Pre Columbian Americas | World History | Khan Academy

Overview of the population and civilizations in the Americas over the past 6 thousand years.

World History on Khan Academy: From prehistory to today, this course covers the human events that have shaped our planet.

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[AMorgan]

It's fascinating to me how the early migrants kept going and kept going, all the way from the top to the bottom of the hemisphere. The psychology of it.

[alysaistheshizz]

Thats what annoys me about history. Most people think these unique and diverse cultures were nothing before European colonization. Not only in Mesoamerica, but even in Africa too. They were there long before the smelly, white dudes! Give those ancient people more credit!

[peterbellini]

Some lucid comments here. History in the Americas has plenty of beginnings, endings and gaps. One of my favorites is the literal disappearance of the Maya; they had an unbelieveably complex society and lost their culture/literacy in an amzingly short period. They came out of the jungle driven by a need for water, developed advanced irrigation systems for their farming and then went back into the jungle with barely a sound....

[Kariakas]

I've been really enjoying all your uploads, it's great stuff. You pack more useful historic information in a 8 minute video than the History channel does in a month.

[kingkemet]

I would love for you to site the source of the information you’re providing. It’s interesting to hear such an articulate depiction of the first grandchildren but not acknowledging or even mention the grandparents and their undeniable place of origin.

[duicwb]

its much older... the incas built Machu Pichu on the top of older and highly technological constructions...

and in south of Brazil we also have those civiizations... with big pyramids and stuff... unfortunately my theory is that the portuguese tried to destroy everything and hide every track of ancients here... Thats why we have underground tunnels and other weird stuff here like giant water channels and Stone observatories with giant rocks to watch equinox and solstices... big artificial mounds everywhere I look here... its crazy because there is no evidence of what people was here before the natives... só we call them Sambaquis...

[yanelkys]

Very good condense history video. A read a few into the Maya and Olmec and I find it very interesting their high appreciation for Jade similar to the people in China. In regards to artifacts the similarities are strongly similar. I am confuse with the dates because the Qin's Dynasty had similarities with the Olmec where they alive during the same time in history, even though they lived in different places in the planet. Also you left out the Tainos from the Dominican Republic. Thank you

[Мурчало-об]

Hello from RUSSIA!! In our English book are text about you!! You are interesting, but we advise to you for your appearing in your videos.

[Pandroo]

Im Very Proud to be Peruvian 🇵🇪 and we were the first and only to connect with Polynesians and trade foods and culture. I love my fellow Mexicans too. It’s and ancient connection.

[samh]

why is it that societies so separated all developed farming around the same time?

[peterjuryobligacion]

How did they get the current details of the map during that civilization

[sayanchakraborty]

please sir Indian modern history . i wait your video .

[milagrosgarcia]

Does anyone now wich movement do Polinesians use in their greeting? That it's conecte with a pre-columbian symbol...Please i need an answer

[nannerlmozart]

+Khan Academy, why can't I find this video on your website?

[sovietsniper]

I heard that the wheel hadn't been invented yet in America when the europeans arrived. Is that true? I think since native Americans arrived and settled in America much later than europeans settled, it's kind of expected that they would be less technologicaly​ advanced.

[immortalswif]

There are structures dating back 30, 000 years PERU. .

[samuelm.hodnettii.]

East of St. Loius Missouri the Mississipian Culture Pyramids go back to 15000 to 17000 years ago. Carbon dated by the Smithsonian not European carbon dating which shows younger dates to support old world theories about Turtle Island People

[immasoxfanbaby]

American people and land created the world INDUSTRIES with our inventions here in America

[tomasavitki]

Well. I think there is an important misconseption induced by this video. Let's admit that there was a population of 50-100 million people there. The bigest chunk of this population was concentrated in three regions: Mezo-America, Inca Empire and in a lesser extent near Mississippi river. In the rest there were tribes, tribal confederation, and small sedentary setlments. And we speack about two continents, guys. So the most of Americas were indeed very sparcely populated with hunters, gatherers and small agricultural comunities. I mean, you have enormous regions as Amazonia, Pampas, Patagonia, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, all of the Canada, North of South America which were poorely populated (and even today they are less densly populated but may be for slightely different reasons). So when English explorers came to Atlantic coast of the US they didn's see big cities and people with writing systems, highways and Tesla cars. They saw hunters, gatherers and small agricultural communities. They saw less advanced technologies, not so much use of metals (mostly coper, or a bit of iron in the Pacific North-West) Something similar found Spaniards when they discovered California, French in Hudson Bay, or Portuguese in Amazonia.

[immasoxfanbaby]

The Mississippi river was a nile river like Egypt