Migration to the Americas Migración a las Américas Scientists have two theories on how humans migrated to the Western Hemisphere during the last Ice Age. Los científicos tienen dos teorías sobre cómo los humanos migraron al hemisferio occidental durante la última Edad de Hielo. During the last Ice Age, thick sheets of ice spread over large areas of North America. With much of the world’s water frozen in the ice sheets, sea levels all over the world were lower. Land that was usually covered by water was uncovered. Durante la última Edad de Hielo, gruesas capas de hielo se extendieron por grandes áreas de América del Norte. Con gran parte del agua del mundo congelada en las capas de hielo, los niveles del mar en todo el mundo eran más bajos. Se descubrió tierra que generalmente estaba cubierta por agua Theory A: The Bering Land Bridge / Teoría A: El puente terrestre de Bering About 12,600 years ago, human beings and animals from Asia travelled to the Americas over the Bering Land Bridge , also called Beringia . About 10,000 years ago, the Ice Age ended. As the glaciers melted, the seas rose and water again covered Beringia. Today the Bering Strait, a narrow waterway, covers the ancient land bridge. Hace unos 12.600 años, seres humanos y animales de Asia viajaron a América a través del Puente Terrestre de Bering, también llamado Beringia. Hace unos 10.000 años, terminó la Edad de Hielo. Cuando los glaciares se derritieron, los mares subieron y el agua volvió a cubrir Beringia. Hoy en día, el estrecho de Bering, una vía fluvial estrecha, cubre el antiguo puente terrestre. Why did early humans cross the land bridge? Scientists think they followed the migration of large animals. Wherever herds of woolly mammoths and reindeer roamed, bands of hunter- gatherers followed them. ¿Por qué los primeros humanos cruzaron el puente terrestre? Los científicos creen que siguieron la migración de animales grandes. Dondequiera que deambularan manadas de mamuts lanudos y renos, las seguían bandas de cazadores- recolectores. The Evidence / La evidencia The fossils of the same species of animals can be found in Siberia in Russia, and in Alaska. Also, DNA testing shows that Native Americans are descended from early inhabitants of Asia. Los fósiles de la misma especie de animales se pueden encontrar en Siberia en Rusia y en Alaska. Además, las pruebas de ADN muestran que los nativos americanos descienden de los primeros habitantes de Asia. Theory B: The Coastal Route Theory Some scientists believe that the first people to inhabit North America may have traveled by boat down the Pacific coast, living in areas of ice-free land, along the way. They may have hunted some land animals, but they also would have fished and hunted sea mammals. Once they reached lands south of the ice sheets, some groups made their way inland and settled in central and southern North America. They became the ancestors of the Native Americans. Evidence of Coastal Migration Early humans in the Americas left behind artifacts . Scientists called archeologists discovered ancient spear points in Clovis, New Mexico, that were over 13,000 years old. They called these people the Clovis people. They lived and hunted in many places in North America. In South America, archeologists working in Chile discovered a campsite full of spears, digging sticks, and wooden houses even more ancient than the Clovis people. Over the years, the climate began to get warmer and drier. The vegetation changed. Mammoths and other large mammals became extinct. People had to adapt by hunting smaller animals and finding new sources of food. They developed agriculture – the farming of crops. They built shelters near the farm fields, but continued to hunt and gather. In what is now South America, people near the Andes Mountains began to raise animals such as guinea pigs, alpacas, and llamas. The Woodland Native Americans in North America and what is now Mexico raised turkeys. These groups raised these animals mainly for food and wool. From that wool they could make clothing and blankets.