North America to 1500

Native American / First Nations

Traces of sophisticated cultures remain across what is today the United States and Canada.

Cultures

Clovis Culture

Clovis Culture

Clovis: c. 11,200 - c. 10,900 B.C.E.

Among the first evidence of human activity in North America, Clovis culture is named for Clovis, New Mexico where spearpoints were first found.

Clovis culture, an introduction

Moundbuilders

Moundbuilders

c. 4500 B.C.E. - c. 1450 C.E.

The term "moundbuilders" refers to numerous Native American cultures, including the Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian.

Fort Ancient Culture: Great Serpent Mound

Mississippian shell neck ornament (gorget)

Ancestral Puebloan

Ancestral Puebloan

c. 8,000 B.C.E. - c. 1300 C.E.

The Ancestral Puebloans inhabited what is today the Southwestern United States and are recognized as the ancestors of contemporary Pueblo peoples.

Mesa Verde

Chaco Canyon

All content | Native American / First Nations

Indigenous cultures in the United States and Canada before the arrival of Europeans.

Introduction to Chaco Canyon

Mississippian shell neck ornament (gorget)

Clovis culture

Mesa Verde

Fort Ancient Culture: Great Serpent Mound

Selected Contributors

Dr. Katherine T. Brown

Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank

Dr. David W. Penney