AP U.S. History: The Americas Before European Arrival

Introduction

• Focus on Unit 1, Topic 2: "The Americas Before the Europeans Arrive."
• Not covering Unit 1, Topic 1, as it's a review of the whole unit.

Key Idea

• Native American peoples organized into diverse cultures before European arrival, varying by region.

Diverse Native American Cultures

Central and South America

1. Aztecs (Mexica)

   • Location: Central America (Mesoamerica).
   • Capital: Tenochtitlan (population of 300,000).
   • Features: Written language, complex irrigation, fertility cult with human sacrifice.

2. Maya

   • Location: Yucatan Peninsula.
   • Features: Large cities, complex irrigation, stone temples, rulers believed to be gods' descendants.

3. Inca

   • Location: Andes Mountains, along Pacific coast (modern-day Peru).
   • Empire: 16 million people, covering 350,000 square miles.
   • Features: Cultivation of fertile mountain valleys, irrigation systems.

• Common Element: Cultivation of maize, supporting economic development and social diversification.

North America

Southwest

• Pueblo People
  • Location: Present-day New Mexico and Arizona.
  • Characteristics: Sedentary farmers of maize, built adobe homes, organized society.

Great Plains and Great Basin

• Nomadic Peoples
  • Lifestyle: Hunter-gatherers requiring large land areas due to aridity.
  • Example: Ute people lived in small, egalitarian bands.

Pacific Northwest

• Fishing Villages

  • Relied on sea and elk.
  • Example: Chinook people used cedar to build plank houses.

• Chumash People

  • Location: Present-day California.
  • Lifestyle: Permanent settlements, hunters, and gatherers.

Mississippi River Valley

• Hopewell People

  • Population: 4,000-6,000 per town.
  • Trade: Extensive, reaching as far as Florida and Rocky Mountains.

• Cahokia People

  • Settlement: Largest in the region (10,000-30,000 people).
  • Government: Centralized with trade networks from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.

Northeast

• Iroquois
  • Villages: Several hundred people, grew crops like maize, squash, and beans.
  • Housing: Longhouses accommodating 30-50 family members.

Conclusion

• This concludes the overview of Unit 1, Topic 2, in AP U.S. History.