Developments in the Americas
I love the song of the mockingbird,
Bird of four hundred voices,
I love the color of jade And the intoxicating scent of flowers, But more than all I love my brother, man!
—Nezahualcoyotl (1402–1472), Aztec poet
Learning Objectives
- I: Explain how and why states in the Americas developed and changed over time.
Following the decline of the Olmecs in Mesoamerica and the Chavin in the
Andes, new civilizations, such as the Mayans, the Aztecs, and the Incas rose in the same regions. In addition, the first large-scale civilization in North America developed. As in Afro-Eurasia, several of these civilizations developed strong states, large urban centers, and complex belief systems. Current knowledge about these civilizations combines archaeological evidence, oral traditions, and writings by Europeans who came to the Americas after 1492. One poem recorded by the Spanish was the one above from an Aztec writer.
Sections
The Mississippian Culture
Chaco and Mesa Verde
The Maya City-States
The Aztecs
The Inca
Continuities and Diversity
Think As a Historian: THINK AS A HISTORIAN: IDENTIfY EvIDENCE
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Reflect
REFLECT ON THE TOPIC ESSENTIAL QUESTION
1. In one to three paragraphs, identify the states that developed in the Americas and explain how they changed over time.
AP Exam Practice
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