First Peoples of America

Thefirst peoples of America refer to those who lived in America before the arrival of the European.

They are also called pre-Columbian, as they are located in the period before the landing of Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Examples of pre-Columbian peoples are the Incas, Aztecs, Mayans, Guarani, Tupinambá, Tupi, Apache, Shawe, Navajo, Inuit and many others.

Bering Strait

The American continent was already occupied by several peoples about 10 thousand years ago, as shown by archaeological evidence.

The most accepted theory among scientists is that the population of the American continent occurred through the crossing of the Bering Strait. Chasing the animals, the hunters ended up crossing the strait and settling there.

However, there is evidence that points to the existence of human beings in this part of the globe, even before incursions through the Bering Strait by alternative routes or by navigation.

Although they were influenced by European colonization, there are peoples who still maintain their traditions from their ancestors and pass them on to new generations. See also:Bering Strait

Characteristics of the first peoples of America

The first peoples of America were nomads, hunters and gatherers. According to archaeological studies, their physical characteristics have traits similar to those of the peoples of Africa, Australia and the Mongolian peoples.

This theory is supported by genetic research, which points to a parallel between the DNA of Native Americans and the aforementioned peoples.

These people hunted such as mastodons, giant sloths, saber-toothed tigers and the giant armadillo.

Extractivism, however, was not the only way of subsistence for the people. 7 thousand years ago, the American nations already dominated agriculture and planted pumpkin, potatoes, corn, beans and cassava. In the same way they domesticated small animals.

The American continent was fully populated at the time of the arrival of Christopher Columbus. In addition to collectors, divided into several peoples and spread across the continent, there were civilizations organized into imposing empires, as is the case of the Mayans, the Aztecs and the Incas.

These civilizations were no better or worse than Europeans in many ways, but they had extremely shocking rites and sacrifices for Europeans.

In the same way, there were customs in Europe that seemed strange to the natives. The problem was the disproportionate force that was used by the Europeans to invade America, causing entire peoples to disappear.

Central America

In the region that comprises Central America – from Mexico to Costa Rica – lived a set of stratified societies, with a complex system of agrarian exploitation and that shared beliefs, technology, art and architecture.

Archaeological estimates suggest that the development of the complexity of these cultures began between 1800 BC. and 300 BC

Its technology allowed the construction of temples and research in the areas of astronomy, medicine, writing, fine arts, engineering, architecture and mathematics.

Cities were important centers of commerce in the region now occupied by Mexico. These civilizations were practically extinct by the colonizing peoples and what remains are historical evidence of their organization and way of life.

Aztecs

The Aztecs lived in what is now Mexico. They had a rigid organization, extremely stratified, with an emperor who was considered a semi-dity and head of the army.

They were a warrior people, who lived their heyday between the 15th and 16th centuries. However, they did not neglect agriculture. In this way, they developed the cultivation of through platforms in order to make the most of the space and arable land.

The Aztec empire was made up of nearly 500 cities in a delicate balance of alliances and rivalries. The navigator Hernán Cortez took advantage of this situation to conquer them.

Mayans

The Mayans lived in the region that today corresponds to Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador and the Yucatan Peninsula. They formed a conglomerate of city-states that were constantly at war with each other.

When the settlers arrived, there were at least six million Mayans in the region who were decimated.

They were skilled sculptors and made true works of art in hard materials such as jade. They advanced mathematical calculations and had a calendar with 365 days a year.

They also built great pyramids, many of which can still be visited today.

They were a polytheistic people and they offered human and animal sacrifices to the gods. Just as medieval religiosity encouraged practices of fasting and self-flagellation, the Mayans also included self-sacrifice and offering their own blood to the gods.

South America

South America was populated by several tribes that organized themselves differently. We have the Inca civilization that extended along the Andes mountain range, as well as the Mapuche in southern Chile and Argentina.

Likewise, the future Brazilian territory was occupied by dozens of peoples such as the Tupis, Tamoios, Aimorés, Tupiniquins, Guarani and many others who were losing their space as Portuguese colonization advanced.

Incas

The Incas inhabited Ecuador, southern Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. At least 700 languages were spoken in the Inca Empire which, like the others, was conquered and destroyed by the Spanish.

Although they did not master writing, these people created a counting system, the quipo , and applied it to the collection of taxes. In addition to having developed a method of calculation that used an instrument similar to the abacus.

They considered themselves children of the sun, were polytheistic and had their Inca chief worshiped as a god. Families had to hand over at least one daughter to serve the Inca for a certain period of time.

Indigenous peoples in Brazil

The region that is now occupied by Brazil was inhabited by about 4 million Indians when Pedro Álvares Cabral's fleet arrived. Most were gatherers and hunters.

Today, even after the reduction of indigenous territory, there are 240 indigenous peoples in Brazil who speak up to 150 dialects. The main causes of the population reduction were the colonizing pressure and the diseases brought by the Portuguese.

The remnants of Brazilian indigenous peoples still live in constant dispute over territory and are the target of diseases and most of them live in extreme poverty.

Among these peoples is the Guarani-caiuá, who live on the border between Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraguay. The murder of indigenous leaders and the occupation of land are constantly reported by the media.

Read more :

Discovery of Brazil
Guarani Indians
Brazilian Indigenous Art
Brazilian Prehistory

North America

The first human settlements in America are recorded in present-day Alaska (USA). There, the Inuit people occupied areas of Canada and Greenland.

When the Europeans arrived, the native peoples of North America were tribes of semi-nomadic behavior, as well as hunter-gatherers; and others were sedentary peoples who lived from agricultural activity.

These include the Apache, Shawee, Navajos, Creek, Cherokee, Sioux, and many others.

Their religiosity was polytheistic with a special worship of the spirits of ancestors and animals. However, in some tribes the theistic cult is recorded where there was an entity greater than the others.

In any case, Native Americans had a peculiar worldview where humans, mother earth and father sky are one.

With the March to the West, the indigenous people were systematically expelled from their lands. They died on the battlefields, from diseases and also from hunger, because with the occupation of the land the animals became extinct.

The American film industry transformed the colonization towards the Pacific as a spectacular event, where indigenous people were treated in a stereotyped and violent way.

Among the latest events is the massacre of the Sioux in 1890, when the US cavalry executed 150 indigenous men, women and children. The bodies were dumped in a mass grave.