History study guide
Chapter 1 II. Peopling the Americas The Land Bridge theory. As the Great Ice Age diminished, so did the glaciers over North America. The theory holds that a?Land Bridge?emerged linking Asia & North America across what is now known as the Bering Sea. People were said to have walked across the ?bridge? before the sea level rose and sealed it off; thus populating the Americas. The Land Bridge is said to have occurred an estimated 35,000 years ago. Many peoples Those groups that traversed the bridge spread across North, Central, and South America. Countless tribes emerged with an estimated 2,000 languages. Notably: Incas: Peru, with elaborate network of roads and bridges linking their empire. Mayas: Yucatan Peninsula, with their step pyramids.