Page history last edited by Robert W. Maloy 3 years, 6 months ago
Period 1:
1491-1607
Key Concept 1.1: As native populations migrated and settled across the vast expanse of North America over time, they developed distinct and increasingly complex societies by adapting to
and transforming their diverse environments.
- Link to Comparison of PreColumbian Civilizations
- Link to PreColumbian
Civilizations of Central and South America
- Link to Special Topic Page: Peopling of the Americas
- Link to Dramatic Event page on
Cahokia and Etzanoa
For more about the Columbian Exchange, AP US Key Concept 1.2
The Columbian
Exchange, Crash Course video.
Mayan Culture and Society
Mayan numbers 0 to 19 |
Play a Mayan Math Numbers game to learn how Mayan people did mathematica calculations from the National Museum of the American Indian
This YouTube video is by a a US AP History teacher, who explains the differences between Northern vs Southern Native American Societies.It also serves as a good example of a history lesson.
Exploring the Early Americas is an interactive online exhibit from the Library of Congress.
Extent of Maya civilization (red) compared to other Mesoamerican cultures (black)
Peopling North America: Population Movements and Migration from the University of Calgary.
Pre-columbian societies includes both Meso-american cultures such as the Maya and the Native Americans or "Indians".
This link, from PBS, leads to a lesson plan on the Ancient Maya for grades 7-12.
Ruins across Meso-America show us that these civilizations were very complex and by no means barbaric. While the movies tend to portray the Mayans as inhuman for their practice of human sacrifice, they also had many advances in astronomy, the arts, and sciences. For example, the Maya developed their own calendar, invented a glyph writing system, and created amazing structures (1).
Go here for an interactive activity to explore different cities of the Mayan world: Mayan interactive Map
Pedestal Plate, Sitio Conte, Panama |
Native American Cultures in North America
Native Americans first appeared in North America approximately 10,000 years ago by crossing a land bridge from Asia.
- When people talk about the Native Americans they typically forget that there was no single nation or culture that defined the groups that lived across modern continental America.
- While there were many similarities between cultures, such as the importance of nature, each group varied depending on their location.
- When European colonists arrived, there were an estimated 15-20 million Native Americans speaking at least 1,000 different languages (2).
Map of North American tribes prior to European Settlers |
Links Cited:
1. //www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/mayacode/map-nf.html
2. //www.historycentral.com/Indians/Before.html