thumb|280px|[[Pyramid of the Sun and Avenue of The Dead, viewed from the top of Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacán, Mexico, 100–200 AD]]
This is a list of pre-Columbian cultures.
Cultural characteristics
thumb|right|[[Watson Brake, Louisiana, 3500 BC]]
thumb|right|[[Tikal, Guatemala, Maya civilization.]]
Many pre-Columbian civilizations established permanent or urban settlements, agriculture, and complex societal hierarchies.
In North America, indigenous cultures in the Lower Mississippi Valley during the Middle Archaic period built complexes of multiple mounds, with several in Louisiana dated to 5600–5000 BP (3700 BC–3100 BC). Watson Brake is considered the oldest, multiple mound complex in the Americas, as it has been dated to 3500 BC. It and other Middle Archaic sites were built by pre-ceramic, hunter-gatherer societies. They preceded the better known Poverty Point culture and its elaborate complex by nearly 2,000 years. The Mississippi Valley mound-building tradition extended into the Late Archaic period, longer than what later southeastern mound building dependent on sedentary, agricultural societies.(Russo, 1996:285)
- Ciboney people, Greater Antilles, c. 1000—300 BC
- Guanahatabey, Cuba, c. 1000 BC
- Lesser Antilles
- Ortoiroid culture, c. 5500—200 BC
- Krum Bay culture, Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, c. 1500—200 BC
- Suazan ceramics, AD 900-1500
Mesoamerica
In alphabetical order:
- Aztec, 1325–1521 AD, central Mexico
- Chorotegas, 500-1530 AD, Nicaragua; Costa Rica
- Formative Period, 2500 BC–200 AD, La Blanca, Ujuxte, Monte Alto Culture, Mokaya Culture
- Huastec, 1000 BC–1500 AD, Hidalgo, Veracruz, San Luis Potosí and Tamaulipas
- Maya, 2600 BC–1697 AD, Mexican Southern states: Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche and Yucatán Peninsula; Central America: Belize; Guatemala; El Salvador; Honduras
- Mixe, 400–present
- Mixtec, unknown–1600 AD, western Oaxaca
- Nicarao people, 700-1622 AD, Nicaragua; Costa Rica
- Nicoya Kingdom, 500 BC-1600 AD, Costa Rica
- Olmec, 1500–400 BC, Veracruz and Tabasco
- Pipil people, c. 1200-1528 AD, El Salvador
- Purépecha Empire or Tarascan state, 1300–1530 AD, Michoacán
- Teotihuacán, 200 BC–800 AD, near Mexico City
- Teuchitlan tradition, 300 BC – 500 AD, north-central Jalisco
- Toltec, 900–1100 AD – may be mythical
- Totonac, unknown–1500 AD, eastern Mexico
- Western Mexico shaft tomb tradition, 1500–300 BC, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit
- Western Mexico shaft tomb tradition, 300 BC–400 AD, Jalisco, Nayarit, and, to a lesser extent, Colima
- Zapotec, 500 BC–1500 AD, Oaxaca
Isthmo-Colombian area
- Cueva people, ?–1530 AD, Panama
- Diquis culture, 700–1530 AD, Costa Rica
- Gran Coclé, 1200 BC-1500 AD, Panama
- Huetar people, ?-1600 AD, Costa Rica
- Miskito people, -1700 AD, Honduras; Nicaragua
- Mayangna people, 1700 AD, Nicaragua
- Cacaopera people, 1700 AD, El Salvador; Nicaragua
South America
thumb|Early South American cultures|184x184px
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Period
!Dates
!Cultures
|- align="center" bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
!colspan="3" |Ceramic
|-
|Late Horizon
|1476 AD – 1534 AD
| Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia: Inca Empire; Brazil: Cambeba; Colombia: Muisca Confederation Argentina: Diaguita
|-
| Late Intermediate
|1000 AD – 1476 AD
| Bolivia: Aymara kingdoms; Colombia: Muisca, Capuli, Tairona; Ecuador: Los Huancavilca, Kingdom of Quito, Manteño, Capuli;<br />Peru: Chimú, Chincha, Cajamarca, Chiribaya, Piura, Chancay, Chachapoyas, Chiribaya, Chucuito, Huaman Huilca, Ilo, Lupaca, Qotu Qotu, Pacacocha, Palli Marca, Piura, Sican, Tajaraca, Huaylas, Conchucos, Huamachuco, Rucanas, Chanka, Ayabaca, Bracamoros, Huancabambas, Tallan culture, Huarco, Ichma, Parinacota, Cuntis, Chinchaycochas, Huarochiri, Kheswas, Tarmas, Paltas, Camanas; Argentina: Diaguita
|-
| Middle Horizon
| 600 AD – 1000 AD
| Bolivia: Tiwanaku (kin to Wari); Brazil: Marajoara culture; Colombia: Cauca culture, Herrera, Capuli, Quimbaya, Tairona; Ecuador: Cañari culture, Capuli; Peru: Chimu, Huari/Wari, Piura; Argentina: Diaguita
|-
| Early Intermediate
| 200 AD–600 AD
| Bolivia: Tiwanaku; Colombia: Herrera, Quimbaya, San Agustín, Tairona, Tierradentro, Tolima; Ecuador (the Upano Valley): La Bahía, Cara, Quitu; Peru: Moche, Nazca, Lima, Pechiche, Piura
|-
| Early Horizon
|900 BC–200 AD
| Colombia: Calima culture (200 BC–400 AD), Herrera; Ecuador: Chorrera, La Tolita; Peru: Chavín, Cupisnique, Late Chiripa, Paracas, Pechiche, Sechura, Xakse
|-
| Initial Period
|1800/1500 BC – 900 BC
|Ecuador: Cotocollao; Machalilla; Peru: Early Chiripa, Kotosh, Chavín Toríl (The Cumbe Mayo aqueduct was built c. 1000 BC), Argentina: Tehuelches (?-1820)
|- align="center" bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
!colspan="3" |Preceramic
|-
| Period VI
|2500 BC – 1500/1800 BC
| Ecuador: Valdivia; Peru: Casma/Sechin culture, Norte Chico (Caral), Buena Vista, Casavilca, Culebras, Ventarrón, Viscachani, Huaca Prieta; Peru, Chile: Chinchorro
|-
| Period V
| 4200 BC – 2500 BC
| Ecuador: Valdivia; Peru: Casma/Sechin culture, Norte Chico (Caral), Honda, Lauricocha III, Viscachani; Peru, Chile: Chinchorro
|-
| Period IV
| 6000 BC – 4200 BC
| Peru: Ambo, Canario, Siches, Lauricocha II, Luz, Toquepala II; Peru, Chile: Chinchorro
|-
| Period III
| 8000 BC – 6000 BC
| Ecuador: Las Vegas, 8000–4600 BC; Peru: Arenal, Chivateros II, Lauricocha I, Playa Chira, Puyenca, Toquepala I; Peru, Chile: Chinchorro
|-
| Period II
| 9500 BC – 8000 BC
| Ecuador: El Inga; Peru: Chivateros I, Lauricocha I
|-
| Period I
| ? BC – 9500 BC
| Colombia: El Abra, (12,500–10,000 BC); Peru: Oquendo, Red Zone (central coast); Argentina & Chile: Patagonia
|}
See also
- Mississippi culture
- Indigenous peoples of the Americas – for coverage on present-day indigenous peoples
- Lithic stage in Canada
- Cultural periods of Peru
- Pre-Columbian Brazil
- Pre-Columbian Ecuador
- Pre-Columbian cultures of Colombia
- Classification of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas
- Marajoara culture
- Quilmes people
- Ancestral Puebloans