SOUTHWEST CULTURES
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SOUTHWEST CULTURES
MISCONCEPTIONS
Use this lesson better understand Native American stereotypes.
CULTURE
Use this lesson to better understand what culture is.
MYTHS
Use this lesson to learn about Native American myths.
LIVING OBJECTS
Use this lesson to better understand the importantance of objects.
The origin of the native cultures of the southwestern United States is still debated. Some believe it began with the crossing of the Bering Strait, from Siberia to Alaska, around 10,000 BC. Others believe it began in the Americas as early as 25,000 BC. In either case, the earliest distinct culture in the Southwest is thought to be approximately 11,000 years old. This is based on spear points unearthed near Clovis, New Mexico in the 1930s. The Clovis, as these people are now known, hunted big game such as bison, mammoth and other large animals.
Around 5,000 BC the Cochise settled in Arizona and New Mexico. They lived in cliff dwellings and caves. Hunting was important to the Cochise, especially during winter and spring months when plants were scarce. The Cochise migrated throughout the Southwest, following the seasons and subsisting on wild plants and seeds.
By 1,100 BC five native cultures thrived in the western hemisphere. They were the Incas, on the west coast of South America, and four cultures from central and southern Mexico: the Maya, Olmec, Zapotec, and the Teotihuacan. These Mesoamerican cultures had farming, writing, advanced mathematics, and pottery and had developed these skills independent of people outside the Western Hemisphere. They were the most technologically advanced people in the New World. It is believed that populations drifted into the southwest during the next millennium. Bringing with them their knowledge and technological advancements.