HOW DID CIVILIZATION BEGIN IN THE AMERICAS

o The Americas
The first people came from Asia over the Berlin Strait in Alaska.
When they land in Alaska, they start to move south for food and
warmth.
Sometime before 10,000BCE (possibly 50,000 years ago) the first
humans migrated to America from Asia.
These people were called Nomads because they were hunters and
gatherers.
This means that they ate from plants and hunted animals for
food.
There would be a food taster to see if food was poisonous.
They also fished
People began to widely populate North, Central, and South America.
By 7,000BCE, farmer started.
Civilizations formed
People begin to settle down. Now they are going to grow their
own food. They built better permanent houses. They are no longer "cave
men". They also have a community now and have a government. There
is also job specialization. Someone may become a tailor, a carpenter, a
builder, an artist, etc.
What they did
Started government
Farming
Squash, tomatoes, beans, maize, peppers,
Domesticate danimals
Llamas
For wool
Jewelry
Necklaces, earrings, etc.
HOW DID THE OLMACS DEVELOP A CIVIVLIZATION?
o The first civilizations in America (including the Olmec) Developed in
Mesoamerica
It started in Cancun because of the mild temperature, adequate rain
fall, rivers, gulf coasts, etc.
The Olmecs started around 1500BCE.
They had pyramids and temples
They had steps in the front and they are flat on top.
Had a courtyard where they played a ball game like
basketball without unsing your hands or feet. On the biggest holiday
of the Gods because the would have a game and the winners of the
game got sacrificed to the Gods.
Built sculptures
Big heads (see picture)
Religion
Polytheistic
Prayed for rain, fertility, victory in war.
Mayans
WHAT WERE THE MAIN ACHEIVEMENTS OF THE MAYANS
o The Mayan civilization
Started from the Yucatan Peninsula (in southern Mexico) they spread
throughout Mesoamerica.
Flourished from 300 to 900CE
They traded and built roads to do so. There were roads going through
the area.
 They liked to use long feathers to accessorize.
There are many tropical birds that drop its feathers.
Honey and chocolate
In the rain forest, cocoa plants grow.
Most were farmers
The problem was that they had too much rain.
They raised the ground level and built channels around it
so the excess water could drain off.
The climate was good.
Biggest city - Tikal
Up to 40,000 people living there.
It is in present day Guatemala.
They were excellent in astronomy.
They were able to predict (centuries ahead) accurately. (end or
world= 2012, Dec 21)
Temples
Believed in human sacrifices
Found cave paintings (recently) of human sacrifices.
Had a writing system
For history, stories, data, government things.
ENDS around 900CE
Some say they just left the area
Some say they just faded away
It could've been disease
Fighting (civil war or other)
It could've been a hurricane (hurricane area)
Soil depletion (like the potato famine)

HOW DID THE AZTECS RULE?

o Aztecs
Around 1300, they were building an empire starting from central
Mexico.
They are around Mexico city.
These people were quite recent.
Major city: Tenochtitln
It is near present day Mexico city.
They put dirt in the lake so that they could get to their islands.
That is called a causeway.
They conquered by force
They spread to a much larger area in Mesoamerica.
Conquered over 10 million people that were in their
empire.
They were a very aggressive war-like people.
When they asked people to do anything they wanted or
they would take them.
They formed alliances or took you over.
Either you agree or are forced.
People who made an alliance with them had to pay tribute.
Sometimes people were tribute.
They were used as sacrifices along with criminals, slaves,
and captives.
Very religious
Involved daily human sacrifices. A few each day. Thousands a
year.
War took on a religious meaning
 The people they conquer are the sacrifices.
Farming
Floating Islands
They built on the edges of lakes lots of dirt piles where
they could plant.
They also drained swamps.
Aqueducts
Clever ways of adapting to the environment.
Stuff they had
Gold and jade jewelry
Cotton clothes
Exotic parrots.
Marketplaces
Government
Nobles - Leaders: Political, Religious, military.
Commons - Farmers, merchants, artisans
The spanish conquer the aztec
HOW DID THE INCAS BUILD AND CONTROL SUCH A HUGE EMPIRE?
o Incas
Not it Mesoamerica
In South America
From a small state high in the Andes Mountain Range.
It spread by the 1400's to include a huge area.
The Incan empire stretched from Columbia all the way to Chile.
2,500 miles long
Capital City: Cuzco (in Peru) (like the Emperor's New Groove)
Beautiful City
Temples and Palaces
Lots of Gold and Silver.
Gold plates
Silver bathtubs
Running water in the bathrooms.
Gardens
o They kept control of such a big empire by:
A strong Empire
Though they had a strong army, they preferred to negotiate.
(they want loyalty in exchange for peaceful relations)
They built roads for two reasons:
Trade.
Army transportation.
A network or some 14,000 mi. of roads
Communication language
They had to all speak the same language.
Relay runners deliver messages.
They collected taxes
Money always is good.
They taxed the trade
This made a lot of money to keep the vast empire under control.
They built bridges
Rope bridges
Connected their lands which had many valleys
Left local leaders (chiefs) in place BUT
...they take their sons, bring them to Cuzco and put them in a big
boarding school. This way, if the chiefs misbehave, they have their sons.
Also, they are training their future leaders the Incan ways (language, way
 of life, laws). They are nice to them because they want to form alliances.
When he is grown up and learned their Incan culture, they send them
back home.
They also kept in Cuzco, their most sacred things.
They told them that they'd keep it safe unless they cause
trouble.
Required work
Every able-bodied person was required to work a certain amount
of days each year for the Incan government. Included able women and
children of an adequate age.
BUT in return, when you were old, the Incan government took
care of you. (like SSA)
The government also stored food. It might be a bad year so the
government helps them. Stored high in the mountains. They actually
made freeze dried potatoes.
Religion
Polytheistic
Believed that their king was a descendant of the sun God and the
queen, the moon god.
Farming
Terracing
Irrigation
o In the 1500's there was a civil war.
The king had no descendant.
Spanish conquistadors took over.
WHAT IS THE GEOGRAPHY OF AFRICA?
o Africa: geography
Africa is BIG
It is a continent
It is the world's largest continent besides Asia.
Made up of ever 50 independent countries.
It is 3X larger than the US
5,000 mi from north to south
4,600 mi form east to west
It is so big that it has a variety of climates and landforms. (topography)
Desert
Largest in the world - Sahara (in the north)
Kalahari desert - (in the southwest)
40% of Africa is desert
The deserts are uninhabitable and pretty much useless.
Also, deserts act as natural barriers making trade difficult.
Desertification
The desert is getting bigger
All of the sand blows around and covers good land with sand
pebble and gravel. This is how deserts grow.
Saheel
The area at the southern end of the desert.
There are no trees which is bad because trees keep good
dirt in one place.
Savanna - 40%
Tall grass, short trees, and bushes fill the savanna. (like the lion
king)
Not particularly hilly
Some farming maybe because the rainfall is sort of irregular.
It might not rain for 2 months at a time.
 You constantly hear of droughts.
Mainly used for animal grazing.
Africa does not profit from its geography.
Tropical Rainforest (jungle)
Less that 10% of Africa is Rainforest
They are located in Central Africa
The climate is hot and wet
There is lots of vegetation and thick growth
However, there is a lot of disease in the rainforests.
They were carried by insects such as the Tsetse fly.
There is a lot of teak wood and also mahogany.
At least you can get wood from the rainforest.
There is one place good for farming - Temperate (or Mediterranean)
zone
It is located on the Northern Coast and in South Africa
The problem, for the most part, is that geography and
landforms and climate in Africa are not good for farming either
if there is too much or little rain or if it is too hot.
Getting enough food for the people in Africa has always and will
always be a problem.
o Shape of the land
Africa goes up to a plateau in the center.
That was the Great Rift Valley
In eastern Africa cuts through plateau.
The long coast around Africa
The long coast around Africa has few good natural harbors.
There are few tall mountains in Africa
Mt. Kilimanjaro
o Rivers
Rivers can act like highways. They are good for trade and
transportation.
Nile
Niger
Congo
Zambezi
o Natural Resources
They have a large amount of Natural Resources
Diamonds
You have to cut diamonds
A lot of it went to Amsterdam
Now a lot of it goes to India, though, to cut it and polish it,
and facet it.
Gold
From South Africa
Oil
Natural gas, Uranium, Copper, Cobalt, Etc.
They are definitely rich in resources
WHAT ARE SOME OF AFRICA'S ANCIENT KINGDOMS?
o African Kingdoms
Egyptian
Nubian
They flourished around 800BC.
They are located South of the Egyptian civilization and is located
along the Nile.
They traded with Egypt.
 Gold was traded
Ivory and Ebony was traded
Ostrich Feathers were traded.
They got a lot of traditions from Egypt.
By 800BC, though,he Egyptian Kingdom declined and the Nubian
increased in power and made their own Kingdom. They became most
powerful.
Kush
They replaced they Nubians as the most powerful people by
about 700 or 600BC.
Meroe
Further south along the Nile river.
Made iron
500BC - 300AD, they were most powerful.
They also had an alphabet.
Raised cattle
In Sudan, there was a cultural center with pottery, art, etc. often
depicting animals.
WHAT IS THE EARLY HISTORY OF AFRICA?
o The Sahara desert is a great natural barrier
The Himalayas are also a great natural barrier.
This cause China dn India ro be totally different
There were no blending of cultures.
The Sahara separates Africa into two.
North of the Sahara are Arabs and Muslims.
Lighter skin people
People known as the Mahgrib
South of the Sahara is Sub-Sahara Africa.
Most are not Muslim
Darker skin
o Kingdoms in Sub-Sahara Africa:
The Empire of Ghana
By the Niger river
Had a flourishing Kingdom (when Europe was in the Dark Ages)
from 800-1000
They learned how to trade across the Sahara desert by using
camels in caravans.
Caravans were used as protection because you need
defense against possible bandits, you need water, and in case you
get lost.
They traded gold for salt.
Salt was very valuable!
The government made money from the trade because they
taxed trade.
This is good because, hopefully, with that money,
they will help the citizens.
Also, they had a large army of 20,000
Plus, they developed iron.
The Mali Empire
This is a bigger empire.
It stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Niger River.
At its high point from 1200-1450
They did a lot of mining (gold, iron, copper)
They liked copper because it is malleable
Farming
 Rice, yams, beans, onions
Large army (with horses)
Mansa Musa (1307-1332)
A powerful king that used his large army to get even more
territory.
He was a Muslim.
He practiced the Hajj (journey to the holy city of Mecca)
He takes a few people with him (80,000 attendants)
He used is attendants to carry tons of gold to
Mecca
Timbuktu
A major trade and educational center in Africa.
Timbuktu continued to be a great center of learning but it
did not survive very long because of attacks from the North
Songhai (1450-1600)
An Islamic Empire
Their ruler was Sunni Ali
Powerful army
Increased the size of the Empire
Axum (or Aksum) (900BC - 600AD)
East Africa (Ethiopia)
Had a great location
Trading center
Products from the Middle East, Europe, India,
Sub-Sahara etc.
You could find, iron, ivory, copper, glass, oil,
emeralds, clothing of all kinds, olive oil, rhinoceros horns.
Religious centers (Christian, Hindu, African, etc.)
It collapsed to invaders
HOW DID AFRICA MAINTAIN ITS TRADITIONS?
o Africa
They adapted to the various environments in Africa.
Desert
Camels
Savanna
No farming
Make a living by grazing animals
River/Lake
Fish
Rain Forest
"Slash-and-burn"
They cut and burn trees to quickly remove trees.
Use machetes
The ashes are fertilizers
Bad thing - you kill the animals
Strong Family ties
Clans were formed
Tribes were formed from clans
Tribalism is a major problem in Africa today.
They feel more loyal to their tribe than their country.
It divides the country and weakens it.
Wives
Do the farming
Bring the water
Husbands
 Do the hunting
Religion
Animism
They believe that there are spirits in nature.
Oral Tradition Storytellers (Griots)
Very good
Tell hundreds of stories