Introduction

This book reviews the ideas, evidence, and debates regarding the archaeology, ancestry, and heritage of the native peoples of North America. Other books on North American archaeology are limited to the United States and Canada which constitute major parts, but not all, of the continent. However, owing to complex webs of interaction over time and geography, we believe it is appropriate and essential to include Mesoamerica and the Caribbean. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition and critical use of evidence within a scientific framework. Human biological evolution is discussed only briefly because the first Americans arrived less than 20,000 years ago, by which time all humans were biologically fully modern. Ecological, demographic, and sociopolitical perspectives frame the discussions of subsequent cultural evolution. The end of the Pleistocene and the associated climatic changes provided context for various cultural traditions that unfolded over time. Band organizations persisted in some regions, while tribes, chiefdoms, states, and even empires emerged in others. Chronological conventions and archaeological terminology are reviewed.