European colonization of the Americas15th–19th century colonizationDuring the Age of Discovery, a large scale colonization of the Americas, involving a number of European countries, took place primarily between the late 15th century and early 19th century. The Norse settled areas of the North Atlantic, colonizing Greenland and creating a short-term settlement near the northern tip of Newfoundland circa 1000 AD.
Peopling of the AmericasPrehistoric migration from Asia to the AmericasMap of early human migrations based on the Out of Africa theory; figures are in thousands of years ago (kya).It is believed that the peopling of the Americas began when Paleolithichunter-gatherers (Paleo-Indians) entered North America from the North AsianMammoth steppe via the Beringia land bridge, which had formed between northeastern Siberia and western Alaska due to the lowering of sea level during the Last Glacial Maximum (26,000 to 19,000 years ago).
Indigenous peoples of the AmericasThe Indigenous peoples of the Americas, also called Indians, Amerindians, Indigenous Americans or simply Natives, are the peoples who are native to the Americas or the Western Hemisphere. Their ancestors are among the pre-Columbian population of South or North America, including Central America and the Caribbean. Indigenous peoples live throughout the Americas. There are at least 1,000 different Indigenous languages of the Americas still in use in the 21st century.
History of the AmericasThe human history of the Americas is thought to begin with people migrating to these areas from Asia during the height of an ice age. These groups are generally believed to have been isolated from the people of the "Old World" until the coming of Europeans in 1492 with the voyages of Christopher Columbus. The ancestors of today's American Indigenous peoples were the Paleo-Indians; they were hunter-gatherers who migrated into North America.
Maya civilizationMesoamerican civilization (c. 2000 BC – 1697 AD)El Castillo, at Chichen ItzaTemple of the Great Jaguar, at TikalThe Maya civilization () was a Mesoamerican civilization that existed from antiquity to the early modern period. Known by its ancient temples and glyphs (script), the civilization is also noted for its art, architecture, mathematics, calendar, and astronomical system.
Christopher ColumbusItalian navigator and explorer (1451–1506)Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed four Spanish transatlantic voyages in the name of the Catholic Monarchs, opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas. His expeditions were the first known European contact with the Caribbean and Central and South America.
Archaeology of the AmericasThe archaeology of the Western Hemisphere, including North America (Mesoamerica), Central America, South America and the Caribbean, includes the study of pre-historic/pre-Columbian and historic Indigenous American peoples, as well as historical archaeology of more recent eras, including the trans-Atlantic slave trade and European colonization.
BrazilCountry in South AmericaBrazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is also the world's fifth-largest country by area and the seventh-largest by population, with over 214 million people. Brazil is a federation composed of 26 states and a Federal District, which hosts the capital, Brasília. Its most populous city is São Paulo, followed by Rio de Janeiro.
CivilizationA civilization (American English and Oxford spelling) or civilisation (common British English) is any complex society characterized by the development of the state, urbanization, and standardized symbolic systems of communication, namely writing systems.Civilizations are organized around densely populated settlements, divided into more or less rigid hierarchicalsocial classes of division of labour, often with a ruling elite and subordinate urban and rural populations, which engage in intensive agriculture, mining, small-scale manufacture and trade.
Upper PaleolithicThe Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. Very broadly, it dates to between 50,000 and 12,000 years ago (the beginning of the Holocene), according to some theories coinciding with the appearance of behavioral modernity in humans. It is followed by the Mesolithic. Anatomically modern humans (i.e. Homo sapiens) are believed to have emerged in Africa around 300,000 years ago.
Complex societyA complex society is characterized by the following modern features: Organizational society wherein its economy is structured according to specialization and a division of labor. These economic features spawn a bureaucratic class and often lead to inequality.
Earthworks (archaeology)In archaeology, earthworks are artificial changes in land level, typically made from piles of artificially placed or sculpted rocks and soil. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features, or they can show features beneath the surface.convexRelated word or term.Special:Search/pre-columbian eraRelated word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.