Chapter 1 Flashcards
The Collision of Cultures (60 cards)
When did Europeans first make contact with the Americas?
The end of the 15th century
Who led exploration at the time?
The Spanish and the Portuguese
How did the Europeans impact the ancient civilizations of the Americas?
- Violent and Rapid Takeover
- Brought Diseases
- Cultures shaped one another
Where do scholars believe PreContact America migrated from?
Came to the Americas from the land bridge called the Bering Strait into Alaska
Why did PreContact migration begin?
As a result of stone tools to pursue large animals that crossed over the Bering Strait
- Stone tools
Where did all the land-based migrants come from?
- What were they known as?
From a Mongolian stock, related to modern day Mongolia
- Called ‘Clovis People’
Where did migrants from Asia settle and how did they get there?
In modern day Chile and Peru by using boats
What does recent DNA show about Asian migrants?
What could this mean?
Recent DNA shows that the early population did not seem to have Asian characteristics
- This could mean there could have been migration from Europe
What is the Archaic Period?
The early history of humans in America, beginning around 2000 BC
Describe the Archaic Period. (4 things)
- Humans supported themselves through hunting and gathering
- Expanded their activities and developed new tools
- Began to farm: Required people to stay in one place
- The first sedentary settlements
Southern American Civilizations (The South, Mesoamerica, Mexico)
Incas, Olmecs, Mayans, Aztecs
Growth of the Incas
In Peru (South), largest empire in the Americas, 2,000 miles long
- Complex administrative state, irrigation system, paved roads
When did organized societies emerge in Mesoamerica?
Around 10,000 BC
Define Mesoamerica
A region comprising Mexico and much of Central America
Who were the Olmec people?
Developed between 1600-1500 BC
- First complex society in Mesoamerica
Growth of the Mayans
Developed 1800 BC
- Sophisticated culture in Yucatan Peninsula and Central America
- Most powerful 300 AD
- Developed new language, numerical system, accurate calendar, advanced agricultural system, held important trade routes
Growth of the Aztecs (Mexica)
Developed 1325 AD
- Tenochitilan built in Lake Texcoco
- Large and impressive buildings, schools, military, medical system, slaves from conquered regions, water navigation system
- Gradually established their dominance over Central Mexico
What were Mesoamerican civilizations the center of?
For many centuries they were the center of civilized life in North and Central America (the hub of culture and trade)
Describe the civilizations of the North
Less elaborate but still substantial civilizations
- Subsisted on combinations of hunting, gathering, fishing
Describe the Inuits
Located in the Arctic Circle (Northern American Civilization)
- fished and hunted seals, big game hunters of the forests, lived nomadically based in pursuit of moose and caribou
Describe the tribes of the Pacific Northwest
-Salmon fishing, created substantial permanent settlements along the coast
Describe the tribes far West
- Developed successful communities based on fishing, hunting small game, and gathering edible plants
Tribes of the Southwest
Thrived on Agriculture
- Pueblo, Hopis, Zunis
Describe the Pueblo Tribe
- 900-1150 AD
- Developing a thriving center of commerce in the Chaco Canyon
- 15,000 people, 12 towns, 200 villages
- Composed of sandstone, timber, adobe
- Pueblo Bonita
