Many history classes have a tendency to get caught spending far too much time covering European history at the expense of other civilizations. Among the civilizations that get short changed in this process are the civilizations of the Americas. This chapter covers the civilizations of the Americas prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus. We cover the rise of each of the three major civilizations of the area at the time (Aztec, Inca, Maya) as well as a handful of other civilizations that often get left out of the conversation. A great deal of time is taken to explain the differences between the “New World” and the “Old World” in terms of culture and technology. This allows the students a better understanding of dynamics of conquest in the next unit. Lastly, we cover the old thought processes of American cultures being less advanced or inferior to the the cultures of the “Old World.” While this is partially true, the truth is far more complex than people talk about in usual conversations.