Empires of the Americas before Columbus

I. Introduction

A. Origins and Migrations

B. Domestication of Maize

II. Earliest New World Civilizations

A. Olmecs (1,000 BCE to 200 CE)

B. Mayas (426 CE to 820 CE)

1. Recent Archeological Discoveries at Copán

2. History of the 16 Kings
3. End of Yax K’uk Mo’s Dynasty

III. The Aztec Empire

A. Origins of the Empire

B. Internal and External Tensions

IV. The Inca Empire (1430s to 1533 CE)

A. Structure of the Empire
1. Linking the Four Climate Zones
2. Labor Tax and City Populations
3. Differences in Technology

B. Civil War: Atahualpa vs. Huascar

VI. Conclusion: Differences from the Eurasian World

Key Terms

domestication of maize

Mayas

Copan

Yax Ku’k Mo’
baktun

Aztecs

Tenochtitlan

Moctezuma

Incan road network

Atahualpa and Huascar

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