Diverse Societies in the Americas (Module 1-1 Resource)

Book Notes (4-12)

• First peoples in America were likely migrants from Northeast Asia

• Population estimates in the Americas before contact with Europeans range from 37-100 million

• By 1400's, America was home to diverse societies (fishing villages, nomadic hunter-gatherers, large city empires)

P2

• Complex societies made possible because of agricultural revolution (crop system, domesticated animals, developed tools)

• Horticulture - small plots of land worked with simple tools

AUDIO OVERVIEWS

• Ancient Mexicans improved maize and cultivated various nutritious crops.

• High yields of these crops supported surplus food storage and trade.

• By 500 CE, complex societies emerged due to intensive agriculture.

• By 1500 CE, maize cultivation spread north and spurred economic development.

• Hunter-gatherer groups continued to thrive in diverse ecosystems.

• Three major civilizations emerged in the Americas by the early 16th century: Aztecs, Maya, and Incas.

• Aztecs and Mayans were located in the equatorial region, while Incas thrived along the Pacific coast of present-day Peru.

• These societies were technologically advanced, with knowledge of mathematics and astronomy, and built large urban centers.

• They lacked large boats and horses, relying instead on land and river commerce.

• The Aztecs established Tenochtitlan around 1325 CE, integrating local knowledge and practicing human sacrifices for religious purposes.

• Increased agriculture using chinampas (artificial islands in lakes/swamps).

  • Frames filled with mud & plants → fertile plots.

  • Adapted to watery environments → higher yields of maize, beans, squash.

• Expanded trade networks:

  • Traded pottery, cloth, leather goods.

  • Received tiles and obsidian (used for sharp weapons/tools).

• Slavery was part of trade and society.

Maya

• Built large cities with skilled artisans.

• Developed irrigation & water storage systems.

• Farmers produced food & constructed stone temples/palaces for rulers (who claimed divine descent).

• Civilization began to decline ~800 CE:

  • Many cities and religious centers abandoned.

  • Some communities survived and reemerged as city-states.

• By early 1500s, traded with Aztecs.

Incas

• Civilization in Andes Mountains along Pacific coast.

• At peak (15th c.):

  • Controlled 16 million people across 350,000 sq. miles.

  • Capital = Cusco (~11,000 ft. above sea level).

• Built road system & garrisons to move food, trade goods, and soldiers.

• Agriculture:

  • Terrace farming in mountain valleys.

  • Irrigation systems supported potatoes & crops.

• Economy:

  • Mined gold & silver.

  • Artisans crafted jewelry and decorative items.

• Society & Religion:

  • Large labor force → palaces, temples.

  • Human sacrifice (like Aztecs) to appease gods.

Southwest (Hohokam & Pueblo)

• Hohokam (500 CE): irrigation systems in Arizona/New Mexico.

• Pueblo peoples:

  • Farmed maize, beans, squash (spread from Central America).

  • Built adobe brick & masonry cliff dwellings (from 750 CE).

  • Later constructed larger centers (offices, religious spaces, craft shops).

  • Returned to cliffs (1100s) for protection from invaders.

  • Persistent drought → dispersal into smaller groups.

Great Plains & Great Basin

• Nomadic bison-hunting societies.

• Tools: atlatl (spear thrower), nets, hooks, snares.

• Bow & arrow (c. 500 CE) = key tech advancement.

• Needed large territories due to arid climate & migration of animals.

• Ute people (Great Basin):

  • Foraged/hunted nomadically in desert areas (SW Colorado & SE Utah).

  • Small, egalitarian kinship bands.

  • Traded with each other & Pueblo peoples via networks.

Upper Midwest / Rivers (Mandan)

• Settled along rivers (fertile soil → farming + hunting).

• Around 1250 CE → drought caused contraction.

• Increased competition for resources within and between groups.

Pacific Coast (Chumash / Pacific Northwest peoples)

• Chumash (California, Santa Barbara):

  • Hunter-gatherers in permanent villages (thousands of inhabitants).

  • Women gathered acorns & pine nuts; men fished (tamál canoes) & hunted.

  • Participated in extensive trade networks.

• Pacific Northwest tribes:

  • Rich natural resources (salmon, elk, forests).

  • Totem poles carved from cedar depicted deities.

  • Built large ocean-going canoes → massive fish harvests.

  • Chinook: plank houses (hundreds of feet long) housing kinship groups (up to 70 families).

Northeast (Iroquois)

• Villages of several hundred people.

• Semi-sedentary: farmed maize, beans, squash + hunting & fishing.

• Built longhouses from forest wood; communal living with multiple families.

• Matriarchal society: descent through maternal lines; women selected leaders.

• Warrior culture: honor in battle & ritual humiliation valued more than killing.