Civilizations in North America

North of Mesoamerica, the Native Americans were living their life style.  They had learned very important skills like farming.  The more people spread how to farm, the more civilizations were founded.

The Hohokam and Anasazi

As farming spread, people got the idea and tried it immediately, but not the Southwest.  They started farming in AD 300.  One of these groups was called the Hohokam.  They were located and farmed between the Gila and Salt Rivers.  They dug over 500 miles in just for canals to carry water to the fields where their crops were growing.  Some of their products were corn, squash, cotton and beans.  They also made the World's first ever etching using cactus juice.

Homoksm etching

The Homokam lasted about 1,000 years, then all of a sudden they fell.  Like the Maya, no one is sure what happened to the Homokam either.  Around that same area in 600 AD a group called the Anasazi arose.  They lived on the cliffs and in the caves of this area.  This culture reached its height when i was located in the Chaco Canyon,  which is in a place we like to call, New Mexico.  The Anasazi's main trade product was Turquoise.  They used it as currency.  They bought goods and other products with Mesoamerica.  The Anasazi lived in apartment-like buildings that were built into cliffs called pueblos, meaning village in Spanish.  After awhile they drifted away like the other civilizations.

Who Were the Mound Builders??

On the East side of the Mississippi another civilization was founded. It started in 1000 BC and lasted until 400 AD. Their ancestors, the people who founded the civilization would make big piles of Earth some of these piles were shaped to look like animals. That is where they got the name, " Mound Builders," Two groups made up the Mound Builders. They were the Adena and Hopewell. Together, they stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. The Mound Builders were great hunters and gatherers but every once in awhile they would farm. Scientists say that they may have tamed wild plants. The woman did most of the farming while men hunted. Corn was their first product. It was brought to them in AD 100 probably by trade. The traders would travel great distances to find materials to make jewelry, weapons, etc. Many materials were planted in the ground to honor the dead.

The Mississippians

When the Mound Builders fell a group called the Mississippians arose. They were named after their location which was in the Mississippi River Valley. Their lands went up to the present day states of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. Their lands were great for farming. They were full time farmers. They grew corn, squash and beans. Some of their cities had 10,000 people in them. Their largest was Cahokia had about 30,000 people. You can see the remains of the city in Southern Illinois. The Mississippians also made mounds, but in a pyramid shape with a flat top. Their biggest mound was about 16 acres, which is bigger than the Great Pyramid of Egypt. Today we call this great mound, "Monks Mound," It is more than 100 ft high. In these mounds were homes and tombs for the rich people. The Mississippians collapsed in 1300's AD and their cities were abandoned. Some people think they may have been attacked.