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10: The Americas

  • Page ID
    132341
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    • 10.1: Chronology
    • 10.2: Introduction to The Americas
      As the Spanish explorers in the Americas, and later the French, English, and Dutch, saw monetary gain from reporting their exploits to their respective monarchs, we often end up with a stilted or incomplete version of the Americas before 1500.
    • 10.3: Mesoamerica
      Mesoamerica was the first section of the Americas where scholars have found evidence of large settlements, agriculture, and unique cultural traditions. The Mesoamerican culture area is found in what are now the modern countries of Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, and eastern Honduras. The region’s frequent volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and hurricanes gave it quite a staggering amount of ecological diversity.
    • 10.4: The Maya
      After settling at the base of the Yucatán Peninsula around 1000 BCE, the lowland Maya learned how to deal with drought, feed tens of thousands of people, and organize politically—all before 250 BCE.
    • 10.5: The Aztec
      While the Itza were one of the last unconquered native civilizations in the New World, another post-classic kingdom drew the most attention from Mexico’s Spanish conquerors: the Aztec.
    • 10.6: Early Andes
      After migrating through North and Mesoamerica, humans began to craft small campsites and fishing villages along the Pacific coast in South America. Around 3,000 BCE, the villages were replaced by residential and ceremonial centers. This transition was made possible through a new focus on irrigation and communal agriculture.
    • 10.7: Incas
      The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire, was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The civilization emerged in the 13th century and lasted until it was conquered by the Spanish in 1572.

    Thumbnail: Machu Picchu shortly after sunrise. (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported; Charles J Sharp via Wikitravel).


    This page titled 10: The Americas is shared under a CC BY-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Eugene Bergers (University System of Georgia via GALILEO Open Learning Materials) .

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