Urbanization is one of the major criteria for the development of a civilization. When Europeans arrived in the Americas, the “New World,” they found few urban centers and determined that the peoples of the Americas were uncivilized. This, in part, justified conquest; however, they were wrong. There were a number of urban civilizations in the Americas, some of which rivaled the greatest cities of Europe, many of which were built and flourished while Western Europe languished in the Dark Ages.
Instructions
Compare and contrast two urban civilizations in the Americas pre-contact. Your response must be based on at least two secondary sources in addition to your readings.
Address at least three of these elements in your post about each urban civilization:
Religion
Geography
Politics
Economy
Trade
Culture
Agriculture
Technology
Imagine you were a European encountering these societies for the first time. How would you react and why?
Make sure to incorporate historical evidence from the sources and source types noted in the prompt to support your points and use proper citations.