Topic: Comparing Native Americans and Europeans at the Time of the “Encounter”
Early Migrations to the Americas 35,000-10,000: the Ice Age Land Bridge Theory (Bering Strait) What conclusions can be drawn from the map? Populations increased (35-50 million by 1492)
Early American Peoples Meso-Americans: Incas, Mayans, Aztecs (Central and South America) Maize, arts, architecture Science and math Aztec human sacrifice, runners Pueblos in Southwest US Anasazis in New Mexico Iroquois in Northeast (5 Nations League) Aztec Pyramid Cholula
1492: Columbus and “the Encounter” State of Europe in 1400s European “needs” in 1400s: Spices and Sugar Silks and Fabrics New trade routes to Asia (India and China) New technologies Portuguese posts in Africa The Spanish Reconquista (3 Gs) Columbus in Bahamas 1492: “West Indies” Columbian Exchange (“Triangle Trade”) Natives Exploited, “depopulated”
Conclusion: Compare and Contrast European Societies with Native American Societies (1492)