Category Social Sciences

               Do you know that the original people of North America are called Indians? Now, don’t get confused. The Indians of North America have no connection with the people of India. The Clovis culture is the oldest Indian culture of North America. This culture got its name from the spear points found near Clovis. Clovis lies in present day New Mexico. The culture existed from 11600 – 10700 BC. The Folsom culture followed. It was born in 10700 BC, and died out in 8500 BC.

               Several regional cultures then came into being. The Hopewell culture is the most notable of these. It flourished in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys between 300 BC and 500 AD. The Indians of North America were divided into several hundred tribes and cultural groups. They worshipped nature. After hunting, they asked the forgiveness from nature.

               Around 1000 BC, the Olmecs were joined in Northern Mexico by the warlike Huastec people. However, they were defeated by the Aztecs, and later by the Spanish. They left behind only a few circular temples and palaces. The Zapotecs established themselves about 1000 BC. They made the Olmec city of Monte Alban, the capital.

               After 1000AD, they were driven off by the Mixtecs to the Mitla area. Tilantongo in Southern Mexico was their capital. They displaced the Zapotecs, and erected pyramids and magnificent tombs. They were conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century. Between 720 AD and 1150 AD, the Toltecs ruled Central Mexico. Their priest-king Quetzlcoatl led his people to Mixtec and Mayan regions, but he was driven away. Later, the Aztecs worshipped him as chief god and founder hero. 

               The first advanced civilization of South America is the Chavin civilization, which flourished between 900 and 100 BC. It is named after its centre of Chavin de Huantar in Northern Peru. The Chavin civilization built pyramids and temples. The Chavin civilization was followed by the Moche culture. The coast of Peru was the home of this culture. Fishing, agriculture, and Llama breeding made this culture a rich one. The tomb of a nobleman called Lord of Sipan was discovered.

               Southern Peru boasted of the Paracas culture. The culture extended from 1000 to 200 BC. Bottle shaped tombs and finely worked ceramics were features of this culture. They mummified dead bodies and bound them together into ‘mummy bundles’. They also drilled holes in the skull for medical or religious purposes. The Paracas was followed by the Nazca culture which dominated between 370 BC and 450 AD. Tattooed mummies have been found from their tombs. They carved huge pictures on the ground of the Pampa or desert. These pictures are known as geoglyphs. The meaning of the geoglyphs remains a mystery to this day.

               The Mayans lived in the area covering present-day Southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Descendants of the Maya still live there today. Theirs was the longest lasting advanced culture in Latin America. The Mayans show the influence of the Olmecs. The Mayan culture is divided into the pre classic period between 300 BC and 250 AD, the Classic from 250 -900 AD and the Post classic from 900 to 1511 AD.

               The Mayans grew corns, beans, tomatoes, cotton and cocoa. Limestone was used for building and for obtaining lime, mortar and cement. Mayan cities were often at war. They fought with spears, blowpipes, clubs and knives. The Mayans had a highly developed language of pictures and symbols. Chaac, the God of rain, Huracan, the god of the wind and the storm and the sun god Itzama were their important gods. 

                    The pyramids and temples in the Mayan centre of Tikal are decorated with images and text. These retell stories of wars and other important events. Tikal lies north of Gautemala. Yaxchilan which lies in present day Mexico was another important Mayan centre. There is a 19 kilometre chain of stone slabs around the Mayan city of Copan. His successor Smoke Squirrel built Palenque is a Mayan centre that lies south of Mexico. 

               The Aztecs saw an eagle sitting on prickly pear cactus by the side of a lake. The eagle was eating a snake. The Aztecs took this as a sign to make it their new capital. Thus, Tenochtitlan was born. After 1473, Tenochtitlan was merged with Tlatelolco to form a twin city. Four large districts and several small ones made up the city. Two pyramids stood in the middle of the city. The pyramids were built for the gods Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli. The palaces of the rulers stood near the temple district.

               The Aztecs were under the thumb of the mighty Tepanecs of the Azcapotzalco Empire. King Itzlcoatl shook off the rule of the Tepanec in the fifteenth century. He united Tenochtitlan, Texoco and the new Tepanec centre of Tlacopan under a single rule. His nephew Moctezuma I followed in his footsteps. He conquered the region of Chalco or present day Mexico City and even territories as far as the Gulf Coast. His successors conquered the neighbouring state of Tlatelolco. The image of the eagle eating a snake has become part of the emblem of Mexico.