zài '
ōu zhōu rén lái dào zhè lǐ zhī qián，
yìn dì '
ān rén děng běi měi zhōu de yuán zhù mín shēng huó zài zhè piàn guǎng kuò de tǔ dì shàng。
xiāng chuán tā men de zǔ xiān zài dà yuē yī wàn duō nián qián jīng yóu xī bó lì yà kuà guò bái lìng hǎi xiá lái dào běi měi zhōu，
bìng qiě zài zhè lǐ shēng cún fán yǎn，
tā men méi yòu zì jǐ de wén zì，
què yòu zhe fēng fù de kǒu tóu wén xué。
duì yú yuán zhù mín de rén kǒu，
lì shǐ shàng de tǒng jì yòu hěn dà chū rù，
jù 1492
nián（
gē lún bù dì yī cì lái dào běi měi zhōu）
de gū cè，
běi měi yìn dì '
ān rén zǒng shù dà yuē yòu bā bǎi wàn dào yī qiān wàn rén。
suí zhe '
ōu zhōu zhí mín zhě de shēn rù，
yuán zhù mín de jiàn kāng hé lǐng tǔ shòu dào yán zhòng wēi xié。
yóu yú '
ōu zhōu rén dài lái de gè zhǒng bìng jūn，
zài 150
nián nèi，
yuán zhù mín de rén kǒu ruì jiǎn liǎo 90%；
tā men de cūn luò bèi cuī huǐ，
yuán běn yòng yú xùmù huò zhǒng zhí de tǔ dì bèi huǐ diào liǎo。
The Pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic to European colonization during the Early Modern period.
While technically referring to the era before Christopher Columbus' voyages of 1492 to 1504, in practice the term usually includes the history of American indigenous cultures until they were conquered or significantly influenced by Europeans, even if this happened decades or even centuries after Columbus' initial landing.
Pre-Columbian is used especially often in the context of the great indigenous civilizations of the Americas, such as those of Mesoamerica (the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacano, the Zapotec, the Mixtec, the Aztec, and the Maya) and the Andes (Inca, Moche, Chibcha, Cañaris).
Many pre-Columbian civilizations established characteristics and hallmarks which included permanent or urban settlements, agriculture, civic and monumental architecture, and complex societal hierarchies. Some of these civilizations had long faded by the time of the first permanent European arrivals (c. late 15th–early 16th centuries), and are known only through archaeological investigations. Others were contemporary with this period, and are also known from historical accounts of the time. A few, such as the Maya, had their own written records. However, most Europeans of the time largely viewed such texts as heretical, and much was destroyed in Christian pyres. Only a few hidden documents remain today, leaving modern historians with glimpses of ancient culture and knowledge.
According to both indigenous American and European accounts and documents, American civilizations at the time of European encounter possessed many impressive accomplishments. For instance, the Aztecs built one of the most impressive cities in the world, Tenochtitlan, the ancient site of Mexico City, with an estimated population of 200,000. American civilizations also displayed impressive accomplishments in astronomy and mathematics.
Where they persist, the societies and cultures which are descended from these civilizations may now be substantively different in form from that of the original. However, many of these peoples and their descendants still uphold various traditions and practices which relate back to these earlier times, even if combined with those that were more recently adopted.
