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Historical map · 1500

Map of North America in 1500

In 1500, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 6 states, empires and other polities in North America. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Later Mayan City-States, Aztec Triple Alliance and Michoacán. Personal union of Crown of Aragon with Crown of Castile reached well beyond North America: its whole territory measured about 568,000 km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on North America in 1500. Zoom in, move the year slider to watch the borders change, or ask the history guide a question and it draws the answer on the map.

OPEN 1500 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1500
Atlas map: Two Answers to the Environment (1500)
FROM THE ATLAS · CLIMATE AND INNOVATION, CHAPTER 12: TWO ANSWERS TO THE ENVIRONMENT (1500)

States and empires in North America in 1500

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Later Mayan City-States Wikipedia188,000 km²188,000 km²247 BC–AD 1546
Aztec Triple Alliance Wikipedia178,000 km²178,000 km²1429–1520
Michoacán74,000 km²74,000 km²1305–1533
Haudenosaunee Wikipedia72,000 km²72,000 km²1450–1782
Personal union of Crown of Aragon with Crown of Castile Wikipedia17,000 km²568,000 km²1475–1515
Crown of Castile Wikipedia17,000 km²412,000 km²1236–1515

"In the data" gives the first and last year the dataset draws the state under this identity; states often existed earlier or later in another form.

What changed since 1492

New on the map: Personal union of Crown of Aragon with Crown of Castile, Crown of Castile.

What comes next: 1550

Appear by 1550: Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy, Spanish Empire, Itza Mayans.

Gone by 1550: Later Mayan City-States, Aztec Triple Alliance, Michoacán, Personal union of Crown of Aragon with Crown of Castile, Crown of Castile.

Read the history of 1500

Guided atlas chapters set near this date, each with its own map, causes and consequences:

Questions about this map

Which countries were in North America in 1500?

The map data draws 6 states and other polities in North America in 1500. The largest by land were the Later Mayan City-States, Aztec Triple Alliance, Michoacán, Haudenosaunee and Personal union of Crown of Aragon with Crown of Castile.

What was the largest empire in North America in 1500?

Of the states on this map, Personal union of Crown of Aragon with Crown of Castile held the most land in total: about 568,000 km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore North America in 1500 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1500, zoom into any region, move through the years, and ask the history guide questions: it answers in plain words and draws places, armies and borders on the map.

About these borders

The borders come from Cliopatria (v0.2.1, Seshat Global History Databank, CC BY 4.0), the dataset behind our interactive map, with our audited name and border corrections. It records each state's territory year by year from 3400 BC to 2024. Borders before modern surveys are reconstructions: the data draws a state where it held control, and frontier zones, nomadic realms and loose overlordships are approximate. Areas are measured on an equal-area projection. Read how we make our maps.

North America in other years

Other regions in 1500