Lecture: The Americas Before Columbus

Introduction

• Focus: Americas and medieval Africa
• Traditional Focus: Eurasian societies like Europe and Asia
• Regions Covered: Mediterranean Basin, Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Americas
• Historical Context:
  • Limited focus on Americas due to lack of written records
  • Historians rely heavily on writing to answer 'how' and 'why' questions
  • More focus on Eurasia due to historical consequences perceived in contemporary times

Why Limited Coverage

• Methodological Issues:
  • Lack of writing means limited ability to analyze pre-Columbian societies
  • Archaeology, oral tradition, and observation are main sources of information
• Consequential Focus:
  • Eurasian events considered more consequential
  • Historical survey course design dictates focus

Americas Before Columbus

• Definition: America spans from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego
• Challenges:
  • Lack of written records except Maya region
  • Reliance on archaeology, oral traditions, and observations
• Demographic Collapse:
  • Massive loss of indigenous population post-European contact
  • Diseases like smallpox and influenza decimated populations

Historical Frameworks

• Technological Levels:
  • Many societies were still in Stone Age despite complexity
  • Use of obsidian instead of metal tools
• Absence of Wheels:
  • No draft animals like horses or oxen in Americas
  • maize grinding was done using molcajetes

Notable American Societies

Hohokam

• Location: Modern-day Arizona and Sonora, Mexico
• Existence: 300-1500 CE
• Characteristics:
  • Extensive trade networks
  • Advanced canal builders
  • Cities centered around maize and chili pepper agriculture

Hopewell

• Location: Eastern U.S., notably Ohio River Valley
• Existence: 100 BCE - 500 CE
• Characteristics:
  • Known for mound building
  • Rigid social hierarchy
  • Declined due to potential warfare

Mississippian (Cahokia)

• Location: Mississippi River Valley
• Existence: 800-1600 CE
• Characteristics:
  • Large cities and maize agriculture
  • Complex mounds with buildings
  • Society declined due to Little Ice Age and deforestation

Puebloans

• Location: Four Corners (NM, UT, CO, AZ)
• Existence: 1000 BCE - 1200 CE
• Characteristics:
  • Famous for cliff cities and pottery
  • Advanced road builders

Valley of Mexico

• Significance: Center of rich and powerful societies, including the Aztecs
• Features:
  • Mesoamerican ballgame
  • Ferocious in warfare, obsidian weaponry
  • Shared language (Nahuatl) and religious pantheon

Arrival in the Americas

• Beringia Land Bridge Theory:
  • Migration from Russia to Alaska around 18,000 BCE
  • Alternative theories suggest earlier crossings and coastal migration

Agricultural Development

• Domestication: Maize around 6500 BCE
• South American Crops: Potatoes and quinoa

Conclusion

• Next Focus: Medieval Africa
• Resources: Archaeological physical remains, such as pottery, mounds, and roads, are major sources of study for pre-Columbian American societies