Chapter 1 Chapter Outline I The Native American Experience A The First Americans B The Mayas and the Aztecs 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 3 4 Creation Stories every group of people have one described how they came about like Genesis in the Bible Scientific Evidence Native American males shares a genetic marker with Asian males which proves the first people migrated from Asia when the continents were connected Hunter gatherers economic basis for a complex tribal world new weapons atlatal bow and arrow domesticated crops like maize beans squash Mayans built large urban centers with 20 00 people class system with farmers elites intellectual skills astronomy painting hieroglyphic writing two century long drought lead to people retreating from the cities and deserting the temples Aztecs settled on Lake Texocco and built Tenochtitlan mexico city today complex irrigation systems hierarchical social order aggressive people who took over most of central mexico sacrificed many people to stay on the gods good side trading routes more than 200 000 inhabitants Hopewell Culture one of the larger more solidified Indian settlements large trade networks and villages established burial mounds in extensive earthworks that are still around Peoples of the Southwest complex densely settled group with governing institutions Hohokams built irrigation system religion pottery and pueblos Mogollons had pottery Anasazi people had roads villages pueblos drought a soil problems caused them to falter Mississippian Civilization temple cities surplus of maize very successful climate changed and crops didn t grow as well disease spread society began to falter Eastern Woodland Peoples kin based societies called clans which were named things like human beings elders had power but lacked religious authority eventually the clans died off from disease carried by de Soto matrilineal system of kinship C The Indians of the North II Tradition Bound Europe A European Peasant Society peasants lived in small compact agricultural villages surrounded by open fields B Hierarchy and Authority 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 The Peasantry life follows the seasons they had specific tasks during each season based on the crops growing etc The Peasant s Fate survival meant constant labor poverty was very high and some children starved to death especially girls relied on strong religious beliefs to give them hope Monarchs and Nobles kings and princes owned lots of land and thought they were in charge but eventually local nobles who also owned land challenged royal authority and created parliament and the English house of Lords Men Governed Families men were totally in charge when women got married they had to give the man everything they owned and when the man died they got a dower men also controlled the children they often worked for the father until mid twenties Importance of Eldest Son land was handed down to the oldest son often practicing primogeniture where the younger children became poor Roman Catholic Church for centuries one of the great unifying institutions hierarch with pope cardinals bishops and priests From Pagans to Christians originally most Europeans were pagan believed in the natural world and spirits but Christian priests taught them about God and Jesus Satan the Christian church taught that Satan was a wicked supernatural being Satan was blamed for mysterious illnesses prophets who spread heresies doctrines inconsistent with teachings of the church were seen as tools of Satan Crusades Christian armies trying to reverse Muslim advance into Europe tried to win back the holy land where Christ lived some military success but mostly prompted Jewish persecution and widened trade routes for merchants C The Power of Religion III Europeans Create a Global World 1450 1600 A The Renaissance Changes Europe 1300 1500 the crusades showed educated Europeans the life of Arabs and it was much nicer this gave Europeans hope and they experienced a rebirth B West African Society and Slavery 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 Innovations in Economics Art and Politics greatest impact on upper class expanded trade technologies etc elites ruled city states as republics civic humanism praised public virtue and service to the state greatly influenced our conception of gov t Many artistic geniuses lived during this time courts and bureaucracies were created to lessen the power of nobles guilds were created and encouraged manufacturing and trade Maritime Exploration Prince Henry wanted a way to Africa he founded a center for oceanic navigation in Portugal eventually his workers developed a better ship which allowed them to sail further and discover new places and trade new goods including slaves West African Life hard place to live disease bad land for crops but they still farmed small plots where men and women both did the work flies with disease wiped out people and livestock diverse ethnic groups with various languages societies were similar to Mayans and Aztecs states ruled by kings some were Muslim but many were polytheistic children were valued big families also Portuguese Trade Europeans initially had a positive effect on African trade Portuguese brought new things to the market they relied on the Africans to handle the inland trade so they wouldn t get any diseases de Gama and Dias found new trading routes which in turn let Portuguese gov t set up trading posts and better their economy The Slave Trade Portuguese and Arab traders forced Africans into coerced labor slavery bondage for debts exchange for food war captives Africans were seen as a form of property and were of great value in trading networks Columbus and America Ferdinand and Isabel used Christopher Columbus to find new trade routes to Asia Columbus landed in America but firmly believed it was Asia he went one 3 more voyages but never found gold or treasure Colonizing the West Indies Columbus colonized the West Indies with more than 1 000 Spanish settlers and hundreds of domestic animals The Fall of the Aztecs Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec empire he landed with 600 men near the Mayan settlement and overpowered them they then gave him slaves one of which became his interpreter for the Aztec language Europeans had superior technology and the Aztecs weren t a united front so Cortes eventually won The Impact of Diseases Americans had no immunity to the diseases from Europe smallpox epidemic influenza measles conquerors used disease to their C Europeans Explore America D The Spanish Conquest advantage and took over