The natives of the Americas famously didn't use iron nor the wheel. Were there any technologies that were new to the European conquistadors, beyond the alternative agricultural resources like the potato or mais?
The most obvious inventions I can think of are the Canoe and the Kayak. The birch-bark canoe was the most effective way to travel around the rivers of North America, used by many explorers. It was light and much easier to carry than the European's skiffs, which was very useful when it was necessary to portage to the next river system. Kayaks were used by the inuits for hunting, made from stiched seal skins. Since then we have changed the materials, but its iconic shape has lasted, and its popularity today is a testament to its effectiveness. My background comes from a college level course History of the Americas about pre-colombian native americans.
You can't downplay the native mastery of agriculture. The amount of knowledge and advancements that went into developing such effective systems, in environments far more extreme than most of the old world centers of agriculture, is staggering. I am particularly impressed by the Chinampa. I don't know of any contemporary old world cultures that managed to create artificial islands so well suited for agriculture. Andean agriculture also impresses me in terms of creating so many varieties of crops, and being able to manage dozens of them on the same field.
The engineering abilities of the natives were also extremely advanced. I doubt the contemporary Europeans ever developed the terracing techniques, aqueduct/canal networks or stonework architecture of the Incas, for example.
Hi there, you might find this post that discussed technological comparisons interesting -- it also links to the relevant section of our FAQs. If you have questions related to any of those older posts, mention the user's name and they should get an alert.
Birchbark canoes have already been mentionned. I'll add snowshoes, which beautifully compliment the summer mobility provided by the canoe. With snowshoes, all the roadless areas between the rivers become acessible; much more so than during the summer. The dog sleigh/qamotiq should probably be up there as well.