FORMATIVE PERIOD OF AMERICA: ORIGIN, CHARACTERISTICS, PRODUCTS - HISTORY - 2025

The Formative Period of America was a stage in the history of that continent. The chronology on this period is not unanimous, since it usually varies depending on the place from where it is studied. Thus, in Mesoamerica its beginning is marked on 2000 a. C., while in North America it is delayed almost 1000 years.

The emergence of agriculture marked the Archaic Period of America. This led to a change in the way of life of its inhabitants, who abandoned nomadism and settled in the first, increasingly complex human communities.

Settlements of the Middle Formative in the Central and Southern areas of the Mexican Republic - Source: Wikimedia Commons

Later, already during the Formative Period, this trend continued to strengthen. The settlements were growing, partly thanks to the improvement of agricultural techniques. The surpluses that began to be produced resulted in humans starting to trade with each other.

Historians divide this period into three parts, although with the aforementioned chronological exceptions. In this way, the evolution of human societies is compartmentalized into the early, middle and late formative. The end of the period has been marked around 250 AD

Origin

The Archaic Period began around 8000 BC During this period, American man began to use agriculture, a milestone that affected all aspects of his life.

Archaic period of America

This period coincided with the beginning of the Holocene and, therefore, with the end of the ice ages. The entire planet began to warm up, something that, according to many historians, helped humans discover agriculture.

That discovery caused the inhabitants of America to begin to become sedentary, building the first cities of the continent.

Agriculture and domestication

As has been pointed out, agriculture was the fundamental factor for human beings to abandon their nomadic customs. The crops, with their periodicity, forced him to stay in the same place and to build settlements.

Apart from making use of agriculture, during that time the human being was, fundamentally, gatherer, hunter and fisherman. Little by little, he began to modernize the weapons he used to hunt for food.

The fact of becoming sedentary led to them having to organize the communities in a different way, increasing collaboration between individuals. The economic organization became more complex, the territories began to be divided and trade routes were established.

Nuclei

It was during this period that the first stable settlements by the sea appeared, in addition to those already mentioned that lived off agriculture.

Some of the most important cultures developed in Mexico and the Andes. In that last location, the Caral culture (Peru) stood out, dated around 2600 BC. C.

Chronological differences

Historians use the term Formative Period to name different dates depending on the area of ​​the American continent that they study. Thus, in North America, the Formative Period spans from 1000 BC to 500 AD, also calling it the Neo-Indian Period.

On the other hand, the chronology in Mesoamerica varies remarkably, since the Formative Period is considered to be the era that was from 2000 BC to 250 AD

Finally, in South America, especially in pre-Columbian Peru, experts divide the Formative into two parts: the initial, from 1800 BC to 900 BC, and the Horizon, between the latter date and 200 AD

characteristics

In America, the formative period was characterized by the consolidation of agriculture and by the appearance of the first hierarchical societies, with a more complex administrative structure than that of the previous villages.

Experts divide this period into three stages, each with its own characteristics.

Early Formative

Continuing with the chronology followed in Mesoamerica, the Early Formative developed between 2500 BC and 1500 BC. This first stage was marked by the change in the way different cultures subsisted.

From this time on, the settlers began to cultivate the land, obtaining products such as corn, beans and squash, as well as other regional crops. What was obtained was completed with hunting and gathering. Although few in number, some towns began to practice livestock.

At the same time, there was also a significant variation in the settlements they populated. The sedentarization made them begin to build small towns, inhabited by nuclear and extended families.

The society of this time was egalitarian and relationships between individuals were based on cooperation, something essential to ensure their survival.

Finally, pottery appeared in some areas, although its use would not extend until some time later.

The Middle Formative

The second stage, the Middle Formative, began around 1200 BC and lasted until 400 BC. In it, there were notable advances in agricultural techniques, even with the introduction of intensive production.

The settlements were getting bigger, incorporating great constructions of religious or ceremonial character.

Society was evolving towards more stratified organizations, with some individuals beginning to accumulate wealth and power. This led to the emergence of new specialized professions, such as artisans who made luxury products for this fledgling elite.

This model spread to other parts of the continent, which explains the apparent similarities in this area shown by the different cultures during that time.

Among the most important peoples, the Olmecs stood out, considered the main representatives of the Middle Formative. Because of their influence, they are called the mother culture of Mesoamerica.

The Late Formative

The last stage of the Formative took place between 300 BC and 250 AD According to experts, it was characterized as a period of radical change, especially in the social aspect.

In this way, the towns left behind their egalitarian character and large urban centers appeared with a highly hierarchical society. The demographic increase, caused by the better harvests, was one of the fundamental factors for this to happen. The improvement of medicine and the modernization of agriculture also played a role.

This last aspect also caused an important change in the economy. The best harvests led to surpluses, so the settlers began to trade.

Urbanistically, the populations tended to concentrate around the religious temples. Like the ceremonial ones, these temples were increasing in size and decorative complexity.

The last part of this stage, from 150 AD, is considered as a transition to the Classic Period, in which civilizations as important as the Mayan arose.

Agricultural products

As noted above, one of the main characteristics of the Formative Period was the appearance of agriculture. Thanks to this, the inhabitants of the continent began to form sedentary communities and, from them, more complex societies grew. This process had its beginning in the Central Andes and in Mesoamerica.

Crop types

Once they began to practice agriculture, the appearance of new techniques and inventions that increased production did not wait. Among the first, the use of fertilizers, cultivation in terraces and the capture of water from aquifers stood out.

As for the inventions, the inhabitants of these communities created irrigation systems and made tools such as the metate, used to grind corn.

The most common products were corn itself, potatoes, beans, squash and cassava, although there were differences depending on the area of ​​the continent.

Surplus

The aforementioned improvements caused the harvests to be much more abundant, leading to the appearance of surpluses.

This gave rise to the appearance of commerce when the inhabitants of each community established circuits of commercial exchange with other towns. This contact also served to bring technical advances from one place to another.

References

1. EcuRed. Pre-Columbian America. Obtained from ecured.cu
2. Carrasco Rodríguez, Antonio. The Formative or Preclassic period. Recovered from blogs.ua.es
3. Schoolchildren. Prehistory of America. Obtained from escolar.net
4. Geoffrey HS Bushnell, Victor Wolfgang von Hagen and Others. Pre-Columbian civilizations. Retrieved from britannica.com
5. Revolvy. Formative stage. Retrieved from revolvy.com
6. Zier, Christian J. The Formative Period in Prehistory. Retrieved from coloradoencyclopedia.org