Chapter 9 Flashcards
Which 2 continents did Beringia once connect?
Asia & North America
What region is known as Mesoamerica?
The area that stretches south from central Mexico to northern Honduras
What do most archaeologists think was the reason that the first people crossed Beringia?
They were following game
How did the first people to arrive in the Americas support themselves?
Hunting & gathering
Why was trade important to Olmec civilization?
Trade helped boost its economy & spread its influence
What role did art play for the ancient peoples of the Americas?
Art played a large role because it was used in religion & traded for wealth
What was the importance of trade to ancient American civilizations?
Trade boosted economies & allowed an exchange of traditions & ideas
What is Beringia?
a land bridge connecting the Americans and Asia
Why did the Siberian hunters cross the land bridge?
game animals migrated across the land bridge and the hunters followed the animals
What was one of the main crops they grew in central Mexico in 500BC
maize or corn
What are some of the effects farming had on the people?
- provided reliable food source
- allowed for larger populations
- people could specialize in other ares
- farming became more advanced
- division between wealthy and poor
What is Mesoamerica?
place where the first complex societies in the Americas arose
What was on of the major symbols of the Olmec people
jaguars
What were two important legacies of the Zapotec people?
- their writing system
2. built America’s first urban city (Monte Alban)
What was one of the major things the Nazca people did?
they drew lines in crops known as the Nazca Lines
