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When waters dropped during the Ice Age, natural land bridges formed. The bridges were located where large bodies of water are today.
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By 10,000 BC, the land bridge was covered with water once again, leaving hunters and gatherers in the Americas.
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People in South America and central Mexico started to plant seeds to grow food.
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The Olmec people were one of the first civilizations in the Americas. From 1300 BC to 400 BC, the Olmec people lived along the Gulf Coast of what is now southern Mexico.
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The Adena people, one of the first Mound Builders, lived along the Ohio River between 800 BC and 100 BC.
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They were not only excellent farmers, but also artists, scientists, and historians. Mayans pulled huge stones from the earth to build monuments and pyramids that are still around today.
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The Hopewell Mound Builders lodged along the Ohio River around 100 BC to AD 500.
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Anasazi civilization lasted from 1AD to 1300AD
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The Mississippians were made up of different tribes of Woodland Native Americans.
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Around 900 AD, the Mayan civilization disappeared for reasons unknown. Experts believe food shortages and wars were the causes. The Mayan civilization is gone, but descendants still live in Guatemala and Mexico.
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The Cahokia, another group, lived along the Mississippi River around AD 1000. They built small, rounded piles of earth to bury their dead. The largest ancient mound at Cahokia, Illinois, is bigger at the base than the Great Pyramid of Egypt.
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Priests and nobles gave the orders to a common work force who worked day and night to get the city built. They pulled dirt from the bottom of the lake to make bridges of earth that linked the island to the shore. They filled part of the lake with soil in order to use it for farmland.
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Itzcoatl, the Aztec leader, helped the Aztecs to form a three-way alliance with the Texcocans and the Tacubans to conquer their rivals for influence in the region.
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The capital city of Cuzco was in a mountain valley in southern Peru.
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Christopher Columbus, sailing for the Spanish monarchy, headed west to find a new trade route.
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Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador. In a short time he tore down much of their capital city.
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By AD 1521, the Spaniards had defeated the Aztecs and ended their empire.
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The Inca Empire rapidly collapsed when its last emperor was executed by the Spanish invaders led by Francisco Pizarro.