List of pre-Columbian cultures

Pyramid of the Sun and Avenue of The Dead, viewed from the top of Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacán, Mexico, 100–200 AD

This list of pre-Columbian cultures includes those civilizations and cultures of the Americas which flourished prior to the European colonization of the Americas.

Cultural characteristics

Many pre-Columbian civilizations established permanent or urban settlements, agriculture, and complex societal hierarchies.

Watson Brake, Louisiana 3500 BC

In North America, indigenous cultures in the Lower Mississippi Valley during the Middle Archaic period built complexes of multiple mounds, with several in Louisiana dated to 5600–5000 BP (3700 BC–3100 BC). Watson Brake is considered the oldest, multiple mound complex in the Americas, as it has been dated to 3500 BC. It and other Middle Archaic sites were built by pre-ceramic, hunter-gatherer societies. They preceded the better known Poverty Point culture and its elaborate complex by nearly 2,000 years. The Mississippi Valley mound-building tradition extended into the Late Archaic period, longer than later southeastern mound building dependent on sedentary, agricultural societies.(Russo, 1996:285)

Some of these civilizations had long ceased to function by the time of the first permanent European arrivals (ca. late 15th – early 16th centuries), and are known only through archaeological investigations or oral history from tribes today. Others were contemporary with this period, and are also known from historical accounts of the time. A few, such as the Olmec, Maya, Mixtec, and Nahua had their own written records. However, most Europeans of the time viewed such texts as heretical and burned most of them. Only a few documents were hidden and thus remain today, leaving modern historians with glimpses of ancient culture and knowledge.

From both indigenous American and European accounts and documents, American civilizations at the time of European encounter possessed many impressive attributes, having populous cities, and having developed theories of astronomy and mathematics.

Where they persist, the societies and cultures which gave rise to these civilizations continue to adapt and evolve; they also uphold various traditions and practices which relate back to these earlier times, even if combined with those more recently adopted.

A word on human sacrifice. This was a religious practice principally characteristic of pre-Columbian Aztec civilization although other Mesoamerican civilizations like the Maya and the Zapotec practiced it as well. The extent of the practice is debated by modern scholars.

Northern America

Main article: List of archaeological periods (North America)

• Paleo-Indians, ca. 18,000–8000 BC
  • Clovis culture, 11,500–11,000 BC, United States, Mexico, and Central America
  • Folsom tradition
  • Plano cultures
  • Cody complex
• Archaic Period, 8000–1000 BC
  • Paleo-Arctic Tradition, 8000–5000 BC, Alaska and Yukon
  • Watson Brake and Lower Mississippi Valley mounds sites, 3500 BC–2800 BC, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida
  • Poverty Point culture, 2200 BC–700 BC, Lower Mississippi Valley and surrounding Gulf coast
• Post-archaic period, 1000 BC–onward
  • Southwest:
    • Ancestral Pueblo culture, 1200 BC–1300 AD, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico—one of these cultural groups referred to as Anasazi
    • Fremont culture, 1 AD–1300 AD, Utah and parts of Nevada, Idaho and Colorado
    • Hohokam, 1 AD–1450 AD, Arizona
  • Eastern Woodlands
    • Woodland period, 1000 BC–1000 AD
      • Adena, 1000–200 BC, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, and parts of Pennsylvania and New York.
      • Hopewell culture, 200 BC–500 AD, Southeastern Canada and eastern United States
      • Troyville culture, 400–700 AD, Louisiana and Mississippi
      • Coles Creek culture, 700–1200 AD, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi
      • Plum Bayou culture, 700–1200 AD, Arkansas
    • Mississippian culture, 800 AD–1500 AD, Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States
      • Caborn-Welborn culture, 1400–1700 AD, Indiana and Kentucky.
      • Caddoan Mississippian culture, 1000 AD–1650 AD, Eastern Oklahoma, Western Arkansas, Northeast Texas, and Northwest Louisiana.
      • Fort Walton Culture, 1100–1550 AD, Florida.
      • Leon-Jefferson Culture, 1100–1550 AD, Florida.
      • Plaquemine culture, 1200–1730 AD, Louisiana and Mississippi.
      • Upper Mississippian culture,
        • Fort Ancient, 1000 AD–1650 AD, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia
        • Oneota, 900–1650 AD, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Missouri.

Caribbean

Early South American cultures

• Ortoiroid people, ca. 5500—200 BC
  • Krum Bay culture, Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, 1500—200 BC
  • Coroso culture, Puerto Rico, 1000 BC–200 AD
• Ciboney people, Greater Antilles, ca. 1000—301 BC
  • Guanahatabey, Cuba, 1000 BC
• Saladoid culture, 500 BC—545 AD
• Ostionoid culture, 600—1500 AD
• Arawak people, ca. 500–1500 BC
  • Taíno, Lesser Antilles and Guadeloupe
  • Lucayans, Greater Antilles and Bahamas 700 AD–1500 AD – group encountered by Columbus
  • Nepoya and Suppoya, Trinidad
  • Igneri, Dominica 500 AD, St. Croix 650 AD, Puerto Rico 1000 AD

Mesoamerica

Main article: Mesoamerican chronology

• Aztec, 1325–1521 AD, central Mexico
• Purépecha Empire or Tarascan state, 1300–1530 AD, Michoacán
• Huastec, 1000 BC–1500 AD, Hidalgo, Veracruz, San Luis Potosí and Tamaulipas
• Mixtec, unknown–1600 AD, western Oaxaca
• Maya, 2600 BC–1697 AD, Mexican Southern states: Chiapas, Tabasco,Campeche and Yucatán Peninsula; Central America: Belize; Guatemala; El Salvador; Honduras
• Toltec, 900–1100 AD – may be mythical
• Formative Period, 2500 BC–200 AD, La Blanca, Ujuxte, Monte Alto Culture, Mokaya Culture
• Teotihuacán, 200 BC–800 AD, near Mexico City
• Totonac, unknown–1500 AD, eastern Mexico
• Western Mexico shaft tomb tradition, 300 BC–400 AD, Jalisco, Nayarit, and, to a lesser extent, Colima
• Zapotec, 500 BC–1500 AD, Oaxaca
• Mixe, 400–present
• Olmec, 5100–400 BC, Veracruz and Tabasco
• Western Mexico shaft tomb tradition, 1500–300 BC, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit
• Teuchitlan tradition, 300 BC – 500 AD, north-central Jalisco

Isthmo-Colombian area

• Cueva people, ?–1530 AD, Panama
• Diquis culture, 700–1530 AD, Costa Rica

South America

Period	Dates	Cultures
Ceramic
Late Horizon	1476 AD – 1534 AD	Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia: Inca Empire; Brazil: Cambeba
Late Intermediate	1000 AD – 1476 AD	Bolivia: Aymara nations; Colombia: Muisca, Nariño, Tairona; Ecuador: Los Huancavilca, Kingdom of Quito, Manteño, Nariño; Peru: Chimú, Chincha, Cajamarca, Piura, Chancay, Chachapoyas, Chiribaya, Chucuito, Huaman Huilca, Ilo, Qotu Qotu, Pacacocha, Palli Marca, Piura, Sican, Tajaraca, Huaylas, Conchucos, Huamachuco, Rucanas, Chanka, Ayabaca, Bracamoros, Huancabambas, Tallan culture, Huarco, Ichma, Parinacota, Cuntis, Chinchaycochas, Huarochiri, Kheswas, Tarmas, Paltas, Camanas
Middle Horizon	600 AD – 1000 AD	Bolivia: Tiwanaku; Brazil: Marajoara culture; Colombia: Cauca culture, Nariño, Quimbaya, Tairona; Ecuador: Cañari culture, Nariño; Peru: Huari, Piura
Early Intermediate	200 AD–600 AD	Bolivia: Tiwanaku; Colombia: Quimbaya, San Agustín, Tairona, Tierradentro, Tolima; Ecuador: La Bahía, Cara, Quitu; Peru: Moche, Nazca, Lima, Pechiche, Piura
Early Horizon	900 BC–200 AD	Colombia: Calima culture (200 BC–400 AD), Chibcha; Ecuador: Chorrera, La Tolita; Peru: Chavín, Cupisnique, Late Chiripa, Paracas, Pechiche, Sechura
Initial Period	1800/1500 BC – 900 BC	Ecuador: Cotocollao; Machalilla; Peru: Early Chiripa, Kotosh, Toríl (The Cumbe Mayo aqueduct was built ca. 1000 BC), Argentina: Tehuelches (?-1820)
Preceramic
Period VI	2500 BC – 1500/1800 BC	Ecuador: Valdivia; Peru: Norte Chico (Caral), Buena Vista, Casavilca, Culebras, Ventarrón, Viscachani, Huaca Prieta
Period V	4200 BC – 2500 BC	Ecuador: Valdivia; Peru: Honda, Lauricocha III, Viscachani
Period IV	6000 BC – 4200 BC	Peru: Ambo, Canario, Siches, Lauricocha II, Luz, Toquepala II
Period III	8000 BC – 6000 BC	Ecuador: Las Vegas, 8000–4600 BC; Peru: Arenal, Chivateros II, Lauricocha I, Playa Chira, Puyenca, Toquepala I
Period II	9500 BC – 8000 BC	Ecuador: El Inga; Peru: Chivateros I, Lauricocha I
Period I	? BC – 9500 BC	Colombia: El Abra, (12,500–10,000 BC); Peru: Oquendo, Red Zone (central coast; Argentina & Chile: Patagonia

See also

• Indigenous peoples of the Americas – for coverage on present-day indigenous peoples
• Lithic stage in Canada
• Cultural periods of Peru
• Pre-Columbian Ecuador
• Classification of indigenous peoples of the Americas

External links

• National Museum of the American Indian, collections search
• Pre-Columbian cultures in present-day United States, Four Directions Institute