A little bit of history...

I am taking an American History class this semester. We are required to write essays for every exam so I am gonna use my bloggity blog for a bit of practice. So here goes......mostly off the top of my head......
So in 20,000 BC people who lived in Asia headed north in pursuit of the woolly mammoth. The woolly mammoth were headed north in pursuit of cold climates. Climates were so cold in fact that a land bridge had been established called the Bering Strait. Eventually these people crossed into the present day Americas through this land bridge. This new area was abundant with large mammals. Here the people lived a nomadic lifestyle as hunters and gatherers and eventually migrated from the northern most part of the present day Americas to the southern tip of Mexico IN 18,000 BC. Eventually though the people faced a crisis around 8,000 BC. The climate was warming and the large mammals were disappearing. Some people believe they were hunted till extinction but it is more probable that they died 0ff due to the warm climate.

At this point the people had to find a new way to survive. They resorted to hunting smaller animals, fishing and even domesticated some plants, including sump weed (spinach like) and sunflowers. Sometime between 7,ooo to 5,ooo BC corn (maize) become a viable source of food. Yet only after around 100 human generations genetically engineered grasses until they became the edible product we know as corn. Isn't that amazing?

Corn changed their lives enormously. The people now needed to abandon their nomadic lifestyle in order to tend to corn crops. Previously, one acre of wood could provide for around 4 hunters per season but with the invention of corn an acre of land could feed 200 people per season. It could also be dried and used through the winter which increased survival rates of these people.
Soon every valley in Mexico was growing corn and people were settled into communities. Now it did not take the entire community to tend to the corn so people were free to specialize. People became basket weavers, clothing makers and even spiritual thinkers. They had the time to contemplate their existence, orgins and future. Life was changing.

Okay that is enough for now. I think I have been pretty accurate so far. I need to check my notes to make sure I know important dates. I will be back tomorrow to discuss the Mayans and their impact of this time.