Key Notes on Pre-Columbian Civilizations

Aztec Civilization

• Location: Ancient Mexico

• Capital: Tenochtitlan

  • At its peak, population was around 300,000 people.

• Written Language: Developed a complex form of writing.

• Irrigation Systems: Employed sophisticated irrigation for agriculture.

• Religion: Priests maintained fertility cults for land and people.

  • Human sacrifice was integral for maintaining fertility.

Maya Civilization

• Location: Yucatán Peninsula (modern-day Mexico)

• Cities: Developed major urban centers similar to those of the Aztecs.

• Irrigation: Utilized intricate water management and irrigation systems.

• Architecture: Constructed large stone temples and palaces for rulers, believed to be divine descendants.

Inca Civilization

• Location: Andes Mountains and Pacific Coast (modern-day Peru)

• Empire Size: At its height, controlled around 16 million people over 350,000 square miles.

  • One of the largest empires in history at the time.

• Agriculture: Focused on fertile valley cultivations, growing potatoes and other crops.

• Irrigation: Employed elaborate irrigation systems for agricultural efficiency.

Importance of Maize (Corn)

• Nutritional Crop: Maize was vital for sustenance and economic development.

• Cultural Impact: As maize spread north to the American Southwest, it fostered settlements, advanced irrigation techniques, and increased social complexity.

Native Peoples of North America

Pueblo People

• Location: New Mexico and Arizona

• Lifestyle: Sedentary farmers, primarily cultivating maize.

• Housing: Built adobe and masonry homes in open areas and cliff sides.

  • Organized society with administrative and religious structures.

Great Plains and Great Basin Peoples

• Lifestyle: Nomadic hunter-gatherers due to the arid environment.

• Example: Ute people, lived in egalitarian kin-based bands.

Pacific Northwest Peoples

• Lifestyle: Coastal fishing communities and forest foragers.

• Example: Chinook people, built large plank houses using cedar trees.

• Chumash Peoples: Hunter-gatherers who had permanent settlements based on available resources.

Societies of the Mississippi River Valley

Hopewell Peoples

• Population: Lived in towns with around 4,000-6,000 residents.

• Trade: Engaged in extensive trade networks reaching Florida and the Rocky Mountains.

Cahokia People

• Largest Settlement: At its peak, population was between 10,000-30,000.

• Government Structure: Led by powerful chieftains with a centralized government.

• Trade Networks: Engaged in extensive trade from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.

Northeastern Peoples

Iroquois

• Community Structure: Villages with several hundred inhabitants.

• Agriculture: Cultivated maize, squash, and beans.

• Housing: Built longhouses housing 30-50 family members, unlike other tribes' forms of governance.