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| 1 |  |  Describe some of the factors that have shaped our traditional understanding of the pre-Columbian period of American history. Why has that understanding begun to change over recent decades? |
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| 2 |  |  Why were the Olmec, Mayan, and Aztec cultures so influential in the development of societies in both Mesoamerica and North America? |
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| 3 |  |  What if anything did the pre-Columbian societies in North America have in common? What were the crucial differences among them? |
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| 4 |  |  How successful were American societies in shaping their natural environments? What elements of nature were they able to alter and what elements caused them significant problems? |
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| 5 |  |  What major trends emerged in American societies in the centuries immediately preceding contact with European explorers? Can you explain why these trends occurred? |
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