What do we know about the Pre-Columbian Americas?

What do we know about the Pre-Columbian Americas?

The three most notable Pre-Columbian civilizations were those of the Aztec, Maya, and Inca. Many of the Pre-Columbian cultures eventually ended with European contact, dying out from warfare as well as disease, but all three of these cultures left behind some of the most ornate and highly decorative artifacts ever made.

What did the Pre-Columbian American civilizations have in common?

Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures shared certain characteristics such as the ritual ballgame,* pyramid building, human sacrifice, maize as an agricultural staple, and deities dedicated to natural forces (i.e. rain, storm, fire).

How did the first Pre-Columbian people arrive in North South America?

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.

Where did the pre-Columbian American Indians live?

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.

Which is the best description of the pre-Columbian era?

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 American continent, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during the Early Modern period.

What was the first pre-Columbian contact in the world?

Only one historical case of pre-Columbian contact is widely accepted among the scientific and scholarly mainstream. Maritime explorations by Norse peoples from Scandinavia during the late 10th century led to the Norse colonization of Greenland and of L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland,…

Is there evidence of pre-Columbian contact in Greenland?

This remains the only site widely accepted as evidence of post-prehistory, pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact with the Americas (Greenland is generally not considered part of North America). L’Anse aux Meadows was named a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1978.