The history of the Americas is the collective history of North and South America, including Central America and the Caribbean. It begins with people migrating to these areas from Asia and possibly Oceania during the height of an Ice Age. These groups are generally believed to have been isolated from peoples of the "Old World" until the coming of Europeans in the 10th and 15th centuries. North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ... “West Indian” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Oceania (disambiguation). ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans, Asians, and Africans before the voyages of Christopher Columbus; it includes Europe, Asia, and Africa (collectively known as Africa-Eurasia), plus surrounding islands. ...

The ancestors of today's Native Americans were hunter-gatherers who migrated into North America. The most popular theory asserts that migrants came to the Americas via the Bering Land Bridge, Beringia, the land mass covered by the cold ocean waters in the Bering Strait. Small Paleo-Indian groups probably followed the mammoth and other prey animals. It is possible that groups of people may also have traveled into North America on shelf or sheet ice along the northern Pacific coast. Brazilian Indian chiefs The scope of this indigenous peoples of the Americas article encompasses the definitions of indigenous peoples and the Americas as established in their respective articles. ... In anthropology, the hunter-gatherer way of life is that led by certain societies of the Neolithic Era based on the exploitation of wild plants and animals. ... Nautical chart of Bering Strait, site of former land bridge between Asia and North America The Bering land bridge, also known as Beringia, was a land bridge roughly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) north to south at its greatest extent, which joined present-day Alaska and eastern Siberia at... The Bering land bridge, also known as Beringia, was a land bridge roughly 1600 km (1000 miles) north to south at its greatest extent, which joined present-day Alaska and eastern Siberia at various times during the ice ages. ... Satellite photo of the Bering Strait Photo across the Bering Strait Nautical chart of the Bering Strait The Bering Strait (Russian: ) is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Russia, the easternmost point (169°43 W) of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, the westernmost point (168°05... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the genus Mammuthus. ...

Cultural traits brought by the first immigrants later evolved and spawned such cultures as Iroquois on North America and Pirahã of South America. These cultures later developed into civilizations. In many cases, these cultures expanded at a later date than their Old World counterparts. Cultures that may be considered advanced or civilized include: Cahokia, Zapotec, Toltecs, Olmec, Aztecs and the Inca. For other uses, see Iroquois (disambiguation). ... The Pirahã people are an indigenous hunter-gatherer tribe of Amazon natives, who mainly live on the banks of the Maici River in Brazil. ... Central New York City. ... Cahokia is the site of an ancient Native American city near Collinsville, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. ... Extent of the Zapotec civilization The Zapotec civilization was an indigenous pre-Columbian civilization that flourished in the Valley of Oaxaca of southern Mesoamerica. ... The Atlantes – columns in the form of Toltec warriors in Tula. ... Monument 1, one of the four Olmec colossal heads at La Venta. ... The word Aztec is usually used as a historical term, although some contemporary Nahuatl speakers would consider themselves Aztecs. ... For other meanings of Inca, see Inca (disambiguation). ...

Migration into the continents

For more details on this topic, see Models of migration to the New World.

The timeframe for the of arrival of the first group of people to enter the Americas has been subject to much debate. It is generally believed that the first migrants were Asian nomads who crossed the Bering Land Bridge to reach North America. For most of the 20th century, scientists considered the first culture in the Americas to be the Clovis culture, with sites dating from some 13,500 years ago. There are several popular models of migration to the New World proposed by the anthropological community. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... Nautical chart of Bering Strait, site of former land bridge between Asia and North America The Bering land bridge, also known as Beringia, was a land bridge roughly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) north to south at its greatest extent, which joined present-day Alaska and eastern Siberia at... First American Clovis Point courtesy of http://www. ...

Recent archaeological finds suggest multiple waves of migration, some of which have been tentatively dated to as early as 40,000 BCE. Evidence at the Monte Verde site in southern Chile indicates a human presence in southern South America by 12,500 BCE. Several other early Paleo-Indian artifacts have been found in both North and South America. Radiocarbon dating tests are still inconclusive on some archaeological sites identified as earlier than the Clovis remains. [1] [2] Monte Verde is an archaeological site in south-central Chile, which is suspected to date 12,500 years before present, making it one of the earliest inhabited sites in the Americas. ... Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring isotope carbon-14 (14C) to determine the age of carbonaceous materials up to about 60,000 years. ...

All theories agree that the Inuit and related peoples arrived separately and at a much later date, probably around the 5th or 6th century CE, moving across the glaciers from Siberia into Canada. For other uses, see Inuit (disambiguation). ... This article is about Siberia as a whole. ...

Before advanced civilizations

Several thousand years after the first migrations, the first complex civilizations arose as hunter-gatherers settled into semi-agricultural communities. Identifiable sedentary settlements began to emerge in the so-called Middle Archaic period around 6000 BCE. Particular archaeological cultures can be identified, with some of the classifications including the Paleo-Indian period, Archaic Period and Woodland Period. In the sequence of North American cultural stages first proposed by Gordon Willey and Phillip Phillips in 1958, the Archaic stage was the second period of human occupation in the Americas, from around 8000 BC to 1000 BC although as its ending is defined by the adoption of sedentary farming... In archaeology, culture refers to either of two separate but allied concepts: An archaeological culture is a pattern of similar artefacts and features found within a specific area over a limited period of time. ... Paleo-Indians is an English term used to refer to the ancient peoples of America who were present at the end of the last Ice Age. ... The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures lasted roughly from 1000 BCE to 1000 CE. The term Woodland was coined in the 1930s and refers to prehistoric sites between the Archaic period and the Mississippian cultures. ...

Civilizations

Civilizations were established long after migration. Several large, centralized civilizations developed in the Western Hemisphere : Norte Chico, Chavin, Nazca, Moche, Huari, Chimu, Pachacamac, Tiahuanaco, Aymara and Inca in the Central Andes (Peru and Bolivia); Muisca in Colombia ; Olmecs, Toltecs, Mixtecs , Zapotecs, Aztecs and the Maya in Central America). Central New York City. ... The geographical western hemisphere of Earth, highlighted in yellow. ... Norte Chico ranging over three river valleys north of present-day Lima: Supe, Fortaleza and Pativilca. ... Chav n is the name of a pre-Moche people in Peru Chav n is a parish belonging to the municipality of Viveiro, Spain. ... For the tectonic plate, see Nazca Plate. ... The Moche civilization (alternately, the Mochica culture, Early Chimu, Pre-Chimu, Proto-Chimu, etc. ... Middle Horizon The Huari (or Wari) was a Middle Horizon civilization that flourished in the southern Andes from about 500 to 1200 AD. The capital city is located near the modern city of Ayacucho, Peru. ... The Chimú were the residents of Chimor with its capital at the city of Chan Chan in the Moche valley of Peru. ... Pachacamac empire The ancient city of Pachacamac is a ruin 40 km southeast of Lima, Peru in the Valley of the Lurín River. ... Middle Horizon Tiwanaku (old spelling: Tiahuanaco) is an important Pre-Columbian archeological site in Bolivia. ... The Aymara are a native ethnic group in the Andes region of South America; about 2. ... For other meanings of Inca, see Inca (disambiguation). ... This article is about the mountain system in South America. ... The Zipa used to cover his body in gold and, from his raft, he offered treasures to the Guatavita godess in the middle of the sacred lake. ... Monument 1, one of the four Olmec colossal heads at La Venta. ... The Atlantes – columns in the form of Toltec warriors in Tula. ... Codex Zouche-Nuttall, a pre-Columbian piece of Mixtec writing, now in the British Museum The Mixtec (or Mixteca) are a Native American people centered in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. ... The Zapotec are an indigenous people of Mexico. ... The Aztecs is a term used for certain Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican peoples of Mexico. ... This article is about the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ...

The capital of the Cahokians, Cahokia - located near modern East St. Louis, Illinois may have reached a population of over 20,000. At its peak, between the 12th and 13th centuries, Cahokia may have been the most populous city in North America. Monk's Mound, the major ceremonial center of Cahokia, remains the largest earthen construction of the prehistoric New World. Far larger cities were built by the Maya and Aztecs. Cities of the Aztecs and Incas were as large as the largest in the Old World, with estimated populations of 300,000 in Tenochtitlan. The market established there was said to have been the largest ever seen by the conquistadors when they arrived. These civilizations developed agriculture as well, breeding maize (corn) from having ears 2-5 cm in length to perhaps 10-15 cm in length. Potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins, beans and avocados are the most popular of the precolumbian agriculture. They did not develop extensive livestock as there were few suitable species; however the guinea pig was raised for meat in the Andes. By the 15th century CE, maize had been transmitted from Mexico and was being farmed in the Mississippi River Valley, but further developments were cut short by the arrival of Europeans. Potatoes were raised by the Andeans and chocolate by Mesoamericans. Cahokia is the site of an ancient Native American city near Collinsville, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. ... East St. ... Monks Mound is the largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in North America north of Mesoamerica. ... Tenochtitlan, looking east. ... A Conquistador (Spanish: []) (English: Conqueror) was a Spanish soldier, explorer and adventurer who took part in the gradual invasion and conquering of much of the Americas and Asia Pacific, bringing them under Spanish colonial rule between the 15th and 19th centuries. ... This article is about the maize plant. ... For other uses, see Potato (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Tomato (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Pumpkin (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Bean (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Mill. ... This article is about the species Cavia porcellus. ... This article is about the mountain system in South America. ... For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ... The European peoples are the various nations and ethnic groups of Europe. ... For other uses, see Chocolate (disambiguation). ...

North America

Main article: History of North America

Many natives of North America, when the Europeans found them, were semi-nomadic tribes and chiefdoms of hunter-gatherers; others were sedentary and agricultural civilizations. ...

Pueblo people

The Pueblo people of what is now the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico, living conditions were that of large stone apartment like adobe structures. They live in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and possibly surrounding areas. It has been suggested that Pueblo be merged into this article or section. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... Renewal of the surface coating of an adobe wall in Chamisal, New Mexico Adobe is a natural building material composed of sand, sandy clay and straw or other organic materials, which is shaped into bricks using wooden frames and dried in the sun. ...

Cahokia

Main article: Cahokia

Cahokia is the site of an ancient Native American city near Collinsville, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. ...

Mesoamerica

Main articles: History of Central America and History of the Caribbean

This is the history of Central America. ... The Caribbean The history of the Caribbean reveals the significant role the region played in the colonial struggles of the European powers between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. ...

Zapotec

The Zapotec emerged around 1500 years BCE. Their writing system influenced the later Olmec. They left behind the great city Monte Alban. The Zapotec are an indigenous people of Mexico. ... Monte Albán is a large archeological site in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. ...

Olmec

The Olmec civilization emerged around 1200 BCE in Mesoamerica and ended around 400 BCE. Olmec art and concepts influenced surrounding cultures after their downfall. This civilization was thought to be the first in America to develop a writing system. After the Olmecs abandoned their cities for unknown reasons, the Maya, Zapotec and Teotihuacan arose. Monument 1, one of the four Olmec colossal heads at La Venta. ... This article is about the culture area. ...

Maya

Maya history spans 3,000 years. The Maya may have collapsed due to changing climate in the end of the 10th century. This article is about the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. ...

Toltec

The Toltec were a nomadic people, dating from the 10th - 12th century, whose language was spoken by the Aztecs as well. The Atlantes – columns in the form of Toltec warriors in Tula. ...

Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan (4th century BCE - 7/8th century CE) was both a city, and an empire of the same name, which, at its zenith between 150 and the 5th century, covered most of Mesoamerica. Teotihuacan was the largest Pre-Columbian known city in the Americas, and the name Teotihuacan is used to refer to the civilization this city dominated, which at its greatest extent included most of Mesoamerica. ...

Aztec

The Aztec having started to build their empire around 14th century found their civilization abruptly ended by the Spanish conquistadors. They lived in central America, and surrounding lands. Their capital city Tenochtitlan was one of the largest cities of all time. The Aztecs is a term used for certain Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican peoples of Mexico. ...

South America

Main article: History of South America

While perhaps the last continent--except Antarctica-- to be inhabited by humans, South America has a history that spans the full range of human cultural and civilizational forms. ...

Norte Chico

The oldest known civilization of the Americas was established in the Norte Chico region of modern Peru. Complex society emerged in the group of coastal valleys, between 3000 and 1800 BCE. The Quipu, a distinctive recording device among Andean civilizations, apparently dates from the era of Norte Chico's prominence. Norte Chico ranging over three river valleys north of present-day Lima: Supe, Fortaleza and Pativilca. ... Inca Quipu. ...

Chavín

The Chavín established a trade network and developed agriculture by as early as (or late compared to the Old World) 900 BCE according to some estimates and archaeological finds. Artifacts were found at a site called Chavín in modern Peru at an elevation of 3,177 meters. Chavín civilization spanned from 900 BCE to 300 BCE. Chavin refers to two different things: Chavín is the name of a pre-Moche people in Peru Chavín is a parish belonging to the municipality of Viveiro, Galiza,Spain. ...

Inca

Holding their capital at the great city of Cusco, the Inca civilization dominated the Andes region from 1438 to 1533. Known as Tahuantinsuyu, or "the land of the four regions," in Quechua, the Inca culture was highly distinct and developed. Cities were built with precise, unmatched stonework, constructed over many levels of mountain terrain. Terrace farming was a useful form of agriculture. There is evidence of excellent metalwork and even successful brain surgery in Inca civilization. This article is the city in Peru. ... For other meanings of Inca, see Inca (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Quechuan languages. ... In agriculture, a terrace is a levelled section of a hilly cultivated area, designed to slow or prevent the rapid run-off of irrigation water. ... Neurosurgery is the surgical discipline focused on treating the central and peripheral nervous system. ...

European discovery and colonization

Main article: European colonization of the Americas

See also: Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact

Thousands of years after the Indians arrived, the continent was rediscovered by Europeans. Initially the Vikings established a short-lived settlement in Newfoundland, with some evidence suggesting the Norsemen penetrated as far as Minnesota, either coming down from Hudson Bay or going west through the Great Lakes. Theories exist about other Old World discoveries of the east coast (or of the west coast by the Chinese), but none of these are considered proven. Evidence has been claimed of settlements during the period of the Roman Republic (509-31 BCE)or by Celtic immigrants from of Europe in the area of New England, among other claims. Several medieval Arabic sources also suggest that Muslim explorers from Islamic Spain and Northwest Africa may have travelled in expeditions across the Atlantic to the Americas between the 9th and 14th centuries.^[1][2] Territories in the Americas colonized or claimed by a European great power in 1750. ... British colonization of the Americas (including colonization under the Kingdom of England before the 1707 Acts of Union created the Kingdom of Great Britain) began in the late 16th century, before reaching its peak after colonies were established throughout the Americas, and a protectorate was established in Hawaii. ... The Duchy of Courland was the smallest nation to colonize the Americas with a short-lived colony in Tobago during the 1654–1659, and again 1660–1689. ... Denmark had a colonial empire from the 18th century until the 20th. ... During the 17th century, Dutch traders established trade posts and plantations throughout the Americas; actual colonization, with Dutch settling in the new lands was not as common as with settlements of other European nations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In this map of German colonies, yellow marks Klein-Venedig and red the Prussia colonies, some of them in the Caribbean. ... Replica of Pedro Alvares Cabrals ship Anunciação, in the city of Campinas, state of São Paulo, Brazil. ... After the discovery of northern Alaska by Ivan Fedorov in 1732, and the Aleutian Islands, southern Alaska, and north-western shores of North America in 1741 during the Russian exploration conducted by Vitus Bering and Aleksei Chirikov, it took fifty years until the founding of the first Russian colony in... Scottish colonization of the Americas consisted of a number of failed or abandoned settlements in North America, a colony at Darien, Panama and a number of wholly or largely Scottish settlements made as part of Great Britain. ... The Spanish colonization of the Americas began with the arrival in the Western Hemisphere of Christopher Columbus in 1492. ... The Swedish colonization of the Americas consisted of a 17th century settlement on the Delaware River in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, and possessions in the Caribbean during the 18th and 19th century. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Welsh settlement in the Americas was the result of several individual initiatives to found distinctively Welsh settlements in the New World. ... Decolonization of the Americas refers to the process by which the countries in North America and South America gained their independence. ... Territories in the Americas colonized or claimed by a European great power in 1750. ... Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contacts were interactions between the indigenous peoples of the Americas and peoples of other continents—Europe, Africa, Asia, or Oceania—before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. ... The European peoples are the various nations and ethnic groups of Europe. ... The name Viking is a loan from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse seafaring warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, Europe and the British Isles from the late 8th century to the 11th century, the period of European history referred to as the Viking Age. ... Newfoundland —   IPA: [nuw fÉ™n lænd] (French: , Irish: ) is a large island off the east coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ... “Arabic” redirects here. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Al-Andalus is the Arabic name given the Iberian Peninsula by its Muslim conquerors; it refers to both the Caliphate proper and the general period of Muslim rule (711–1492). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

It was the later voyage of Christopher Columbus that led to extensive European colonization of the Americas and the genocide of its inhabitants.^[3][4] While it is known that many immigrants and discoverers had already come to this new world of the Americas, that it has been "discovered' many times, Columbus came at a time in which many technical developments in sailing techniques and communication made it possible to report his voyages easily and to spread word of them throughout western Europe. It was also a time of growing economic rivalries that led to a competition for the establishment of colonies. Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and colonialist who is one of the first Europeans to discover the Americas, after the Vikings. ... Territories in the Americas colonized or claimed by a European great power in 1750. ... Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of an ethnic or national group. ... Native Americans redirects here. ...

The mass death of the Native Americans from slavery, disease and war led to severe changes in the population and ethnic identity of America's inhabitants. The slave labor of Americans killed by European incursions was replaced by that of sub-Saharan African peoples through the slave trade. Native populations became increasingly minor as the European and African slave populations grew rapidly. The dominance of White Americans continued through the period of widespread independence from European rule, begun in the late 18th century by the United States. Native Americans redirects here. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The term white American (often used interchangeably with Caucasian American[3] and within the United States simply white[4]) is an umbrella term that refers to people of European, Middle Eastern, and North African descent residing in the United States. ...

Baton Rouge, La., April 2, 1863, slave named Peter

There is a substantial difference though, between the English and Spanish areas and models of colonisation. While Native Americans suffered death, slavery and exploitation throughout the Americas and were virtually exterminated almost everywhere, Native Americans, along with Mestizos, now make up the majority of the population in many Central and South American countries.^{[citation needed]} More importantly, the Southern parts were much more populated before European colonisation (50m) compared to the North (2m). Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1558x2581, 685 KB) Description : Cicatrices de flagellation sur un esclave (2 avril 1863, Baton Rouge, États-Unis) Source : Archive national des États-Unis - National Archives and Records Administration Baton Rouge, La. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1558x2581, 685 KB) Description : Cicatrices de flagellation sur un esclave (2 avril 1863, Baton Rouge, États-Unis) Source : Archive national des États-Unis - National Archives and Records Administration Baton Rouge, La. ... is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For the historic phenomenon of colonization and imperialism, see main article colonialism (and also decolonization). ... Mestizo (Brazil Portuguese. ...

The number of Native Americans is increasing now in the U.S. by actual population growth, changing enrollment laws, and from the immigration from Spanish America, especially from Mexico, though the definition being applied to them is Hispanic. Hispanic flag, not widely used. ...

Effects of slavery

Slavery has had a significant role in the economic development the New World after the colonization of the Americas by the Europeans. Slaves helped build the roads upon which they were transported. The cotton, tobacco, and sugar cane harvested by slaves became important exports for the United States and the Caribbean countries. Frontispiece of Peter Martyr dAnghieras De orbe novo (On the New World). Carte dAmérique, Guillaume Delisle, 1722. ... For other uses, see Cotton (disambiguation). ... Shredded tobacco leaf for pipe smoking Tobacco can also be pressed into plugs and sliced into flakes Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in genus Nicotiana. ... Species Ref: ITIS 42058 as of 2004-05-05 Sugarcane is one of six species of a tall tropical southeast Asian grass (Family Poaceae) having stout fibrous jointed stalks whose sap at one time was the primary source of sugar. ... “West Indian” redirects here. ...

See also

v • d • e History of the Americas
History	North America · Mesoamerica · Central America · Caribbean · South America · Latin America
Settlement	Models of migration to the New World · Indigenous peoples · Indigenous population · Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact · Discoverer of the Americas · European colonization of the Americas · Spanish colonization of the Americas · Columbian Exchange · Decolonization
Societies	Pre-Columbian · Paleo-Indians · Maya · Incas · Teotihuacán · Aztecs
Related	Maps · Archaeology · Culture · Geography · Indigenous languages · Epidemics · Slavery
Lists	Pre-Columbian cultures · Indigenous peoples · Population · Conflicts
Chronology	Archaeological periods by region · North America by period · North American timelines · Mesoamerica by period · Mesoamerica timeline · Paleo-Indian period
Era: By period · By region · Three-age system · Ancient history · Pre-Columbian · Classical Antiquity · Middle Ages · Modern history · Future

// The history of the world, by convention, is human history, from the first appearance of Homo sapiens to the present. ... Many natives of North America, when the Europeans found them, were semi-nomadic tribes and chiefdoms of hunter-gatherers; others were sedentary and agricultural civilizations. ... This article is about the culture area. ... This is the history of Central America. ... The Caribbean The history of the Caribbean reveals the significant role the region played in the colonial struggles of the European powers between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. ... While perhaps the last continent--except Antarctica-- to be inhabited by humans, South America has a history that spans the full range of human cultural and civilizational forms. ... Histoire de lAmérique latine History of Latin America ---- (more info) Stage 2 : In Progress (How-to) (See #Talk) Madeinsane 15:30, 18 December 2006 (UTC) Yug 08:27, 30 September 2006 (UTC) Latin America is now see as one big area. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2759x1404, 54 KB) Extracted from CIA World Factbook PDF world map, then rasterized and colored. ... There are several popular models of migration to the New World proposed by the anthropological community. ... Native Americans redirects here. ... Millions of indigenous people lived in the Americas when the 1492 voyage of Christopher Columbus began an historical period of large-scale European contact with the Americas. ... Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contacts were interactions between the indigenous peoples of the Americas and peoples of other continents—Europe, Africa, Asia, or Oceania—before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. ... The role of discoverer of the Americas is variously attributed to the following people, depending on context and definition: Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the first people to live in America (see Paleo-Indians, Clovis Culture, Models of migration to the New World, Solutrean hypothesis, Pre-Siberian American Aborigines); Vikings... Territories in the Americas colonized or claimed by a European great power in 1750. ... The Spanish colonization of the Americas began with the arrival in the Western Hemisphere of Christopher Columbus in 1492. ... Inca-era terraces on Taquile are used to grow traditional Andean staples, such as quinua and potatoes, alongside wheat, a European import. ... Decolonization of the Americas refers to the process by which the countries in North America and South America gained their independence. ... The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the Americas continent. ... Paleo-Indians is an English term used to refer to the ancient peoples of America who were present at the end of the last Ice Age. ... This article is about the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. ... The Inca Empire was an empire centered in what is now Peru from AD 1438 to AD 1533. ... Teotihuacán[1] was, at its height in the first half of the 1st millennium CE, the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas. ... The Aztecs were a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. ... The Archeology of the Americas is the study of the archeology of North America, Central America (or Mesoamerica), South America and the Caribbean, which is to say, the pre-history and Pre-Columbian history of Native American peoples. ... Indigenous languages of the Americas (or Amerindian Languages) are spoken by indigenous peoples from the southern tip of South America to Alaska and Greenland, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas. ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) is a contagious disease unique to humans. ... The history of slavery covers many different forms of human exploitation across many cultures and throughout human history. ... This list of pre-Colombian civilizations includes those civilizations and cultures of the Americas which flourished prior to the European colonization of the Americas. ... It has been suggested that List of Native American tribes be merged into this article or section. ... // List of conflicts in North America Before the 16th Century 1006 Norseman versus Beothuk along the coast of Newfoundland Sixteenth Century 1520 Aztecs force Cortés from Tenochtitlan 1521 Cortés captures the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan 1524 Alvarado burns the Mayan kingdom of Quiché 1530 Alvarado enslaves the Mayan kingdoms... Names for archaeological periods vary enormously from region to region. ... Many archaeological periods, cultures, complexes, and peoples have been identified in North America. ... The chronology of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica is usually divided into the following eras: // One of the most enduring classifications of archaeological periods & cultures was established in Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips 1958 book They divided the archaeological record in the Americas into 5 phases. ... Mesoamerican chronology The chronology of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica is usually divided into the following eras: Paleo-Indian Period c. ... In the History of Mesoamerica, the stage known as the Paleo-Indian period (or alternatively, the Lithic stage) is the era in the scheme of Mesoamerican chronology which begins with the very first indications of human habitation within the Mesoamerican region, and continues until the general onset of the development... The three-age system is a system of classifying human prehistory into three consecutive time periods, named for their respective predominant tool-making technologies: The Stone Age The Bronze Age The Iron Age The system is most apt in describing the progression of European society, although it has been used... “Ancient” redirects here. ... The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the Americas continent. ... Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, which begins roughly with the earliest-recorded Greek poetry of Homer (7th century BC), and continues through the rise of Christianity and the fall of the Western Roman Empire (5th century AD... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Notes

References

• Kane , Katie Nits Make Lice: Drogheda, Sand Creek, and the Poetics of Colonial Extermination Cultural Critique, No. 42 (Spring, 1999), pp. 81-103 doi:10.2307/1354592
• Churchill, Ward A Little Matter of Genocide 1997 City Lights Books ISBN 0872863239