The Paleoindian or Paleoamerican period is the one that marks the colonization of the New World by Homo sapiens; it took place between approximately 15,000 and 7,000 BC. Its end is marked with the beginning of the Ice Age in the Pleistocene.
Most experts agree that the first human beings came to America from Asia, through a land bridge formed across the Bering Strait.
It is also believed that they may have used rowing boats to move from one island to another. Regardless of the place of origin of these first immigrants, the truth is that their presence in the New World only dates from the year 15,000 BC.
Paleo-Indian humans are believed to have moved to America following herds of animals such as mastodons, mammoths, camels, and bison that crossed the Bering Strait from Siberia to Alaska.
This crossing was possible thanks to the formation of large glaciers and ice sheets that allowed the water level to drop more than 45 meters, discovering the Aleutian Islands and linking America with Asia.
The evidence of these climatic and geological changes can be evidenced in different countries of the world. In Belize, the Blue Hole in the Lighthouse Reef with its underground cave system is now submerged 120 meters below sea level.
However, during the Paleo Indian period, this cave, like the Bering Strait Bridge, was exposed above sea level.
During the Paleoindian period, there were more formations in the New World, apart from the bridge in the Bering Strait. Even millions of years before, North and South America were not connected, for this reason, the species of animals in both territories evolved differently.
With the appearance of land bridges in the Paleoindian period, Central America was formed and species were able to migrate from north to south again (Anderson, 2015).
It may also interest you: Who were the first settlers of the Bering Strait?
Who were the Paleo-Indians and why did they come to the new world?
Various anthropologists and archaeologists believe that the Paleoindians were of Asian origin and migrated to America in search of the great animals of the Pleistocene, since their survival depended on them.
To date, no findings or evidence have been found that indicate that other human groups inhabited America before the Paleoindian period. However, it remains a possibility that this was the case (Indians.org, 2017).
From Alaska, these early hunters moved south through Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Eventually, humans came to South America in 10,000 BC.
The nomadic lifestyle of these early settlers has left some evidence of how the Paleo Indian tribes were constituted during this period (Holliday, 1997).
The few settlements that have been found suggest that they used tools made with few materials, mainly wood, bones and stones.
Their most significant hunting implement were the flutes with which they fired projectiles with Clovis-type tips.
Clovis points have been found throughout North and Central America. There are even indications that the Mayan culture also used this type of tips.
The first indications that there were Paleo Indian settlements in what is now known as Mexico were found in 1960.
Approximately a decade later, archaeological remains of other paleo-Indian settlements were found in Guatemalan territory, specifically in Los Tapiales and Valle Quiche, near Huehuetenango (Service, 2017).
The Paleo Indians moved through vast territories on foot or by water, always in small groups of 25 to 50 people. These groups of nomads used to settle in small quarries, sandbanks, and places with similar physical characteristics.
Although it is known that they were hunters and gatherers, it is not known for sure what their diet was made of.
These nomadic groups were heavy consumers of a wide range of plant and animal species. In some parts of the continent, they have been found to prefer hunting large animals, such as mammoths or giant sloths (Anderson, Ledbetter, & O'Steen, PaleoIndian Period Archeology of Georgia, 1990).
Findings in Belize
For a long period of time there was no evidence that the Paloe Indians inhabited the territory of what is now known as Belize.
However, the first indications of its presence in this territory came to light in 1960 when two giant sloth bones were discovered by farmers near Santa Familia, in the Cayo District.
The markings found on the bones suggested that the animal had probably been hunted by humans, who subsequently cut the bones to feed on the protein contained in the marrow.
However, there was no conclusive evidence for the presence of Paleoindians in Belize until 1980, when a farmer near Ladyville discovered the first Clovis Point found in the country (Illinois, 2000).
Some years later, a farmer in the Toledo District found another spear fragment, similar to the previously found Clovis.
Since that time, fossils of teeth of the extinct mastodon have been found at Bullet Tree Falls, along with simple stone tools associated with the remains of the horse previously found in the cave in the Cayo District.
These small pieces of evidence indicate that some Paleo Indian humans lived in Belize, arriving in this part of the continent sometime between 10,000 and 7,000 BC.
These civilizations developed tools and other implements that later enabled them to collect plants, fruits, and hunt larger animals on the open savannas and near rivers in the valleys.
Due to the nomadic habits of the Paleo Indian tribes that regularly moved across the American continent, it has not been possible to find evidence that indicates that large dwellings or settlements were built.
This condition, in general, has made it difficult to find archaeological remains dating from this period (NICH, 2017).
References
- Anderson, DG (August 3, 2015). New Georgia. Retrieved from Paleoindian Period: Overview: georgiaencyclopedia.org
- Anderson, DG, Ledbetter,. J., & O'Steen,. D. (1990). PaleoIndian Period Archeology of Georgia. Georgia: University of Georgia.
- Holliday, VT (1997). Paleoindian Geoarcheology of the Southern High Plains. Austin: University of Texas Pres.
- Illinois, M. (2000). Illinois State Museum. Retrieved from Paleoindian: museum.state.il.us
- org. (2017). Indians.org. Obtained from PALEO INDIANS: indians.org.
- (2017). Institute of Archeology. Retrieved from Paleo-Indian Period: nichbelize.org.
- Service, NP (2017). Fort Smith. Retrieved from Paleoindian Period 12,000-10,000 BC: nps.gov.