World History I

Chapter 15: The Rise of Empires in the Americas
1500 to 1750

66: Mon, May 11, 2026

Please read the chapter and take the quiz by midnight on Sun, May 10, 2026.
Please also post in the forum for the day a short essay in response to this question:

Here we look at three regions in Mesoamerica and South America (ignoring, for the most part, all the rest of North America). In each region — Mexico, the Yucatan, and Peru — we see the rise of several different civilizations, one after the other.

Consider the resources in each region.

• What natural resources allowed these kingdoms and empires to develop in their region?
• What natural resources limited expansion or led to eventual disintegration of the empire?
• What cultural and/or technical resources helped communities form stable societies in these regions?
• Compare at least one of these Americas kingdoms or empires to one of the kingdoms we studied in Africa. How are the available resources similar or different? How did the two kingdoms you chose make use of their resources differently?

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