Pre-Columbian Societies and Early Colonization

Study Notes

Native Americans organized themselves into various cultures based on their geographic location.
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Americas were inhabited by a diverse group of people.

Aztecs or Mexica: a Mesoamerican culture that thrived in central Mexico from 1300 to 1521, comprising various ethnic groups.
Chinampas: "floating gardens" made by stacking mud, lake sediment, and decomposing plants to create small elevated land plots, separated by canals.
Maya: a culture that flourished in present-day Guatemala, renowned for their achievements in agriculture, pottery, writing, calendars, and mathematics.
Tikal: a Mayan city with a water purification system and the famous El Castillo (Temple of Kukulcan), which embodies Mayan myth and natural astronomical cycles.
Pyramid of the Magician/Dwarf/Soothsayer (Casa el Adivino): a significant structure in Mayan architecture.
Aztec Written Language: Nahuatl.
Inca: the largest empire in pre-Columbian America, sustained by maize (corn).
Centeotl: the Corn God of the Aztecs.
Hun-Hunahpu: the Maize God of the Mayan.

Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi): an ancient Native American culture that thrived in the southwestern United States, mainly in the Four Corners region.
Sedentary: they lived in one place, with established settlements like Mesa Verde.
Mesa Verde: cliff dwellings that served as homes for the Ancestral Puebloans, providing protection from the elements and invaders.

Nomadic: people who moved from one place to another, without permanent settlements.
Hunter-gatherer: people who lived by hunting and gathering food.
Ute People: an indigenous tribe of the Great Basin, who traveled using known routes like the Ute Trail.

Fishing Villages: Chinook People were famous as traders, with connections stretching as far as the Great Plains.
Chumash People: first settled 13,000 years ago, experienced population growth and adaptation to the local environment.
Villages along the coastline, islands, and interior traded resources.

Hopewell People: centered in Ohio and Illinois, advanced in mound-building and agriculture, characterized by geometric earthworks, large burial mounds, corded pottery, ornamental knives, and extensive trading.
Cahokia People: known for their sophisticated and expansive urban center, marked by the Cahokia Mounds.
Iroquois People: known for their elaborate systems for choosing leaders and making important decisions.

Europeans explored the Americas due to population increase, political unification, and desire for luxury goods.
Portugal: the major player in using sea-based trade routes to Asia, led by Prince Henry the Navigator.
Caravels: small 15th and 16th-century ships used for exploration.
Astronomical Table: a tool designed to facilitate the calculation of planetary positions, lunar phases, eclipses, and calendrical information.
Reconquista: the military campaign to remove Muslims from Spain.
Christopher Columbus: an Italian explorer and navigator who led four voyages to the Americas, starting in 1492.
Vikings in North America: the Norse explorer Leif Eriksson, who led one of the earliest European expeditions to North America.

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