AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Native Populations of the Present-Day American Southwest & Mexico (Day 3/309)

Welcome to APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

Today we will be introducing the Native Populations in the present-Day American Southwest & Mexico.

A screengrab of the interactive mapping website Native Land. NATIVE LAND

One of the key objectives in AP US History is to understand how people both TRANSFORMED and ADAPTED TO their environments. This region provides many examples of both, but we will highlight some particular methods used by indigenous peoples to transform their environment.

While the climate in this region is varied, it is known for generally having low annual rainfall and seasonally hot temperatures. Large permanent civilizations would have been difficult because of the difficulty of maintaining a plentiful and stable food source.

Aztec Chinampas (Floating Gardens) The Archeologist

However, groups in the region established advanced agricultural methods, including irrigation, use of terraces, and the cultivation of maize. Through these methods people groups, including the Aztec and Hohokam, were able to establish agricultural surpluses. With this food security, large permanent civilizations developed. 

Map of Hohokam Trade Arizona Museum of Natural History

With established societies came social diversification. Specialized roles and social stratification emerged as some individuals could focus on tasks beyond food production, such as crafting, trading, or religious practices. Trade between neighboring communities increased and thus, promoted the exchange of goods, ideas, and technologies. These trade networks fostered cultural interactions and the spread of agricultural knowledge across regions.

So while the climate would have been a deterrent to large, complex civilizations, many groups in the American Southwest and present-day Mexico found ways to transform their environment to better sustain their needs.

Join me tomorrow as I explain life in the Great Basin and Great Plains before European conquest in our next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!