Vocab
What was Beringia?
The land bridge.
P. 235
When did the first Americans arrive?
Toward the end of the last Ice Age.
Pg. 235
Where did the Olmec thrive?
800-400 BC
P. 240
What changed the way of life of Earliest Americans?
Agriculture
Pg. 238
Who did the Olmec influence?
The powerful Maya.
Pg. 243
What was Mesoamerica?
A region that stretches from central Mexico to northern Honduras
P. 240
When did the migration across the land bridge begin?
As early as 40,000 B.C.
P. 236
Who were the Olmec?
Mesoamerica's first known civilization builders.
P. 240
During what time period did farmers grow maize or corn?
3400 B.C
pg. 238
What did the Zapotec leave behind?
Their own legacy.
Pg. 243
What was the Ice Age?
A time that lasted from 1.9 million to 10,000 B.C.
P. 235
Researchers have found life dating back to _______________
9500 B.C
Pg.236
What did numerous Olmec sculptures and carvings depict?
A half-human, half-jaguar creature.
P. 241
How did life change after the development of agriculture?
+ People enjoyed a more reliable and steady source of food.
+ Families settled down and formed larger communities.
Pg. 239
The Olmec also left behind the notions of ________.
Planned ceremonial centers, ritual ball games, and an elite ruling class.
Pg. 243
Who were the Zapotec?
People that were developing an advanced society to the southwest, in what is now the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
P. 242
Where did the mammoth migrate from?
Siberia
Pg.235
What are the Olmec often called?
Mesoamerica's mother culture
P. 240
How might the establishment of agriculture have helped humans to develop new skills and interests?
Humans concentrated on new skills: arts and crafts, architecture, social organization.
Pg. 239
What did Monte Albán combine?
Ceremonial grandeur with residential living space.
Pg. 243
What was maize?
Corn, the most important crop.
P. 238
A skull in Mexico was recently dated to about ___________
11000 B.C
Pg.236
The flood plains of the rivers provided _________.
Fertile land for farming.
P. 240
What did native farmers create in central Mexico that was very productive?
They created small islands in swamps and shallow lakes by stacking layers of vegetation and mud.
Pg. 239
The Zapotec are noted as ________.
The Americas' first city builders.
Pg. 243