Recently a friend of mine said that the Native Americans were devastated by plague prior to European contact and that the their society was effectively post apocalyptic. To what extent was this true, and what was Native American society like before this plague?

by rogthnor
silverappleyard

While you’re waiting for an answer to your question, you might be interested in some excellent older related ones in the FAQ section on the impact of European diseases in the Americas, with answers from u/400-rabbits and u/anthropology_nerd.