Mesoamerican & Andean World

The Life in the Americaslacked nearly all animals suitable for domestication

metallurgy was less developed in the Americas

Writing limited in the Americas to Mesoamericamost highly developed among the MayaEarly Andeans did not make use of writing

fewer and smaller classical civilizations in the Americas

lack of interaction with other major cultures

The Olmec

Migration to Mesoamerica By 9500 B.C.E., humans reached the

southernmost part of South America

As hunting became difficult, agriculture began (7500 B.C.E.)

Early agriculture: beans, squashes, chilis; later, maize became the staple (5000 B.C.E.) Agricultural villages appeared after 3000

B.C.E.

The "rubber people”Elaborate complexes built

The colossal human heads--possibly likenesses of rulers

Rulers' power shown in construction of huge pyramids

Trade in jade and obsidian

Decline of Olmecs: systematically destroyed ceremonial centers by 400 B.C.E.

Society in the Americas

Early Mesoamerican Society

Mayan society hierarchical

Kings, priests, and hereditary nobility at the top

Merchants were from the ruling class; they served also as ambassadors

Professional architects and artisans were important

Peasants and slaves were majority of population

Mayan CultureReligious thought

Popol Vuh (creation myth) taught that gods created humans out of maize and

water Gods maintained agricultural cycles in

exchange for honors and sacrifices Bloodletting rituals honored gods for rains

The Maya calendar: both solar and ritual years interwoven

Maya writing: ideographic and syllabiconly four books survive

Andean SocietyMain crops: beans, peanuts, sweet potatoes, cotton

Fishing supplemented

By 1800 B.C.E.: pottery, built temples and pyramids

Discovered gold, silver, and copper metallurgy

Chavín: A Pan-Andean Religious Movementbeliefs apparently drew on both desert region and

rain forestsprobably used hallucinogenic San Pedro cactus

Politics of the Americas

Mayan City-Statesfrequent warfare; capture and sacrifice of

prisoners

densely populated urban and ceremonial centers

ruled by “state shamans” who could mediate with divine

no city-state ever succeeded in creating a unified empire

Rapid Collapse began in 840

population dropped by at least 85 %elements of Maya culture survived

Reasons for the collapseextremely rapid population growth after 600 c.e.

outstripped resourcespolitical disunity and rivalry prevented a

coordinated response to climatic catastrophewarfare became more frequent

Moche WorldComplex societies appear after 1000 B.C.E.

modern-day Peru and Bolivia

rule by warrior-priestssome lived on top of huge pyramidsrulers had elaborate burialsHuman scrafice

superb craftsmanship of elite objects

Early Andean Societies