Pre-Columbian: Time before colonization and Europe's arrival.

Aztecs: Central America (Mexica)

• Had their own language, rules, religion, and society. Known for sacrificing. Tenochtitlan City is the capital with around 200,000 people.

Mayans: Yucatan Peninsula

• Big cities, complex irrigation and water systems. Giant stone temples dedicated to gods. Built strong and big cities.

Inca: Andes Mountains / Peru

• 16 million people at its height. Complex irrigation systems. Had a vast empire across Peru. Their main food was Potatoes.

Pueblo: New Mexico / Arizona

• Homes in cliffs with society and political figures. Lived in caves and cliffs.

Northwest Region:

• Totem poles. Lots of hunters and gatherers.

Pacific Northwest:

• Lots of fishing for goods and food.

Mississippi River Valley: Mississippi River

• Used fertile soil and traded often with others. Lots of Mounds.

Iroquois: Northeast

• Longhouses and also provided lots of maize (corn).

Maize: Corn

• A common crop in Native America that lots of Natives harvested. Greatly impacted European diets once re-discovered.

Diverse cultures: Environment

• Affected by climate and the surrounding environment. Each civilization had different languages, cultures, and ways of doing things.

Iroquois Confederation:

• A combination of allied tribes that ranged from the Ohio Valley to New York. From the 16th century to the American Revolution, they fought other Natives and Europeans.

Algonquin: Language

• One of the largest and most common Native languages.

Did the Europeans save Native societies or were they just fine?

American Natives did not have to rely on Europeans. They had vast Empires and efficient ways of farming and trading. Europeans got in the way of their Empires and societies.

Sources:

AMSCO READING: Contextualization & Native American Societies Before European Contact Pages 1-6

Native American Societies BEFORE 1492 [APUSH Unit 1 Topic 2] 1.2

AI Summary:

Before Europeans arrived, Native American societies thrived during the pre-Columbian period. The Aztecs, located in Central America, had their own language, rules, religion, and society. They were known for sacrificing and their capital city, Tenochtitlan, which housed 200,000 people. The Mayans, in the Yucatan Peninsula, built cities with irrigation systems and stone temples for their gods. The Incas, in the Andes Mountains, had a vast empire and relied on potatoes for food. The Pueblo people in New Mexico and Arizona lived in cliff homes and had their own society. The Northwest Region had totem poles and a strong hunting and gathering tradition. The Pacific Northwest thrived on fishing. The Mississippi River Valley had fertile soil and engaged in trade. The Iroquois in the Northeast had longhouses and provided maize. Each civilization had its own language, culture, and way of life shaped by their environment. The Iroquois Confederation, spanning the Ohio Valley to New York, fought against other Native American societies and Europeans from the 16th century to the American Revolution. European colonization disrupted these self-sufficient Native American societies.