Chapter 10: The Americas
10.1 CHRONOLOGY
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Chronology |
The Americas |
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18,000–15,000 BCE |
First humans migrate to the Americas |
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c. 13,000 BCE |
Big game hunters inhabit the Great Plains |
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c. 10,000 BCE |
Mesoamericans begin to cultivate squash |
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10,000–3,500 BCE |
Paleo-Indian Period |
|
5600–3000 BCE |
Early Plains Archaic Period |
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2000 BCE–250 CE |
Preclassic or Formative Period in Mesoamerica |
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c. 1900 BCE |
Mesoamericans begin to make pottery |
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1800–800 BCE |
Late Initial Period in Peru |
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1500–400 BCE |
Middle Formative Period in Mesoamerica. Peak of Olmec statue carving |
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c. 1000 BCE |
Maize becomes widespread in North America |
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400 BCE–100 CE |
Late Formative Period in Mesoamerica |
|
200 BCE |
The Moche begin their conquest of Peru’s north coast |
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200 BCE–400 CE |
The Hopewell culture flourishes in North America |
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100 BCE–600 CE |
The Nazca culture flourishes in Peru |
|
400s CE |
Tiwanaku founded |
|
550 CE |
Teotihuacán reaches 125,000 residents |
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700 CE |
The Huari Empire reaches its height |
|
700–1400 CE |
Cahokia |
|
750 CE |
Tikal reaches 80,000 residents |
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800 CE |
The Toltec city of Tula reaches a population of 35,000 |
|
1000 CE |
The Chimu establish the capital city of Chan Chan |
|
1050 CE |
The population of Chaco Canyon’s five great pueblos reaches 5,000 inhabitants |
|
1325 CE |
Tenochtitlán founded |
|
1471 CE |
Death of Inca Pachacuti |
10.2 INTRODUCTION
This city has many public squares, in which are situated the markets and other places for buying and selling. There is one square twice as large as that of the city of Salamanca, surrounded by porticoes, where are daily assembled more than sixty thousand souls, engaged in buying, and selling; and where are found all kinds of merchandise that the world affords, embracing the necessaries of life, as for instance articles of food, as well as jewels of gold and silver, lead, brass, copper, tin, precious stones, bones, shells, snails, and feathers. …There is also an herb street, where may be obtained all sorts of roots and medicinal herbs that the country affords. There are apothecaries’ shops, where prepared medicines, liquids, ointments, and plasters are sold; barbers’ shops, where they wash and shave the head; and restaurateurs, that furnish food and drink at a certain price. There is also a class of men like those called in Castile porters, for carrying burdens.…Painters’ colors, as numerous as can be found in Spain, and as fine shades; deerskins dressed and undressed, dyed different colors; earthenware of a large size and excellent quality; large and small jars, jugs, pots, bricks, and an endless variety of vessels, all made of fine clay, and all or most of them glazed and painted; Maize, or Indian corn, in the grain and in the form of bread, preferred in the grain for its flavor to that of the other islands and terra firma; pâtés of birds and fish; great quantities of fish, fresh, salt, cooked and uncooked; the eggs of hens, geese, and of all