Early Civilizations of America

By whiteka
  • Period: 550 to 750

    Hopewell Culture

    The Hopewell culture probably began in the Illinois Valley and spread into Ohio and then across the Midwest region. Along with the Mississippian culture, they built mounds since 100 BCE.
  • 600

    Teotihuacan

    The city of Teotihuacan is at the height of it's power. With a population between 125,000 and 200,000, it was the largest city in the Americas and larger than all but a few European and Asian cities. It had chinampas were known as floating gardens.
  • Period: 600 to 1000

    Tiwanaku and Wari Control Peruvian Highlands

    Located in modern Bolivia, Tiwanaku was distinguished by the scale of its construction and by the high quality of its stone masonry, despite limited metallurgy. They had the elite control the labor force and a military. Wari was located 450 miles northwest of Tiwanaku. Wari shared elements of the culture and technology, but their dependency on each other remains unclear. Wari was larger and was surrounded by a massive wall.
  • Period: 600 to 900

    Mayans

    The Mayans took over land that reaches from Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and southern Mexico. The high population levels of the Maya classic period, which ended about 900 CE, required intense forms of agriculture.
  • 700

    End of Moche Control of Peruvian Coast

    By 600 CE, the Moche had developed cultural and political tools that allowed them to conquer the northern coast of Peru. The decline of the Moche is expected to be natural disasters that damaged their irrigation system and collapsed their urban centers.
  • Period: 700 to 1200

    Anasazi Culture

    Anasazi is a Navajo word for the dispersed desert cultures located in the desert of North America. By 600 CE, they had an economy based on maize, beans, and squash. Chaco Canyon was one of the largest Anasazi communities and had a population of approximately 15,000.
  • 750

    Teotihuacan Destroyed

    Teotihuacan did not concentrate power in the hands of a single ruler, however still had an aristocracy. There was no evidence of individual rulers or a ruling dynasty. It is unclear what forces caused the collapse of the city, possibly nomadic warriors from the north.
  • Period: 800 to 900

    End of Classic Period

    Maya centers were abandoned.
  • 919

    Pueblo Bonito Founded

    Pueblo Bonito was the largest town in Chaco Canyon. It had more than 650 rooms and 38 kivas. Social life and craft activities were concentrated in small open plazas. The size and system of roads suggests that Pueblo Bonito had some kind of political or religious dominance over a large region.
  • 968

    Toltec Capital of Tula Founded

    The Toltecs borrowed culture from the Teotihuacans and took control of central Mexico. They created the first conquest state based largely on military power.
  • Period: 1050 to 1250

    Cahokia Reaches Peak Power

    Cahokia was the great urban center of the Mississippian culture. It had the largest mound constructed in North America. At its height in 1200 CE, it had a population of about 20,000. Cahokia's decline began sometime around 1250.
  • Period: 1100 to 1400

    Chimu Civilization

    Also known as the Kingdom of Chimor was located along the northern coast of Peru. The capital was Chan Chan and they had the largest and most prosperous culture of the period and forged the second largest empire in the History of the Ancient Andes.
  • 1150

    Collapse of Anasazi Centers

  • 1156

    Tula Destroyed

    Tula began to decline after the exile of Topiltzin and northern invaders overcame the city.
  • 1325

    Aztec Capital Tenochtitlan Founded

    Aztec (AKA the Mexica). There was actually two twin capital cities, Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco. The Aztecs had many military successes and allowed them to seize agricultural land.
  • 1438

    Inca Expansion Begins

    In only about 100 years, the Inca had a vast imperial state. By 1525, there was a population of around 6 million and had one of the many competing military powers in the southern highlands. Inca prosperity and military strength depended on herds of llamas and alpacas. The imperial capital was Cuzco and had many roads and irrigation works.
  • 1500

    Mississippian Culture Declines

    The Mississippian political organization followed earlier North American chiefdom. Urbanized Mississippian sites developed from the accumulated effects of small increases in agricultural productivity. There is no evidence that links the decline of Cahokia with military defeat or civil war. Environmental degradation caused be deforestation played a role.
  • Period: 1500 to 1525

    Inca Conquer Ecuador

    After only a century of regional dominance, the Inca Empire faced a crisis in 1525. The death of the Inca ruler at the end of conquering Ecuador initiated a bloody struggle for the throne. A civil war broke out and lead to the decline of the massive empire.
  • 1502

    Moctezuma II crowned Aztec ruler