Abstract
The text focuses on the problem of alleged collapse of Native civilizations of America (the Aztec and Inca Empire and the Maya city states) in the 16th century, that is, after the Spaniards commenced the process of colonization of the American continent. In contrast to the common perception, these processes are presented not as "collapse" but as a constituent part of the wider processes of gradual integration of regions to wider units at the beginning of the Modern Era.