Early Human MigrationsEarly Human Migrations

By 700 CE, humans had established communities in almost every habitable part of the world.

Major Pre-Columbian CivilizationsMajor Pre-Columbian Civilizations

Early Mesoamerican societies

1200 BCE – 1100 CE

Origins of Mesoamerican Societies

• Melting glaciers 18,000 years ago began a rise in ocean waters.

• Migration across Bering land bridge?– Probably 13,000 BCE, perhaps earlier

• By sea from Asia?• By 9500 BCE reached southernmost part

of South America• Hunter/Gatherer societies

– evolve into agricultural societies

Olmecs

• 1200-100 BCE

• The “Rubber People”

• Ceremonial Centers – San Lorenzo, La Venta, Tres Zapotes

• Olmec Heads– Up to 10 ft tall, 20 tons– Transported by dragging, rolling on logs– 1000/workers per head

The Olmec heartland where the Olmecs reigned from 1400 - 500 BCE

It is now generally

accepted that these heads are portraits

of rulers, perhaps

dressed as ballplayers.

17 heads have been

unearthed so far!

Agriculture and Herding

• Abundant rainfall, so no need for irrigation– Drainage systems to divert waters

• Staple: maize

• Herding: turkeys & dogs– Both food

• No draft animals– No development of wheeled vehicles

Olmec Society

• Probably authoritarian in nature

• Large class of conscripted laborers to construct ceremonial sites– Also tombs for rulers, temples, pyramids,

drainage systems

The Olmecs

• The first major American civilization who built ceremonial centers around pyramids.

• Had an elaborate calendar, writing system and widespread trading network.

• There is evidence that the Olmec practiced ritual bloodletting and played the Mesoamerican ballgame, hallmarks of nearly all subsequent Mesoamerican societies.

The Olmecs

• The first major American civilization who built ceremonial centers around pyramids.

• Had an elaborate calendar, writing system and widespread trading network.

• There is evidence that the Olmec practiced ritual bloodletting and played the Mesoamerican ballgame, hallmarks of nearly all subsequent Mesoamerican societies.

Mysterious Decline of Olmecs

• Ceremonial centers destroyed

• No evidence of warfare

• Revolution?

• Civil war?

Lands of the MayaLands of the Maya

The The Yucatan Yucatan

PeninsulaPeninsula

The The Yucatan Yucatan

PeninsulaPeninsula

Maya• Huge cities discovered in 19th c.• 300 BCE-900 CE• Terrace Farming

– Maize– Cotton

• Cacao beans – chocolate– currency

• Major ceremonial center at Tikal (500,000)– Chichen Itza & Palenque b/w 10-30,000 people

Temple 1 (also known

as the Temple of the Great Jaguar) in the Plaza

Mayor

Chichen-Itza - PyramidChichen-Itza - Pyramid

Maya Warfare

• Warfare for purposes of capturing enemy soldiers

• Ritual sacrifice of enemies– Enslavement– Small kingdoms engage in constant conflict

until Chichén Itzá begins to absorb captives• Some nevertheless choose death• Center of empire develops

Mayan Ritual Calendar

• Complex math– Invention of “Zero”

• Calendar of 365.242 days (17 seconds off)– Solar calendar of 365 days– Ritual calendar of 260 days

• Management of calendar lends authority to priesthood– Timing of auspicious moments for agriculture– Devise written language– Compile astronomical knowledge

Mayan Language and Religion• Ideographs and a syllable-alphabet

– Most writings destroyed by Spanish conquerors– Deciphering work began in 1960s

• Popol Vuh: Mayan creation myth– Humans created from maize & water > flesh & blood

• Agricultural cycle maintained in exchange for honors and sacrifices

• Bloodletting rituals– Human sacrifices follow after removal of fingers,

piercing to allow blood flow

The Maya Ball Game

• Ritual game

• High-ranking captives, prisoners of war contestants

• Execution of losers immediately follows the match

• Bloodletting ritual for the gods

• Most Maya ceremonial centers, towns and cities had courts

Chichen-Itza - Ball CourtChichen-Itza - Ball Court

A Goal in the Ball Court at Chichén Itzá, Mexico

Social Hierarchy

• Most Maya were farmers who supplied resources for an elaborate trading network.

• Each city had a ruling chief, followed by nobles, who served as city officials and military leaders.

City of Teotihuacan

• Highlands of Mexico• Lakes in area of high elevation• Village of Teotihuacan, 500 BCE, expands to

become massive city– Important ceremonial center

• Extensive trade network, influenced surrounding areas

• Begins to decline c. 650 CE, sacked in middle of 8th century, massive library destroyed

Pirámide del Sol, Teotihuacan

The End of the Maya

• Around 900, the Maya abandoned their cities. Historians speculate that war or overpopulation made have led to famine or class warfare.

• Today, millions in Guatemala and Southern Mexico speak 28 Mayan dialects.

Andean Societies

• Migration into South America c. 12,000 BCE

• Climate improves c. 8000 BCE

• Largely independent from Mesoamerica

• Highly individualized due to geography

Early Societies of Andean South America

1000 BCE – 700 CE

Food Supply

• Those who migrated into the Andes Mountains hunted deer, llama, alpaca and other large animals not found in Central America.

• Cultivation of maize and squashes spread from Mesoamerica, while gold, silver and copper metallurgy spread from the Andes north.

• By 2500 BCE, the earliest Andean cultivators relied on peanuts, beans, and sweet potatoes.

Chavin Cult

• New religion in central Andes, 900-300 BCE• Little known about particulars of religion• Intricate stone carvings• Cult may have arose when maize became an

important crop > cult for fertility and abundant harvests.

• During the era Andean society became increasingly complex– Elaborate woven clothing, cotton fishnets, metallurgy for

jewelry

The Mochica State• Valley of the Moche River• Dominated northern Peru, 300-700 CE

– Artistic evidence of armed warriors maintaining stability throughout region

• Painting survives, mostly on pottery/ceramics• No writing, but complex society with vast job

specialization• One of many states in region, none able to consolidate

into empire• 6th-7th centuries CE saw climactic shifts with droughts

that led to a decline of early Andean civilizations

Early Societies of Oceania,

1500 BCE – 700 CE

Oceania

• Prehistoric land bridges, lower seas permit migration• Outrigger canoes for open-sea travel• Humans in Oceania at least by 58,000 BCE• By 8,000 BCE trade between islands ceased due to

the rising seas.• Early hunter-gatherer societies in Australia• Early agriculture in New Guinea by 3000 BCE

– Yams, taro & raising pigs & chickens

Aborigine of the Naomi Tribe

Early 19th Century Aboriginal Tribe

21st century Aboriginal People

Lapita Peoples

• Earliest Austronesian (language group of Oceania) migrants to sail into the Pacific Ocean and establish settlements in pacific islands.

• Found throughout Pacific Islands• Agriculture, animal herding• Political organization based on chiefdoms

– Relatives formed aristocracy

• Trade over open ocean declines 500 BCE– Greater independence of settlements