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Communities in the Americas

Driving Question: How were communities organized in the Americas?

During this period, the Americas were home to a vast array of different communities. From large empires to smaller kin groups, communities in the Americas were quite distinct from those in Afro-Eurasia. Yet these communities still shared surprising commonalities with their contemporaries in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand how Indigenous communities in the Americas were organized and how these communities interacted with each other.
  2. Understand the similarities and differences between societies that developed in the Americas.
  3. Use a graphic biography to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives from this period.
STEP 1

Opener: Communities in the Americas

Ever been stumped by a question? Sometimes it’s less about not knowing the answer to the question than it is about understanding the question in the first place.

STEP 2

Indigenous American Communities

Communities in the Americas developed into a diverse tapestry of states, empires, chiefdoms, and tribal systems. Use the article, video, and graphic biography below to explore how these societies emerged and evolved. Then, describe these communities from the perspective of an explorer.

Communities of Movement External link

The Ancestral Pueblo built large, complex agricultural societies across the Colorado Plateau. Their farming communities relied on repeated migrations.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 3

Mesoamerica

The Aztec Empire was the most powerful state in Mesoamerica, but it took work to stay in power. Find out how conquests and tribute shaped the empire in this video and graphic biography.

Aztec Empire External link

The Aztec Empire was formed through an alliance of Tenochtitlán with other city-states in Mesoamerica. A complex system of tribute and conquest allowed this empire to dominate the region.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
Extension Materials
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The Inca Empire was one of the largest, most powerful states in the Americas during this period. This video provides additional coverage for state standards.
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Empires in the Andes

Under the Inca’s mit’a system, tribute and mandatory service resulted in magnificent monuments, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects.

Inca Empire External link

The Inca brought other communities under their tribute system. This system helped the Inca build their famous monuments and grow into a sophisticated empire of 10 million people.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.