Lecture Notes: Native American Groups and Early Spanish Encounters

Introduction

• Shift from eastern woodlands culture to Native American groups encountered by the Spanish.
• Spanish initial colonization in Southwest America and Mexico.

Pre-contact Societies

Clovis People

• Ancestors to almost all Native Americans.
• Known for big game hunting using Clovis spear points.

Emergence of Bow and Arrow

• By 7th century AD, revolutionized hunting.
• Allowed hunting from a distance, improving efficiency and reliability of food sources.

Settlements and Sedentary Societies

• With improved hunting and agriculture (maize, beans), people began settling.
• Example: Anasazi culture and cliff dwellings like Mesa Verde.

Anasazi Culture

• Thrived between 600s-1300s in southwestern USA.
• Also known as the Basket Maker culture.
• Encountered by the Spanish in the 1500s, found abandoned.

Possible Reasons for Anasazi Abandonment

• Drought conditions in the 1300s affecting agriculture.
• Migration to larger rivers like the Rio Grande Valley.
• Defense against Athapaskan-speaking raiders (Navajos and Apaches).

Athapaskan People

• Migrated into the Southwest from northern regions (Canada).
• Nomadic raiding peoples, including Navajos and Apaches.

Uto-Aztecan People

• Migrated from Mexico due to Spanish colonization pressure.
• Settled initially in Utah and Nevada, later becoming the Comanches.

Mesoamerica

Teotihuacan

• Dominant city-state in the Valley of Mexico between 2nd-8th centuries.
• Known for religious significance and the depiction of Quetzalcoatl.

Toltecs

• Emerged post-Teotihuacan, warrior culture, centered in Tula.
• Tolpiltzin, a prince, became associated with Quetzalcoatl.

Aztecs

• Descendants of Toltecs, re-entered Valley of Mexico as directed by Huitzilopochtli.
• Established Tenochtitlan, sophisticated culture with military conquest.

Population in 1492

• Latin America: 25-45 million.
• Anglo-America: 5-18 million.
• Europe: 70-150 million.
• Worldwide: 400-500 million.

Conclusion

• The opening of the world post-1492, leading to colonization.
• Next lecture: Pre-contact Europe conditions.