When the Spaniards arrived in the Americas they found different civilizations with high degrees of cultural, economic, and social development.
In Mesoamerica (Middle America), a cultural area encompassing parts of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, Honduras and El Salavador, they encountered the Aztec and the Maya.
In South America they found the Inca, in the Andean region, extending from Ecuador in the North, to Chile in the South.
The resulting conflict was followed by an interchange of ideas and products that profoundly changed the world and that has become known as the Columbian Exchange.
Please watch the videos below in preparation for class. Next day in class we will explore the Inca and the Spanish arrival.
THE MAYA
VIDEO: BrainPOP: Maya Civilization
VIDEO: The Mayans Got IT Done
VIDEO: Smithsonian: The Creation Story of the Maya
