
How were the pre-Columbian tribes of the southwest related ethnically?
The pre-Columbian Native American tribes of the Southwest were not all related ethnically, but they did share a common geography that tied them together culturally. The hot, dry weather of the Arizonan and New Mexican deserts forced the Hohokans to develop a form of irrigation that was far ahead of most North American Indian tribes.
What is the pre-Columbian civilization?
Pre-Columbian civilizations, the aboriginal American Indian cultures that evolved in Mesoamerica (part of Mexico and Central America) and the Andean region (western South America) prior to Spanish exploration and conquest in the 16th century. The pre-Columbian civilizations were extraordinary developments in human society and culture, ...
What is the mysterious pre-Columbian settlement of Cahokia?
The Mysterious Pre-Columbian Settlement of Cahokia. Cahokia was the largest pre-columbian settlement north of Mexico. It collapsed centuries before Europeans arrived in the region.
What was the largest pre-Columbian settlement in Mexico?
Cahokia was the largest pre-columbian settlement north of Mexico. It collapsed centuries before Europeans arrived in the region.

What are pre-Columbian Native Americans?
pre-Columbian civilizations, the aboriginal American Indian cultures that evolved in Mesoamerica (part of Mexico and Central America) and the Andean region (western South America) prior to Spanish exploration and conquest in the 16th century.
What happened in the pre-Columbian era?
The word pre-Columbian refers to the era before Christopher Columbus, but sometimes it can include the history of American indigenous cultures as they continued to develop after the Christopher Columbus' first landing in 1492, until they were conquered or influenced by Europeans, even if this happened decades or even ...
What is an example of pre-Columbian?
A very large proportion of Pre-Columbian art is of terracotta. We're quite fortunate that many examples have survived, especially from the traditions in Colombia and Ecuador, although the most prolific in South America were the ancient Peruvians, where terracottas span from 900 BC to the Spanish conquest.
Why is it called Pre-Columbian?
“Pre-Columbian” thus refers to the period in the Americas before the arrival of Columbus.
What does Pre-Columbian refer to?
: preceding or belonging to the time before the arrival of Columbus in America.
What was Pre-Columbian life like in the Americas?
One of the distinguishing features of this culture was the construction of complexes of large earthen mounds and grand plazas, continuing the moundbuilding traditions of earlier cultures. They grew maize and other crops intensively, participated in an extensive trade network and had a complex stratified society.
Who were the first settlers in America?
Five hundred years before Columbus, a daring band of Vikings led by Leif Eriksson set foot in North America and established a settlement.
What did Native Americans call America?
Turtle Island is a name for Earth or North America, used by some Indigenous peoples, as well as by some Indigenous rights activists. The name is based on a common North American Indigenous creation story and is in some cultures synonymous with "North America."
What did the Agrarian tribes do?
Agrarian tribes like the Hopi and Zuni developed desert farming techniques that did not require irrigation. They relied on the little natural moisture the area does provide by using specific planting techniques and getting the crops in early in the season. They traditionally grew corn, beans, and squash. For meat, they also farmed turkeys and did some hunting.
Where did the Southeastern tribes live?
The Southeastern tribes settled in river valleys. They were first and foremost farmers with hunting and fishing coming in second as their source of sustenance. They lived in various styles of houses. They included thatched roofs and various styles for the sides.
What did the Northeast tribes do?
The Northeast tribes cleared forests to plant crops and used the lumber to build homes and make tools. The women of many of these tribes did all of the work with crops, while the men primarily hunted and fished. An interesting note on the Iroquois social structure is that it was matrilineal.
Why is the Iroquois League so famous?
The Iroquois League is quite famous because it is believed that the coming together of the 13 colonies was based on this coming together of this group consisting of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and the Mohawk tribes. The League of the Iroquois was feared by all other tribes of the region.
What is the social structure of the Iroquois tribe?
An interesting note on the Iroquois tribe's social structure is that it was matrilineal. This means when a couple married, the man joined the woman's family. After marriage, the man was no longer considered a part of his birth family.
Why were the Five Civilized Tribes called the Five Civilized Tribes?
They were given this title because many of them decided to adopt customs of the colonists. They are also the people who later were victims of the forced relocation known as the Trail of Tears.
What is a vast land with many people?
A Vast Land with Many Peoples. First, we have to recognize that this is a U.S. History course - to give complete details of the many nations that existed in what is today the U.S. is far beyond our scope. To give you an idea of the diverse cultures that inhabited the land before Europeans arrived, we'll be discussing the cultural groups ...
What was the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico?
Cahokia was the largest pre-columbian settlement north of Mexico. It collapsed centuries before Europeans arrived in the region. What happened?
How many people were in Cahokia in the eleventh century?
The population of Cahokia is estimated to have been 10,000-15,000 in the eleventh century. “Rituals became the essence of the Ramey State” writes Holt, using the name given this political entity by some archeologists.
When did the Mississippian culture collapse?
The Mississippian Culture, as we now call it, coalesced in the American Bottom region from about 600–1400 CE. And then the culture collapsed, well before Europeans came across the ruins. Much remains unknown about Cahokia and the peoples who lived and labored there.
When was the Palisade built?
Benson and company also say that around the year 1150, the first of several 3-km-long palisade walls were built around Monks Mound and the Grand Plaza of Cahokia. They consider this evidence of social unrest and conflict, sparked by climate change, concluding, “Persistent drought appears to have led to the downfall of upland farming if not also to the demise of Cahokia.”
What tribes moved west?
Tribes originating in the Ohio Valley who moved west included the Osage, Kaw, Ponca and Omaha people. By the mid-17th century, they had resettled in their historical lands in present-day Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas and Oklahoma. The Osage warred with Caddo-speaking Native Americans, displacing them in turn by the mid-18th century and dominating their new historical territories.
Where did the Clovis culture originate?
Artifacts from this culture were first excavated in 1932 near Clovis, New Mexico. The Clovis culture ranged over much of North America and also appeared in South America. The culture is identified by the distinctive Clovis point, a flaked flint spear-point with a notched flute, by which it was inserted into a shaft. Dating of Clovis materials has been by association with animal bones and by the use of carbon dating methods. Recent reexaminations of Clovis materials using improved carbon-dating methods produced results of 11,050 and 10,800 radiocarbon years B.P. (roughly 9100 to 8850 BCE).
How many migrations did the Paleoamericans have?
Three major migrations occurred, as traced by linguistic and genetic data; the early Paleoamericans soon spread throughout the Americas, diversifying into many hundreds of culturally distinct nations and tribes. By 8000 BCE the North American climate was very similar to today's. A study published in 2012 gives genetic backing to the 1986 theory put forward by linguist Joseph Greenberg that the Americas must have been populated in three waves, based on language differences.
When was the Woodland period?
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures refers to the time period from roughly 1000 BCE to 1,000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland" was coined in the 1930s and refers to prehistoric sites dated between the Archaic period and the Mississippian cultures. The Hopewell tradition is the term for the common aspects of the Native American culture that flourished along rivers in the northeastern and midwestern United States from 200 BCE to 500 CE.
How many Sachem chiefs were there in the tribe?
Leadership was restricted to a group of 50 sachem chiefs, each representing one clan within a tribe; the Oneida and Mohawk people had nine seats each; the Onondagas held fourteen; the Cayuga had ten seats; and the Seneca had eight. Representation was not based on population numbers, as the Seneca tribe greatly outnumbered the others. When a sachem chief died, his successor was chosen by the senior woman of his tribe in consultation with other female members of the clan; property and hereditary leadership were passed matrilineally. Decisions were not made through voting but through consensus decision making, with each sachem chief holding theoretical veto power. The Onondaga were the "firekeepers", responsible for raising topics to be discussed. They occupied one side of a three-sided fire (the Mohawk and Seneca sat on one side of the fire, the Oneida and Cayuga sat on the third side.)
How did humans migrate to the Americas?
According to the most generally accepted theory of the settlement of the Americas, migrations of humans from Eurasia to the Americas took place via Beringia, a land bridge which connected the two continents across what is now the Bering Strait. The number and composition of the migrations is still being debated. Falling sea levels associated with an intensive period of Quaternary glaciation created the Bering land bridge that joined Siberia to Alaska about 60,000–25,000 years ago. The latest this migration could have taken place is 12,000 years ago; the earliest remains undetermined.
What is the name of the group of cultures that were not included in the Stone Age?
Native American cultures are not normally included in characterizations of advanced stone age cultures as "Neolithic, " which is a category that more often includes only the cultures in Eurasia, Africa, and other regions. The archaeological periods used are the classifications of archaeological periods and cultures established in Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips' 1958 book Method and Theory in American Archaeology. They divided the archaeological record in the Americas into five phases., see Archaeology of the Americas.
What was the pre-Columbian era?
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus 's voyage of 1492. Usually the era covers the history of indigenous American cultures ...
Which region of Colombia developed the most populous culture among the sedentary indigenous peoples in South America?
Next to the Quechua of Peru and the Aymara in Bolivia, the Chibcha of the eastern and north-eastern Highlands of Colo mbia developed the most notable culture among the sedentary indigenous peoples in South America.
What is the Woodland period?
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures lasted from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE. The term was coined in the 1930s and refers to prehistoric sites between the Archaic period and the Mississippian cultures. The Adena culture and the ensuing Hopewell tradition during this period built monumental earthwork architecture and established continent-spanning trade and exchange networks.
What is the micro-satellite diversity and distributions of the Y lineage specific to South America?
The micro-satellite diversity and distributions of the Y lineage specific to South America indicates that certain Amerindian populations have been isolated since the initial colonization of the region.
What is the pattern of the Amerindians?
The pattern indicates Indigenous Amerindians experienced two very distinctive genetic episodes; first with the initial-peopling of the Americas, and secondly with European colonization of the Americas.
How long ago did the first migrations occur?
The first is the short chronology theory with the first movement beyond Alaska into the Americas occurring no earlier than 14,000–17,000 years ago, followed by successive waves of immigrants.
What did historians of the pre-Columbian period mainly interpreted?
Before the development of archaeology in the 19th century, historians of the pre-Columbian period mainly interpreted the records of the European conquerors and the accounts of early European travelers and antiquaries.
Who were the land grants given to?
Land grants from the British Government to individuals, who were given large land tracts to govern and report directly to the Crown.
Who led the charter colony?
Charter colony led by James Oglethrope and trustees.
What was the trade with colonies limited to?
1. Trade with colonies limited to British ships and very few American ships
Why did the Indentured and Black servants burn Jamestown?
Indentured and Black servants who burned Jamestown to protest their lack of representation in the colonial government.
What gives written permission to an individual to find a self-governing colony?
the crown gives written permission to an individual to found a self-governing colony.
Why was the Lost Colony called the Lost Colony?
1st attempt at British settlement. Joint-stock company, led by Walter Raleigh. "Lost Colony" because all settlers disappeared in a few years.
What Indians domesticated horses from the Spanish?
Sioux, Cheyenne- "Plains Indians" domesticated horses from the spanish
Why did Native Americans not develop intensive farming techniques commonplace in Europe?
This could be partly due to the commonly held reverence for the natural world. However, many groups did you slash-and-burn clearing techniques to open forest and clear areas for agriculture on the limited basis.
Where did the Norse settle?
L'Anse aux Meadows, located in present-day Newfoundland, marks the location where Norse seafarers arrived around 1000. The settlement was short lived and soon forgotten except in Norse legend. Later archaeological finds rediscovered the settlement in the 1960s.
What tribes were part of the Iroquois League?
The Iroquois League founded around the 16th century initially consisted of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca and spanned what is now southeastern Canada into New York. While initially consisting of five nations, the league expanded to six when the Tuscarora joined in the 1700s. The league began to decline after its allies, the British, were defeated in the American Revolution. The Powhatan were a tribe from eastern Virginia that controlled a confederacy of roughly 30 tributary tribes. They are associated with the early history of the Jamestown settlement. Pocahontas, the daughter of a Powhatan chief, is stated to have rescued John Smith. The confederation declined after the two Powhatan Wars in the 1600s.
Where did maize originate?
C. Maize was developed by the nomadic tribes of North America but was first grown intensively as a staple crop by the Native American groups in Central and South America.
When did the Anasazi civilization reach its peak?
The civilization reached its high point around AD 900-1130. Archeologists debate the reason for their disappearance, though many speculate it may have resulted from prolonged drought.
What was the Iroquois League?
The Iroquois League founded around the 16th century initially consisted of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca and spanned what is now southeastern Canada into New Yor k. While initially consisting of five nations, the league expanded to six when the Tuscarora joined in the 1700s.
When was Cahokia settled?
Although some evidence exists of occupation during the Late Archaic period (around 1200 BCE) in and around the site, Cahokia as it is now defined was settled around 600 CE during the Late Woodland period. Mound building at this location began with the emergent Mississippian cultural period, about the 9th century CE.
What tribe was Cahokia named after?
The city's original name is unknown. The mounds were later named after the Cahokia tribe, a historic Illiniwek people living in the area when the first French explorers arrived in the 17th century. As this was centuries after Cahokia was abandoned by its original inhabitants, the Cahokia tribe was not necessarily descended from the earlier Mississippian-era people. Most likely, multiple indigenous ethnic groups settled in the Cahokia Mounds area during the time of the city's apex.
How many square miles were there in Cahokia?
At its apex around 1100 CE, the city covered about 6 square miles (16 km 2) and included about 120 manmade earthen mounds in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and functions. At the apex of its population, Cahokia may have briefly exceeded contemporaneous London, which at that time was approximately 14,000–18,000.
What is the largest archaeological site in Mexico?
Today, the Cahokia Mounds are considered to be the largest and most complex archaeological site north of the great pre-Columbian cities in Mexico. Cahokia Mounds is a National Historic Landmark and a designated site for state protection. It is also one of the 24 UNESCO World Heritage Sites within the United States.
Why was Cahokia abandoned?
The population of Cahokia began to decline during the 13th century, and the site was eventually abandoned by around 1350. Scholars have proposed environmental factors, such as environmental degradation through overhunting, deforestation and pollution, and climatic changes, such as increased flooding and droughts, as explanations for abandonment of the site. However, more recent research suggests that there is no evidence of human-caused erosion or flooding at Cahokia.
Why was Cahokia unhealthy?
A related problem was waste disposal for the dense population, and Cahokia became unhealthy from polluted waterways. Because it was such an unhealthy place to live, Snow believes that the town had to rely on social and political attractions to bring in a steady supply of new immigrants; otherwise, the town's death rate would have caused it to be abandoned earlier.
Why did the Palisade of Cahokia decline?
Diseases transmitted among the large, dense urban population are another possible cause of decline. Many theories since the late 20th century propose conquest-induced political collapse as the primary reason for Cahokia's abandonment.
Why did the Puebloans have so much success?
This level of cultural success—as with all cultural advances—came about because of a food surplus. Although the soil was not especially conducive to agriculture, the Puebloans had learned to make the most of it through the advantage of a settled permanent lifestyle. Their staple crops that they grew in abundance were squash, beans, and corn.
What were the four main ethnicities of Indians who inhabited the Southwest in the period immediately before European discovery?
They included the Anasazi (Pueblos), the Hohokams, the Yumans, and the Athapascans —who include the Navajo and Apache.
What did the Saladoans do with the Hohokams?
Mutual influence was not entirely lost however. The Saladoans worked on the irrigation canals along with the Hohokams. They also brought Puebloan architecture with them and constructed large, multi-storied houses like those of the Anasazi—only they adapted to the environment by using adobe brick rather than stone. The “Great House” at Casa Grande, Arizona was the largest built by the Saladoans, standing 40 feet tall, 40 feet wide, and 60 feet long, with three stories and 16 rooms.[22] Puebloan architectural traits of the Saladoan were picked up by the Hohokams who began building more above-ground houses with multiple rooms. Furthermore, old traits of Hohokam culture, including the ball game, began to slowly disappear. [23]
Why did the Saladoans leave the Hohokam?
The real reason why the Saladoans left and the Hohokam culture diminished will probably continue to be a matter of speculation. However, the Pimas have an oral tradition that their ancestors destroyed the Hohokam mound villages, including Pueblo Grande, and overthrew their rulers because they had become arrogant. Many anthropologists interpret this to mean the Hohokam culture collapsed from internal unrest and splintered into smaller communities thereafter.[25]
What advantage did the Apaches have over the Puebloans?
The Apaches had a military advantage with their sinew-backed bow, which was far more deadly than the hand-held weapons of the more settled tribes. They often took advantage of this, raiding Puebloan settlements for grain and other foodstuffs, always careful to leave the Puebloans enough to not discourage them from planting in the future.[32],[33]
When did the Hohokams break apart?
For unknown reasons, around 1400-1450, the Hohokam-Saladoan society broke apart as the Saladoans moved elsewhere, leaving behind their architectural accomplishments, which were soon abandoned by the Hohokams. By the time the Spanish arrived, the Pima tribe was living in the area in scattered pithouses, much the same way that the Hohokams had lived before achieving their cultural peak. Despite their meager housing arrangements, the pottery and irrigational farming practiced by the Pimas show that the Hohokams did not migrate or vanish into thin air, but simply suffered a decline of civilization much the same as the Anasazi experienced.[24]
How did the Athapascan tribes live?
This mentality caused them to realize their home “was rooted in a particular landscape.”[29] The Athapascan tribes, on the other hand, were much more nomadic and lived in simple thatched wigwams unlike the older tribes in the region who lived in houses. It was partly because of their nomadic lifestyle that they were not as advanced as the Pueblos culturally or technologically.[30]

Overview
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, the era covers the history of Indigenous cultures until significant influence by Europeans. This may have occurred decades or even centuries aft…
Historiography
Before the development of archaeology in the 19th century, historians of the pre-Columbian period mainly interpreted the records of the European conquerors and the accounts of early European travelers and antiquaries. It was not until the nineteenth century that the work of people such as John Lloyd Stephens, Eduard Seler and Alfred P. Maudslay, and of institutions such as the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology of Harvard University, led to the reconsideration and criti…
Genetics
The haplogroup most commonly associated with Indigenous genetics is Haplogroup Q1a3a (Y-DNA). Y-DNA, like mtDNA, differs from other nuclear chromosomes in that the majority of the Y chromosome is unique and does not recombine during meiosis. This has the effect that the historical pattern of mutations can easily be studied. The pattern indicates Indigenous peoples exp…
Settlement of the Americas
Asian nomadic Paleo-Indians are thought to have entered the Americas via the Bering Land Bridge (Beringia), now the Bering Strait, and possibly along the coast. Genetic evidence found in Indigenous peoples' maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) supports the theory of multiple genetic populations migrating from Asia. After crossing the land bridge, they moved southward along the Pacific coast and through an interior ice-free corridor. Over the course of m…
North America
The North American climate was unstable as the ice age receded. It finally stabilized by about 10,000 years ago; climatic conditions were then very similar to today's. Within this time frame, roughly pertaining to the Archaic Period, numerous archaeological cultures have been identified.
The unstable climate led to widespread migration, with early Paleo-Indians soo…
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is the region extending from central Mexico south to the northwestern border of Costa Rica that gave rise to a group of stratified, culturally related agrarian civilizations spanning an approximately 3,000-year period before the visits to the Caribbean by Christopher Columbus. Mesoamerican is the adjective generally used to refer to that group of pre-Colu…
South America
By the first millennium, South America's vast rainforests, mountains, plains, and coasts were the home of millions of people. Estimates vary, but 30–50 million are often given and 100 million by some estimates. Some groups formed permanent settlements. Among those groups were Chibcha-speaking peoples ("Muisca" or "Muysca"), Valdivia, Quimbaya, Calima, Marajoara culture and the Tair…
Agricultural development
Early inhabitants of the Americas developed agriculture, developing and breeding maize (corn) from ears 2–5 cm in length to the current size that are familiar today. Potatoes, tomatoes, tomatillos (a husked green tomato), pumpkins, chili peppers, squash, beans, pineapple, sweet potatoes, the grains quinoa and amaranth, cocoa beans, vanilla, onion, peanuts, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, papaya, and avocados were among other plants grown by n…