1491- Apr 2026

The year 1491 is also the final baseline for Indigenous populations before the catastrophic "Great Dying." Upon contact, European diseases like smallpox and measles—to which Native Americans had no immunity—wiped out an estimated 90% of the population .

An focusing on the "Period 1" (1491–1607) curriculum? The year 1491 is also the final baseline

: The Inca Empire managed a sophisticated quipu record-keeping system and a road network that spanned thousands of miles across vertical terrain. : This massive loss of life explains why

: This massive loss of life explains why later settlers encountered "empty" lands; they were seeing the graveyards of recently collapsed civilizations. man-made soil. : Tenochtitlán

: Long thought to be a virgin rainforest, evidence shows it was a "human-made garden" featuring vast orchards and terra preta —nutrient-rich, man-made soil.

: Tenochtitlán , the Aztec capital, featured advanced aqueducts, botanical gardens, and waste management systems that left Spanish conquistadors in awe.