Apush Period 1491 - 1607

Mesoamerica and the Andes

Dominated by Aztecs and Incas. They had productive agriculture and Aztecs merchants traded in valleys. The Inca capital was a dense network of roads.

Eastern Woodlands

Woman tended crops, gathered plants, and oversaw things in the community while the men were responsible for hunting, fishing, and warfare (semi-sedentary). Ex. They set fire to the woods once or twice to make farming and hunting easier.

Great Lakes

The Great Lakes people built canoes to help them travel on the lakes and rivers. They traveled long distances to to hunt and fish, trade and groups negotiated access to resources and travel routes. (clan-based).

Great Plains and Rockies

Dominated by small, dispersed hunter-gatherer groups. Importation of horses helped the people in these groups to become better hunters and traders.

Great Basin

3 main groups of peoples lived here (kin-based societies). Resources were scarce so they had to travel long distances to hunt bison, sheep, and fish.

Southwest

Large farming settlements were developed here. The pueblo peoples had developed complex irrigation systems to manage water, however, large settlements were often abandoned due to droughts.

Pacific Coast and Northwest

More than 300,000 hunter-gatherers inhabited the pacific coast and most groups shared similar characteristics despite heavy diversity. The Northwest groups also consisted of several groups but they were ruled by wealthy families.