Unit 1.2 Native American Societies BEFORE Europeans

Introduction (MAIN IDEA)

Before Europeans arrived on american shores native american peoples organized themselves into diverse cultures depending on where they lived

-Not all native americans the same stereotype

• Some were nomadic Hunter gathereres

• Some had fishing villages

• Some Farmed and built settlements

• Some created urban empires

AP course 1.2 Thematic Idea

Geography and the Environment GEO Geographic and environmental factors, including competition over and debates about natural resources, shape the development of America and foster regional diversity. The development of America impacts the environment and reshapes geography, which leads to debates about environmental and geographic issues.

Central and South American Civilizations

all had large urban centeres, complex political systems, and well- formed religions

1. Aztecs (Mexica)

2. Maya

3. Inca

Aztecs (Mexica)

• People called it Mexica

• Located in Central America (Mesoamerica)

• Capital city- Tenochtitlan

  • 300,000 people lived in the city

• Had

  • Written language

  • Advanced irrigation system

  • Complex Political System

• Religion focused mainly on fertility and human sacrifice

Maya

• located on the Yucatan Peninsula

  • In Mexico, on the big jut out

• They built large cities

  • Used:

    • Irrigation systems

    • Water storage systems

• Built giant stone temples and palaces for rulers whom they believed were descended from the gods

The Importance of Maize

• corn-like crop

• All 3 civilizations above had in common the cultivation of Maze

  • nutritious and supported population growth

    • Spread north into the present-day American Southwest

  • Helped Support

    • Economic Development

    • Permanent settlements

    • Advanced irrigation

    • Social diversification

Native Peoples of North America

Pueblo Peoples (Southwest)

• Lived in present-day New Mexico and Arizona

• Sedentary society (permanent settlements)

  • Farmed maize and other crops

• Built adobe and masonry homes:

  • In open areas

  • and into the sides of cliffs

• A highly organized society with

  • administrative offices

  • Religious centers

  • Craft shops

Great Plains and Great Basin Peoples

• nomadic hunter-gatherers

• needed large amounts of land due to the arid climate

  • Lived in small kinship-based bands

• Society was generally egalitarian

EXAMPLE: UTE people

Pacific Northwest Peoples

• Chinook People

  • lived by the sea and settled themselves into fishing villages

  • relied on elk hunting and fishing

  • They built giant plank houses

    • These houses could hold up to 70 family members

• Chumash People

  • Lived in present-day California

  • Still hunters and gatherers

  • Lived in permanent settlements where food was abundant.

Mississippi River Valley Societies

• Much larger and more complex societies

  • Because of the fertile soil surrounding the rivers

  • meant societies could stay put and farm.

Hopewell People

• Towns had a population of 4,000 to 6,000

  • Extensive trade networks

    • Reached Florida and the Rocky Mountains

Cahokia People

• Largest settlement in the region

• population between 10,000 and 30,000 at its height

• government led by powerful chiefs

  • Centralized political structure

  • The trade network stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico

Northeast Societies

• Iroquois People

  • lived in villages made up of several people

    • grew:

      • Maze

      • Squash

      • Beans

  • Built longhouses

    • 30-50 of family members

Key Takeaways

geography strongly influenced Native American Cultures

Native societies were highly diverse Politically, Socially, and Economically

Maze was very important

Large civilizations existed long before Europeans come to Americans