Mesoamerican Civilizations

  First American Civilizations

One of the first major American discoveries was farming.  They learned that they could seeds could be planted and could grow and become crops that they could eat.  This began in Mesoamerica.  it is called "Mesoamerica," because "Meso" means middle and Mesoamerica is in the middle of North and South America.  It stretched from the Valley of Mexico to Costa Rica. Farming was great here because it had rich soil and a good climate.  The first crops that were grown were pumpkins, peppers, squash, gourds, beans and many more.  Corn took longer to grow and was considered a wild grass.  With many new discoveries about how corn could grow, it became easier to grow and it became the most important food in the Americas. 

Mesoamerican Civilizations

When farming became popular in Mesoamerica they didn't need to hunt anymore. This allowed different civilizations to settle and build complex towns. One of these civilizations was the Olmec. The Olmec were big in trade. The Olmec lasted about 800 years. The Olmec had great farming soil but didn't have other materials. To get these things, they traded. they would trade salt and beans for jade and jewelry and obsidian to make sharp edged knives. After awhile a group of natives would take control of the trade from the Olmec. This group built the first planned city known as Teothuancan, also called "Place of the Gods" The city reached its height in 40 AD. In that time it's population was 120,000-200,000 people.

Another big civilization was the Maya or Mayans,  They were located in the Rain forest on the Yucantan Peninsula.  This area is in Southern Mexico and Northern North America. 

What Happened to The Maya?!

In about AD 600 the Maya Started to decline. No one is sure why this happened but some experts say it might have been caused by overpopulation but no one knows the real reason behind it. Whatever had happened, the city, Teotihucan had been destroyed in AD 75. The Maya last about 200 years longer than that city but the Maya started to abandon their cities and in 900AD all their cities had been abandoned and just lay there with thick vines all over everything.

Once the Maya left a new civilization called the Toltec took control of now is called Northern Mexico.  The Toltec were nomadic warriors and they were always on the move.  They conquered from present day Mexico City all the way to the Yucatan Peninsula.  The Toltec held a monopoly in trade which was a sole right to trade in obsidian. This kept other people from challenging them. In about 1200 AD invaders from the north called the Aztecs captured the city of Tula. These people also took control of Toltec trade and they built a huge empire. The Aztec rule about 5 million people.

The Moche and Inca

Around the southern part of Mesoamerica, more civilizations were founded.  One civilization is called the Moche.  They are located in the dry desert of as we know today as Peru.  Moche ruled about 600 years.  They would dig canals that carried water from the rivers and the Andes Mountains to their desert homeland.  This allowed them to grow crops in the desert.  The Moche never lacked food.  They could grow crops like corn and squash, they could hunt llamas and Guinea pigs and they could fish in the Pacific Ocean.  This gave them time to do other things like build pyramids and trade.  The Moche didn't have a written language, so they told stories in the form of art.  The Moche people didn't leave their homeland a lot.  They stayed there and didn't expand. 

Another early civilization was the Inca.  Their homeland was was in the Andes Mountains which is in present day Peru.  Over time, the Inca's built the largest empire in early America, and it centered around Cuzco, the capital which was named a city in AD 1100.