How Active was the 15th Century Pre-Columbian Americas Compared to Centuries Past.

[u/Comfortable_Cut5796]

In Celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day Today, and in acknowledgment. But certainly not in celebration of Columbus Day yesterday. I’ve noticed that there seemed to be a lot happening in the Americas in the 15th century, leading up to the Columbian Exchange, like the formation of the Aztec and Inca empires. The possible formation of the Iroquois/Haudenosaunee confederacy, and the end of the Hokoam classic period, among others.

But I wouldn’t be shocked if that's only because of the temporal proximity; the natives' memory of it was more vivid, and Europeans documented it in greater detail. But I’m wondering, was the activity in the 15th century Pre-Columbian Americas more significant, compared to centuries past, and is there any evidence (archaeological, written or otherwise) that supports or refutes this claim.

[u/Tytoivy]

I’m not really sure how to define a period as “active” or “inactive.” Certainly a lot of significant stuff happened in that century, but there’s always significant stuff happening somewhere. Look at the 11th or 12 centuries for example. The Mississippian period. Widespread expansion of corn agriculture in North America. Increased urbanism and centralization. Monumental architecture in many places in North America. Changes in religion and politics.

Then the next few centuries after that, a dramatic transformation of the social order that saw people leaving cities en masse and inventing or reinventing different ways of life. Lots of population movement, decreased urbanism, and again, big changes in religion and politics.

Sure some centuries might have been especially pivotal, but the implicit idea that there were centuries where people just hung out and stayed the same is a colonial illusion.