The Americas
The Rise of Early Civilizations:
3500-1000 BCE.
The Classical Period: 1000 BCE-
600 CE.
The Post-Classical Era: 600-
1450 CE.
The Beginning
3500-1000 BCE
• No unifying civilization.
• Scattered hunter-gatherers and
areas of plant domestication.
• Farming began nearly 5,000
years after the first farming in
Africa.
The Beginning
3500-1000 BCE
• Because of physical
orientation, the spread of food
production was slow.
• Few domesticated animals
except the llama.
The Classical Period
1000 BCE-600 CE
The Olmecs
• Flourished between 1200 and
400 BCE.
• Trade was enhanced—led to
urbanization and political and
religious elites.
The Olmecs
• Urban development made
possible by agricultural
achievements.
• Elites organized labor to farm
and to build monumental
cities
The Chavín
• Challenging environment forced
humans to adapt in many ways
including agriculture and trade.
• Control of trade allowed this
civilization to prosper.
Teotihuacan
• Founded in 100 BCE.
• Prominent religious structures
in urban centers.
• Grew rapidly due to forced
relocation of farming families.
Teotihuacan
• Religious and commercial center.
• Chinampas contributed to agriculture.
• Elites held the control.
• People did not concentrate power in the
hands of one ruler.
• Peaceful, but final decades may have
been violent, led to downfall.
The Moche
• After collapse of Chavín, Moche
established power.
• Massive irrigation works—connected
fields and water sources by as much as 75
miles.
• Priests and military leaders owned much
of the wealth and organized labor.
The Moche
• Elites buried in lavish tombs.
• Commoners—both men and women—
engaged in agriculture and pastoralism.
• Many skilled artisans.
• No written sources.
• Environmental disasters and the
aggressive Wari people led to downfall.
Tiwanaku and Wari
• City of Tiwanaku located on
shores of Lake Titicaca.
• Large-scale stone construction.
• Little known about social
stratifications.
• May have been capital of large
empire.
Tiwanaku and Wari
• City of Wari clearly tied to Tiwanaku.
• Larger than Tiwanaku.
• Smaller scale of monumental
architecture and stone masonry.
• Wars within the region led to the
construction of roads.
The Chavin
• An attractive religious belief
system and an abundance of
natural resources both
contributed largely to the
success of the Chavin
civilization.
The Post-Classical Era
600-1450 CE
North American
Cultures: Anasazi.
• Southwestern United States:
• Economy based on agriculture.
• Farming led to settled
communities.
North American
Cultures: Anasazi.
• Irrigation important to
farming.
• High-quality village
construction.
• Political or religious power
may have been exercised.
North American Cultures:
Mound Builders
• Hopewell were an early example
of chiefdom.
• Religious structures dominated
village centers.
• Abandonment of centers around
400 CE without explanation.
North American
Cultures: Mound Builders
• Mississippian culture may
have been linked to Hopewell,
Mesoamericans.
• Great urban center at Cahokia.
Mesoamerican
Societies: The Toltecs
• Origins unknown.
• First conquest state based
largely on military power.
• Capital city of Tula—created
around 968 CE.
Mesoamerican Societies:
The Toltecs
• Ruled by two chieftains.
• This government may have
led to downfall.
• Began to decline and ended
around 1165 CE.
Mesoamerican
Societies: The Aztecs
• Pushed into central Mexico
shortly after the collapse of
Tula.
• 2 capital cities: Tenochtitlan
and Tlatelolco.
Mesoamerican
Societies: The Aztecs
• Monarchial system.
• Organized around the clan.
• Used tribute system with conquered
peoples.
• Merchants controlled long-distance
trade.
Mesoamerican
Societies: The Aztecs
• Polytheistic.
• Public ceremonies—.
• War captives often sacrificed.
Mesoamerican
Societies: The Chimú
• Constructed capital, Chan Chan, around
800 CE.
• Aggressive military expansion after 1200
CE.
• Controlled 1,000 kilometers of Peruvian
coastline at the apex of its power.
Mesoamerican Societies:
The Inca
• Expansion began in 1438 CE.
• Conquered Chimú in 1465 CE.
• Called land “Land of Four Corners”
• Large population: more than 6 million by
1525 CE.
• Capital city of Cuzco.
Mesoamerican
Societies: The Inca
• Pastoralists.
• Achievements based on the foundation of
previous societies.
• No new technology introduced.
• Ruler Huayna Capac died in 1525.
• Resulting power struggle and civil war—led to
downfall.