1. What were the defining characteristics of Mississippian civilization and where did it emerge?

2. How was Mississippian society structured, and what role did women hold in determining social status?

3. What theories explain the decline of Mississippian civilization by 1600?

1. How did the Chaco and Mesa Verde peoples adapt their architecture to the southwestern climate and environment?

2. What caused the decline of both Chaco and Mesa Verde cultures in the late 13th century?

1. What was the primary form of Mayan government and how did it function?

2. What role did warfare play in Mayan city-states, and what did rulers seek to gain through conquest?

3. How were Mayan science and religion connected, and what was the significance of their astronomical observations?

4. What technological and mathematical innovations did the Mayans develop?

1. How did the Aztecs design Tenochtitlán to protect it, and what innovations did they use to support its large population?

2. How did the Aztec tribute system allow them to maintain control over conquered territories?

3. What was the social hierarchy of Aztec society, and what roles did different groups play in the empire?

4. What role did human sacrifice play in Aztec religion and society?

5. How did women contribute to the Aztec economy and what opportunities existed for some women beyond domestic work?

6. What factors contributed to the decline of the Aztec Empire by the late 15th century?

1. How did Pachacuti and his successors build and expand the Incan Empire?

2. How did the Incan Empire govern its extensive territory, and how did the mit'a system differ from the Aztec tribute system?

3. What was the significance of the sun god Inti and royal ancestor veneration in Incan religion?

4. What role did priests play in Incan society and how did they determine the gods' will?

5. What were the major technological and agricultural achievements of the Inca?

6. What circumstances surrounded the decline of the Incan Empire when Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1532?

1. What evidence suggests that Mesoamerican cultures were influenced by Olmec civilization?

2. What is the alternative historical perspective on how Mesoamerican civilizations developed?