Heimler's History: AP U.S. History - Unit 1, Topic 2

Overview

• Focus: Americas before European arrival
• Goal: Understand diverse cultures of Native Americans

Why Start with Unit 1, Topic 2?

• Unit 1, Topic 1 is a review; already covered in separate videos

Key Point

• Native American cultures were diverse and adapted to their environments

Central & South America Civilizations

1. Aztecs (Mexica)

   • Located in Central America (Mesoamerica)
   • Capital: Tenochtitlan (300,000 people)
   • Features: Written language, complex irrigation, fertility cults with human sacrifice

2. Maya

   • Located on the Yucatan Peninsula
   • Features: Large cities, irrigation systems, stone temples, religious beliefs tied to rulers

3. Inca

   • Located in the Andes Mountains (Peru)
   • Empire size: 16 million people, 350,000 sq miles
   • Features: Mountain valley farming, irrigation systems

Common Crop: Maize

• Important for economic development, settlement, and social diversification
• Spread to American Southwest, supporting new societies

North American Native Peoples

Southwest

• Pueblo People
  • Location: New Mexico and Arizona
  • Sedentary farmers of maize
  • Built adobe and masonry homes, organized society

Great Plains & Great Basin

• Nomadic Peoples (e.g., Ute)
  • Lifestyle: Hunter-gatherers, kinship-based bands
  • Adapted to region's aridity

Pacific Northwest

• Chinook People

  • Lifestyle: Fishing villages, used cedar trees for plank houses

• Chumash People

  • Location: Present-day California
  • Hunters and gatherers in permanent settlements

Mississippi River Valley

• Larger, complex societies due to fertile soil

• Hopewell People

  • Towns of 4,000-6,000 people, extensive traders

• Cahokia People

  • Largest settlement, 10,000-30,000 people
  • Centralized government, trade networks

Northeast

• Iroquois
  • Villages of several hundred people
  • Grew maize, squash, beans, lived in longhouses

Conclusion

• Native American societies were diverse and well-adapted to their environments

• Understanding these societies is crucial for studying pre-European America

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