In population rankings of cities in the United States, Chicago moved up the furthest in the top ten rankings between 1850 and 1880.
In 1850, Chicago wasn't even in the top ten list. Chicago's population in 1850 was only around 30,000. But by 1880, the city of Chicago had expanded rapidly, to a population of over 500,000 and into the #3 spot on the list of America's largest cities. (On some lists, you might see Chicago as #4 on the list at that time, but that's if they count New York and Brooklyn separately rather than counting the New York metropolitan area as a unit.)
I think the major reason why American colonists were different is because they came to a new land to flee persecution from their government. In what I have learned about societies forming colonies, many colonies were formed in other countries because a nation had control of that country. Take the Greek empire for example. The Greek citizens moved to counties that Greece had invaded and dwelt among those people and learned from them as well. In the Americas no one had really formed a colony or claimed the land for their country. Hopefully this helps.
Mayan chocolate was very different than the chocolate we know today. It was a liquid made from crushed cocoa beans, chili peppers, and water.
She took care of the younger children so the adults could plan their escape