICA: TEOTIHUACAN
 The first major city in Mesoamerica was Teotihuacan, the capital
of an early kingdom that arose around 250 BCE and collapsed
around 800 BCE.
 Teotihuacan was a busy trading center, although most of the
residents were probably farmers.
 Located near Mexico City in a fertile valley, Teotihuacan had as
many as 200,000 residents at its height. There were
temples, palaces, and pyramids at Teotihuacan. The Pyramid of
the Sun is the most famous landmark of this early civilization.

13. MAYANS
The Mayans lived on the
Yucatan Peninsula (in
brown, right). This civilization
flourished between 300 and
900 CE.
The Mayans had one of the
most advanced civilizations in
the Americas. They built
temples and pyramids and
developed a calendar.
Eventually Mayan civilization
declined, possibly due to
natural disasters or invasion.

14. MAYAN CIVILIZATION
Mayan cities were built around a
central pyramid topped by a shrine to
the gods.
Nearby were other
temples, palaces, and a sacred ball
court.
Some scholars believe that the largest
urban centers had up to 200,000
people.
Mayan civilization was composed of
city-states, each governed by a
hereditary ruling class. The city-states
were often at war with each other.
Soldiers who were captured in battle
became slaves. Captured nobles and
war leaders were used for human
sacrifice.

15. MAYAN SOCIETY
 Rulers of the Mayan city-states claimed to be descended from
gods
 Mayan society was build on a class structure:
 Rulers and Nobles were at the top
 Priests and scribes made up the next level
 Artists, merchants, and city officials were the next level
 Peasant farmers were near the bottom
 Slaves were at the bottom of the social classes
 Most of the Mayan people were peasant farmers, living on tiny
plots of land in the terraced highlands
 The Mayans men did the fighting and hunting while women did
the homemaking and raising of children

16. MAYAN RELIGION
 The Mayans believed that all life was in the hands of divine
powers.
 Their supreme god was named Itzamna (Lizard House)
 Gods were ranked in order of importance and some gods were
considered evil or good
 The Mayans practiced human sacrifice as a way to appease the
gods
 Human sacrifices were part of some religious rituals
 Prisoners of war were used as sacrifices for some ceremonies

17. MAYAN INVENTIONS
 Mayans used hieroglyphic writing, like the Egyptians, they had
pictures represent words and ideas
 When the Spanish invaded, they did not try to decipher Mayan language or writings
 Ignoring the native language helped bring about the downfall of Mayan civilization
 Mayans wrote on bark which they folded and then covered with plaster, they also
carved onto clay, jade, bone, shells, and stone
 The Mayans also created a calendar called the Long Count.
 The calendar was based on the belief in cycles of creation and destruction
 The Mayans used two different systems for measuring time
 The solar calendar was 365 days, divided into 18 months of 20 days each, with an extra
five days at the end
 The sacred calendar was 260 days, divided into 13 weeks of 20 days; only trained priests
could read and use this calendar, which was used to foretell the future and know the
omens associated with each day

18. TOLTEC CIVILIZATION
 The Toltec were located northwest
of present-day Mexico City.
 The Toltec were a fierce and
warlike people who extended their
conquests into the Mayan lands
 The Toltec also built pyramids and
palaces
 The Toltec controlled the upper
Yucatan Peninsula from their
capital at Chichen Itza from
around 900 CE to 1200 CE

19. AZTEC CIVILIZATION
 The origins of the Aztec are unknown; they began a migration
sometime during the 12th century and ended established their capital
at Tenochtitlan, on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco, in what
is now Mexico City
 According to legend, when the Aztec arrived, other people forced
them to live in a snake-infested region. Their survival strengthened
their belief in a sign that would come from their god of war and of the
sun, Huitzilopochtli
 The god told them that when they saw an eagle perched on a cactus growing out of
a rock, their journey would end
 In 1325, under attack by another people, they were driven into the
swamps and islands of Lake Texcoco, where they saw an eagle
standing on a prickly pear cactus on a rock. They built their city
where they saw the eagle

20. AZTEC CIVILIZATION
 By 1500, as many as four million Aztecs lived in the Valley of
Mexico and the surrounding valleys.
 The Aztecs were led by a monarch who claimed that he was
descended from the gods. The ruler was assisted by a council of
lords and government officials.
 Most of the population was comprised of commoners, indentured
workers, and slaves
 Most commoners were farmers or engaged in trade
 Over half the population lived in cities

21. AZTEC SOCIETY
 Boys and girls in Aztec society were given different roles
 Boys were trained to be warriors
 Girls were trained to work in the home
 Women were allowed to own and inherit property and enter into contracts
 Some women became priestessess
 The Aztec believed in many gods
 Huitzilopochtli was the god of sun and war
 Quetzalcoatl was a feathered serpent god; because he was represented by an
arrow protruding through a sapling, the Aztecs thought the Spanish, who carried
crosses that looked like Quetzalcoatl’s symbol, were sent by him
 Aztecs believed religion was a struggle between the forces of good
and evil throughout the universe
 They believed the struggle led to the creation of four worlds, or suns; they thought
they were living in the time of the fifth sun
 Aztecs practiced human sacrifice because they believed it would delay the
destruction of their world

22. AZTEC DECLINE & DESTRUCTION
The Aztecs had some internal fighting among
their empire, especially in the east where the
local lords wanted greater independence. This
led to some decline, but their destruction came
at the hands of the Spanairds.
The Spanish landed in Aztec territory in 1519.
Led by Hernan Cortes, the Spanish marched
to Tenochtitlan, making alliances with the city-
states that were tired of being ruled by the
Aztecs.
Cortes initially received a friendly welcome from
the Aztecs, especially their
monarch, Montezuma, who believed the
Spanish were sent by Quetzlcoatl.

23. AZTEC DESTRUCTION
Eventually tensions arose between the
Spanish and Aztecs. The Spaniards
took Montezuma hostage and began to
pillage the city. In 1520, one year after
Cortes arrived, the local population
revolted and drove the Spanish from the
city.
However, the Spanish had a long-
lasting impact on the Aztec. Unable to
fight off European diseases, many fell
sick and died. Cortes leveled pyramids, destroyed
temples and palaces and then used
Cortes also got fresh soldiers and other the stones to build government
city-states provided soldiers. Cortes buildings for the Spanish.
attacked again and after four months Eventually the Aztec were
the Aztec surrendered. completely destroyed.

24. SOUTH AMERICA
 The city of Caral is the oldest
major city in the Americas.
Believed to be 1000 years older
than other ancient cities in the
Western Hemisphere, Caral is
located in the Supe River valley
in Peru.
 Caral developed a system of
irrigation, had apartment At Moche, a major urban center arose amid
buildings, grand residences and irrigated fields in the valley of the Moche
government buildings, all made River.
of stone.
 Caral was abandoned sometime Farmers grew maize
between 2000 and 1500 BCE. (corn), peanuts, potatoes, and cotton.
 In 200 BCE, another advanced
civilization developed near Moche was the capital of a powerful state
Ecuador. who practiced warfare and human sacrifice.

25. INCAN CIVILIZATION
 After the collapse of the Moche around
700 CE, South America was in a
period of decline. This lasted until
approximately the 1300s, when the
Inca created an empire in South
America.
 In the late 1300s, the Inca were a
small community near Cuzco in
southern Peru
 Under the leadership of Pachacuti in
the 1400s, the Inca brought the entire
region under their control, creating a
vast empire. At its height, the Incan
empire included 12 million people.

26. INCAN CIVILIZATION
 The Incan state was built on war and young men were required to serve in
the army
 The army had over 200,000 members and was the largest and best-armed in
the region
 Once the Incas took over a territory, the conquered people were required to
learn Quechua, the Incan language
 New territories were tightly controlled and regulated, with a high-ranking
Incan noble sent to rule the region
 Pachacuti divided the empire into four quarters, with each ruled by a
governor, who divided the quarters into provinces, also ruled by a governor
 All the governors reported to the emperor, who was believed to be
descended from the Inti, the sun god
 The Inca had no writing system, but instead kept records using a system of
knotted strings called quipu.
 The Incans enacted plays and had poetry, which was handed down orally

27. INCA CIVILIZATION
 All Incan males were required to serve in the army
 All subjects in the Incan empire were responsible for “labor
service” for several weeks a year, where they were expected to
work on building projects for the Incan empire
 Forced laborers were used to build roads, temples, and other buildings
 The Incan empire had a vast road system throughout the
empire, based on one north-south corridor and one east-west
corridor
 Rest houses were built about a days walk apart, and stored with supplies for
travelers
 Storage depots were placed on the roads to help travelers
 The Incans also built extensive bridges, including suspension and river
bridges

28. INCAN SOCIETY
 Society was highly regimented, meaning people could not escape
the pre-conceived society
 Men and women were required to select a marriage partner from within their
own social group
 Women were expected to care for children and the home
 Some girls were chosen to become priestesses for the temples
 In rural areas, people were primarily farmers
 They used terraced farming in the mountains
 They grew corn, potatoes, and other crops

29. INCAN CULTURE
 The Incans were great builders;
one set of ruins, at Machu
Picchu, shows the architectural
genius of the Inca
 Machu Picchu is a small city
built on the side of a mountain
near the Urubamba River
 Long stairways, an
observatory, and religious
structures are all included at
Machu Picchu

30. INCAN DECLINE
 The Incan Empire was flourishing when the Spanish arrived
 In 1531, Francisco Pizarro arrived in South America with about
180 men
 The Spanish brought disease with them to South America
 Hundreds of Incans died of small pox
 The Emperor of the Incas died of the small pox
 After the death of the Emperor, his two sons fought for control of
the empire, which led to civil war
 Pizarro took advantage of the civil war and
captured, Atahuallpa, one of the brothers, who was executed by
Pizarro
 By 1535, Pizarro had conquered the Inca and built a capital in
Lima, Peru