The First Americans (pages 572-581)

Did You Know?

The woolly mammoth is a genus of elephant that is now extinct. It was
not much larger than some types of modern elephant. Mammoths had long,
curved tusks, and some had long, woolly hair.

Pathway to the Americas (page 573)

Scientists believe that an area of dry land, called Beringia, connected
Asia and Alaska. During the Ice Age, water froze into glaciers, or
huge sheets of ice. As the ice froze, the seas fell, exposing the land
below.

Scientists think that hunting people from Asia followed herds of animals
across Beringia.

Hunters in the Americas moved constantly to find food. They hunted large
animals, fished, and gathered nuts, fruits, and roots.

Some animals became extinct at the end of the Ice Age.

Discussion Question

How did early peoples use woolly mammoths? (Parts of woolly mammoths
were used for food, clothing, and tools.)

First American Civilizations (pages 574-578)

After the Ice Age ended, the climate warmed. People discovered they
could grow crops for food. Farming began in the region called
Mesoamerica. It stretches from the Valley of Mexico to Costa
Rica.

Early Americans developed corn, or maize. Corn became the most important
crop in the Americas.

Farming allowed people to establish permanent settlements and develop
more complex societies.

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Beginning around 1200 B.C., the Olmec built a large trading
empire near present-day Vera Cruz, Mexico. They used rivers to travel, and
traded salt and beans for jewelry, obsidian, and other stones.

Other groups took control of trade from the Olmec. One group built the
city of Teotihuacán.

The Maya built a civilization on the Yucatán Peninsula.

Teotihuacán and the Mayan civilization eventually declined. The Maya
deserted their cities by the A.D. 900s.

The Toltec took the Mayan cities in what is now northern Mexico.
They then conquered other lands.

Aztec warriors copied Toltec ways and took control of the region's
trade. When the Europeans arrived, the Aztec ruled about five million
people.

The Moche people lived in the coastal desert of present-day Peru.
The Moche dug canals to irrigate crops and grew a surplus of food. The food
surplus allowed the Moche to concentrate on building and trading. The Moche
did not have a written language but told stories through artwork.

The Inca people lived in the Andes mountains in present-day Peru.
Their empire became the largest in the ancient Americas.

Discussion Question

What are some theories for the decline of the city of Teotihuacán?
(Some experts say overpopulation drained food and resources from the
city, others think a drought caused the loss of resources, and others think
poor people rebelled against the rich rulers, which destroyed the
city.)

Civilizations in North America (pages 578-581)

To the north of Mesoamerica, Native Americans learned to farm from the
Mesoamericans. In what is today the United States, farming began in the
southwest.

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The Hohokam people were the first Native Americans in the
Southwest to try farming. The Hohokam thrived for about 1,000 years, and
then they mysteriously fled.

The Anasazi people moved into the cliffs and canyons of the
Southwest and began farming. The Anasazi thrived in present-day New Mexico,
where the people lived in houses carved into cliffs the Spanish explorers
called pueblos.

East of the Mississippi River, two groups—the Adena and the
Hopewell—formed the mound-building culture. The Mound Builders experimented
with farming. Traders introduced corn to the Mound Builders.

After the Hopewell people disappeared, the Mississippians emerged.
Mississippian mounds were shaped like pyramids with flat tops. The
Mississippians farmed in the rich floodplains along the Mississippi River.
Large-scale farming led to the rise of cities, the largest of which was
Cahokia.

The Mississippian civilization collapsed in the A.D. 1300s.

Discussion Question

How did the Mississippian people benefit from their location? (Because
they lived in the Mississippi River valley, the Mississippian people could
grow plentiful crops of corn, squash, and beans. The large-scale farming led
to population growth and the rise of
cities.)

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