# Travel >> Destinations >> North America

Origins of Human Existence in North America

Peopling of the Americas: Archaeological Periods

Human presence in North America spans at least 15,000–20,000 years. Archaeologists divide this into cultural periods based on technology, subsistence, and complexity.

Paleoindian Period (~13,000–8,000 BCE)

First widespread evidence: Clovis culture (13,000–12,700 BCE) – distinctive fluted spear points.
Pre-Clovis sites: Monte Verde (Chile, ~14,500 BCE), Cooper's Ferry (Idaho, ~16,000 BCE), White Sands footprints (NM, ~21,000 BCE).
Lifeway: Highly mobile big-game hunters (mammoth, mastodon, bison antiquus).
Tools: Clovis points, bifaces, blades, bone/ivory tools.
Spread: Rapid continent-wide dispersal via ice-free corridor & coastal route.

Archaic Period (~8,000–1,000 BCE)

Climate shift: Holocene warming; megafauna extinction.
Adaptation: Broad-spectrum foraging – deer, small game, fish, shellfish, nuts, seeds.
Technology: Atlatl (spear-thrower), ground stone (manos, metates), notched points.
Regional traditions: Distinct adaptations (Northwest Coast, California, Eastern Woodlands, Plains, Desert).
Early cultivation: Squash (Mexico, ~8,000 BCE), sunflower, goosefoot (Eastern NA).

Woodland Period (~1,000 BCE–1,000 CE)

Agriculture intensifies: Maize (corn) from Mexico spreads north (~200 BCE); beans, squash ("Three Sisters").
Sedentism: Semi-permanent villages, storage pits.
Ceramics: Pottery widespread (coil-built, cord-marked).
Mound building: Adena, Hopewell cultures – burial/ceremonial earthworks (Ohio, Illinois).
Trade networks: Copper (Great Lakes), shells (Gulf), obsidian (Rockies), mica (Appalachians).

Late Precontact / Mississippian Period (~800–1600 CE)

Urban centers: Cahokia (Illinois) – 10–20k people, Monks Mound (100 ft), plazas, woodhenge.
Chiefdoms: Hereditary leadership, tribute, maize surplus.
Southeastern Ceremonial Complex: Shared iconography (birdman, serpent).
Puebloan Southwest: Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde – great houses, kivas, roads.
Pacific Northwest: Plank houses, potlatch, cedar, salmon.