istoryworld
Events relating to america
With the sea level falling, a land bridge (known as Beringia) forms between Siberia and Alaska, enabling humans to enter the continent of America
The La Brea tarpit in Los Angeles shows signs of human activity in the region
Archaeological evidence reveals that the central plains of north America by now have a widespread human population
Hunter-gatherers gradually extend their territory far into South America
As temperatures warm, the sea level rises, submerging the Bering land bridge and isolating the Siberian immigrants as the aboriginal Americans
As the ice cap recedes, hunter-gatherers move up the eastern side of America into Newfoundland and the prairie provinces of Canada
Human groups adapt to the conditions of northern Canada and then Greenland, living mainly as hunters of marine mammals
Squash and chili are the first plants to be cultivated in America, in the Tehuácan valley in modern Mexico
The llama and the alpaca, two south American members of the camel family, are domesticated
Complex societies, with sophisticated temple architecture, develop at sites such as Aspero and Caral in the Norte Chico region of Peru
At Huaca Prieta, the earliest known farming community in South America, squash, gourds and chili are cultivated
The inhabitants of Huaca Prieta grow cotton, from which they weave a coarse cloth
Medicine men in Peru practise trephination, cuttting holes in the skulls of brave or foolhardy patients
The Maya are believed to have lived in the same region from about 1500 BC to the present day - America's longest example of continuity
On the grass plains of north America humans gradually hunt to extiinction several American species, including the camel, mammoth and horse
San Lorenzo develops as the first centre of America's earliest civilization, that of the Olmecs
By now the mammoth, the giant bison and the horse are all extinct in America, partly because of the warming climate and partly because of the success of humans with spears
Massive stone heads carved by the Olmecs provide a dramatic beginning to the story of American sculpture
The Olmecs raise large clay platforms, probably with temples at the top, beginning the long American tradition of sacred pyramids
Burial mounds feature in the Ohio valley, built first in the Adena culture and then by Hopewell tribes
Chávin de Huántar becomes the centre of the first civilization of south America
La Venta replaces San Lorenzo as the capital city and cultural centre of the Olmecs
An Olmec sculptor creates the piece known today as the Wrestler
The Zapotecs create a great city at Monte Alban, continuing the Olmec culture
The people of Paracas, a coastal region of central Peru, create extremely sophisticated fabrics of woven cotton or vicuña wool
