Heimler's History: AP U.S. History - Unit 1, Topic 2
Introduction
- Focus: Americas before European arrival
- Emphasizes diverse cultures of Native American peoples
Native American Diverse Cultures
- Common misconception: All Native Americans lived the same lifestyle
- Reality: Varied lifestyles based on region
- Fishing villages
- Nomadic hunters and gatherers
- Farming communities
- City-based empires
Civilizations in Central and South America
Aztecs (Mexica)
- Location: Central America (Mesoamerica)
- Capital: Tenochtitlan, population ~300,000
- Features:
- Written language
- Complex irrigation
- Cult of fertility maintained by human sacrifice
Maya
- Location: Yucatan Peninsula
- Features:
- Large cities
- Irrigation and water storage systems
- Stone temples and palaces
Inca
- Location: Andes Mountains, Peru
- Features:
- Empire ruled 16 million people
- Cultivation of mountain valleys, potatoes
- Advanced irrigation systems
Importance of Maize
- Common crop among major civilizations
- Supported economic development and social diversification
- Spread north into American Southwest
Civilizations in North America
Southwest - Pueblo People
- Location: New Mexico and Arizona
- Features:
- Sedentary, farmers of maize
- Adobe and masonry homes
- Organized society
Great Plains and Great Basin
- Nomadic hunter-gatherers
- Example: Ute people, small kinship bands
Pacific Northwest
- Fishing villages, reliance on elk
- Example: Chinook people, plank houses
- Chumash people, coastal hunters and gatherers
Mississippi River Valley
- Fertile soil, farming societies
- Hopewell people: towns of 4,000-6,000, extensive trade
- Cahokia people: large settlement, centralized government
Northeast - Iroquois
- Villages of hundreds
- Crops: maize, squash, beans
- Longhouses housing 30-50 family members
Conclusion
- Overview of pre-European Native American cultures
- Invitation to subscribe for more history content
Note:
To achieve success in AP US History with Heimler’s History, subscribe for more videos.