Across Africa and the Americas, powerful civilizations flourished long before European exploration. In this episode of The World History Curriculum Companion, we review the rich cultures and achievements of the Aztec, Inca, and Maya civilizations in the Americas and great African empires of Ghana, Mali, Songhai, and Axum.

This episode serves as a companion to our unit on these fascinating civilizations.  Mesoamerican civilizations featured grand cities and advanced knowledge of astronomy, agriculture, and engineering. African civilizations are known for their vast trade networks, wealth, and contributions to world history. This unit looks at both regions around the year 1500 and their connections to civilizations before and after them. 

This episode provides an overview of the Civilizations in Africa & the Americas unit in the Students of History World History curriculum, which includes engaging lessons and resources for every day of the unit. If you are interested in learning more, check out Students of History.