Ancient Mesoamerica & the West African Bantu Migrations

Powerpoint created by Robert Martinez

In the Americas, two early civilizations existed: the Olmec, in what we know today as Mexico from 1200 to 1400

B.C.E…..

…and the Chavin in the Andres from 900 to 300 B.C.E.

The Olmecs were an urban society supported by surpluses of corn,

beans, and squash.

Like most early societies, they mastered irrigation techniques

and constructed large-scale buildings.

They were polytheistic, and developed a system of writing

and a calendar.

The Chavin was another urban civilization, whose people were

also polytheistic.

But, while mostly agricultural, they also had access to the coast, and therefore supplemented

their diet with seafood.

The Chavin developed ways to use metals in tools and weapons.

Interestingly the Chavin used llamas as their beast of burden.

These civilizations demonstrate that the same patterns of civilizations can develop without exposure to

other civilizations.

In addition, neither the Olmec nor the Chavin civilization developed

in a river valley.

However, the Olmec and Chavin had access to water from streams and

water, no but no major river system served as the generator of

agricultural production or as the hub of culture and transportation.

Their existence disproves the hypothesis that river valleys are essential for the emergence of

early civilizations.