Discovering Our Past: Ancient Civilizations

Chapter 6: The Ancient Americas

Chapter Overview

During the Ice Age, much of the earth's water was frozen into glaciers. This exposed a northern land bridge called Beringia. Scientists and historians believe that people in Asia crossed this bridge while hunting animals. They became the first people to inhabit the Americas. The first Americans were hunter-gatherers. Later the people of Mesoamerica discovered farming. This important discovery led to the rise of civilizations in the Americas. Major ancient Mesoamerican civilizations include the Olmec and the Maya.

The Maya thrived in Guatemala's dense rain forests. They took advantage of their homeland's large system of underground rivers and streams. The Maya organized into city-states and built a culture based on their religious beliefs. They made many contributions to society, developing a 365-day calendar, a system of mathematics based on the number 20, and a written language using a system of hieroglyphics.