About Unit 7

💭 Essential Question: To what extent did geographic isolation limit or strengthen Indigenous societies in Mesoamerica and Oceania before 1600 CE?

The Indigenous Societies: Culture, Exchange, Power (800 BCE - 1600 CE) explores how Indigenous societies in Mesoamerica and Oceania developed, adapted, and expressed complex systems of culture, belief, and power in diverse geographic environments. Building on prior learning about empires and networks, students will use social, political, economic, and cultural lenses to analyze how geography, isolation, and interaction shaped the development of societies before 1600 CE. Through case studies including Polynesian societies, Rapa Nui, the Maya, Aztec, and Inca, students will investigate how people adapted to environmental challenges, organized societies, and created meaningful cultural systems. They will examine evidence such as maps, oral traditions, archaeological findings, and cultural artifacts to understand migration, navigation, and daily life. Students will also evaluate how artifacts and historical interpretations shape modern understandings of the past, including questions of ownership, representation, and respect for Indigenous cultures.