Unit 1 Flashcards
How were Native American societies organized before European contact?
They were diverse, with lifestyles ranging from fishing villages and nomadic hunter-gatherers to agriculture-based communities and cities.
Name the three major civilizations in Central and South America before contact.
The Aztecs, Maya, and Inca.
What was the Aztec capital, and why was it significant?
Tenochtitlan; it had 300,000 people, a written language, irrigation systems, and religious practices involving human sacrifice.
How did the Maya and Inca adapt to their environments?
Maya: Built cities, complex irrigation, and stone temples.
Inca: Developed mountain fortresses like Machu Picchu, used fertile valleys for farming.
Which crop spread from Central America to the American Southwest, supporting settlement?
Maize/corn
Describe the lifestyles of the Pueblo people in the American Southwest.
They farmed maize, lived in homes built into cliffs or open areas, and had organized governments.
What characterized Great Plains and Great Basin Native Americans like the Ute people?
They were hunter-gatherers who needed large areas for hunting.
How did Pacific Northwest groups like the Chinook and Chumash sustain themselves?
Through fishing, hunting elk, and using cedar trees for construction.
What were key features of the Mississippi River Valley societies like Cahokia?
Fertile soil for farming, large populations (10,000-30,000), trade networks, and powerful chiefs.
What crops were central to the Iroquois in the Northeast?
Maize and beans.
What were the main reasons for European exploration in the Americas?
Population growth, political centralization, desire for Asian goods, and finding water routes to Asia.
What advancements did Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal make?
Developed caravels, used astrolabes, and established trading posts along Africa.
What were Spain’s motivations for exploration?
Spreading Christianity, seeking wealth, and competing with Portugal.
What was the Columbian Exchange?
The transfer of food, animals, minerals, people, and diseases between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
How did smallpox affect Native American societies?
It decimated populations like the Aztecs, Incas, and Taino due to a lack of immunity.
