1. Ancient Civilizations in
Central & South
America
Janet Pareja, Signature School, Evansville, Indiana
2. Earliest Civilizations in Americas
⢠Olmec
⢠Norte Chicoâ
⢠Mesoamerica
Andes Mountains:
Caral in the Supe
⢠1400 BCE- 400 BCE
Valley
⢠âRubber Peopleâ
5. Regional Religious Centers
ď Olmec Cities
⢠La Ventaâs Great
Pyramid marked the
height of Olmec
civilization, and was the
largest structure in the
Americas.
6. Olmec: Alluvial Plain?
Coatzacoalcos
River Basin
Stretched as far South as Guatemala,
Honduras, and Costa RicaâŚ125 x 50 miles.
Irrigation
Water Drainage
Varied by season:
Too dry to Floods &
Hurricanes!
7. Agriculture
⢠Slash & Burn
⢠Beans, chilis,
avocados, gourds,
tomatoes
â˘Maize!!
â˘Cacao!!
⢠No large animals to
domesticate
8.
9. ⢠Jade, obsidian, magnetite
items, such as masks,
knivesâŚ
⢠Exotic feathers
⢠Animal skins (especially
Jaguar)
⢠Kiln-made Ceramics
⢠150 â 250 miles
10. ⢠Shamanism
â âNahualesâ - assumed powers of
certain animals
⢠Birth of mankind/gods - underground
⢠10+ gods incl:
fire, rain, CORN/MAIZE,
Feathered SerpentâŚ
⢠Tree of Life
⢠Snake Worship
⢠Jaguar as Spirit Guide/
Weir Jaguar
11.
12. 17 Monolithic
Basalt Heads
⢠50-60 miles
from source
⢠Floated on
Rivers?
⢠Kings as Ball
Players?
13. Olmec
Jade
Perferators
Self-sacrifice rites:
⢠Rulers
⢠Communication with
Ancestors
⢠Vital to sustain gods & world
⢠Jade Perferators
â Also Bone, Flint, Stingray
Spines, Shark TeethâŚ
â˘Height: 38 cm
Width: 3 cm
26. II. Norte Chico/ Caral-Supe
⢠3000 â 1800 BCE
â Same time as Egypt and Sumer
were developing
â 2000 years before Olmec- why?
⢠Central Coast of Peru
⢠Ruth Shady, 1997, Peruvian
Archaeologist
27. Norte Chico
⢠Cities- Small
⢠Some economic specialization
⢠Economy: Agriculture & ?
â Ag: Cotton
⢠Squash, beans, guava grown by inland people in
irrigated river valleys
â Trade: Sardines & Anchovies from coastal people for
Fishing Nets made of cotton
⢠No pottery, no writingâŚQuipu
⢠Few sculptures, carvingsâŚFlutes!
28.
29. Ancient American Civilization
Central America:
Olmec
1400 BCE- 400 BCE
⢠Math: Calendar, Writing
⢠Lived in low, swampy land
⢠Pyramids, Irrigation,
Drainage/Aqueducts
⢠Maize, Cacao
⢠Long Distance Trade -
Luxuries
⢠Jade artifacts, large basalt
heads, Were Jaguars,
Ceramics in Kilns
⢠Culture carried on to
Zapotecs, Teotihuacans and
MayaâŚ
South America:
Norte Chico
3000 â 1800 BCE
⢠No writing, QUIPU!
⢠No pottery
⢠Mountains, foothills
⢠Agriculture: COTTON
⢠Long Distance Trade â
especially cotton for Fish with
coastal people
⢠Products: rope, flutes,
⢠Religious / Trade /
Entertainment Centers!
⢠Inca and others built on their
cultureâŚ