Chapter 1: A Continent of Villages, to 1500
On the eve of European colonization, Indian peoples had inhabited North America for thousands of years building strong, vibrant and diverse cultures that rivaled those in Europe. Beginning as migrants from Asia during the Ice Age and adapting to changing natural conditions, North American Indians developed regional cultures based on foraging and agriculture that rivaled European societies. The meeting of Europeans and Native Americans was between two well-established worlds.
