Origin american dating

These are the very ancient Maya, and the relatively upstart dominant cultures of the time, the Aztecs and the Incas.

The original people of north America live in a wide range of environments.

The earliest known settled community in south America is at Huaca Prieta, at the mouth of the Chicama river in Peru.

By 8000 years ago hunter-gatherers have moved up the eastern side of the continent into Newfoundland and the prairie provinces of Canada.

Dating from around 1200 BC, it is the achievement of the Olmec people.

Their culture is contemporary with Mycenae and the Trojan War, with the spread of the Aryans through northern India and with the Shang dynasty in China.

Archaeological evidence shows that by about 15,000 years ago the central plains of America are widely inhabited.

Traces of human activity at this time are preserved in the remarkable La Brea tar pit in Los Angeles.