Native Americans and Early Cultures in America

20,000-30,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, humans crossed over the Bering Sea land bridge into the Americas.

-Inhabited the hemisphere from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Widespread dispersion led to a diversity of languages and cultures, most advanced of which were Mesoamerica and South America.

• Early cultures in North America

  • American Indian culture developed over many centuries

    • First originated from Asia

    • Agriculture changed some Indian culture from a nomadic to a farming community

  • North American Indians were skilled in a few areas

    • The Hopewell were skilled farmers, flourished in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys (200 BC-400 AD)

    • Mississippian culture developed in 800 AD, built large religious mound structures

    • Anasazi culture (800-1300) developed in the Southwest, skilled builders (Mesa Verde cliff houses) as well as sophisticated farmers.

    • Pueblo Indians, Southwest, after the Anasazi, and built extensive adobe cities.

• Early cultures in Mesoamerica

  • The Olmec (1200-400 BC) developed one of the first civilizations in Mesoamerica (region that is now Mexico, Central America, and western coast of South America)

    • Developed an agricultural community

    • Developed the first calendar in America

  • The Mayas (250-900) achieved a complex civilization

    • cities were trade and religious centers

    • math, science, astronomy, and engineering (pyramid building)

  • The Aztecs (1325-1521) conquered much of central Mexico

    • Toltecs preceded the Aztecs

    • built the great city of Tenochtitlan and ruled an empire

    • religion and war dominated Aztec life

  • The Incas (1200-1533) controlled a vast empire in South America

    • Tiahuanaco culture developed in the Andes mountains and the Incas unified an extensive empire

    • Developed a sophisticated record-keeping system, highly skilled craftsmen.

• Impact of Spanish Exploration and Conquest on Indigenous People of the Americas

  • Disease devastated native populations

    • smallpox, measles, typhus

    • Spread from Mexico into American southwest an southward towards the Andes

    • From 1520-1620, 20 million died

    • conquest aided by weakening of native forces

  • Aztecs conquered by Cortes in 1521

  • Inca empire conquered by Pizarro in 1533

  • Mass transfer of wealth (gold and silver) from Americas to Spain

  • end of political and economic independence

  • loss of native culture

  • conversion to Christianity