ABSTRACT

In 1492, North America was a lively place with many hundreds of separate cultures. The Thule had moved east into Greenland, California was home to perhaps 500,000 people, some Mississippian polities had faltered while others prospered, agriculture had spread across much of the continent, and the Southwest was in turmoil. Native populations may have peaked at about 850 BP and may have begun to decline, perhaps due to increased sedentism (Peros et al. 2010). In the far north, the Norse had apparently contacted native groups some 500 years before but to little effect. The impact of the arrival of Columbus would be far different.