The first people in the Americas were the ancestors of today’s Indigenous peoples, often called Paleo-Indians or First Americans, who arrived from northeast Asia at least 15,000–20,000 years ago, long before any Europeans.
When they arrived
Archaeological and genetic evidence indicates that humans were present in the Americas by at least about 15,000 years ago, with some studies suggesting even earlier dates around 20,000–23,000 years ago. These early groups spread south and east from the far northwest into the rest of North, Central, and South America over many generations.
Where they came from and how
Most researchers agree these first peoples ultimately came from populations in Siberia and East Asia. During the last Ice Age, lower sea levels created a land area called Beringia between Siberia and Alaska, and people crossed this region (and later possibly used coastal boat routes) into the Americas.
Who their descendants are
These earliest migrants are the ancestors of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, including Native Americans in the United States, First Nations in Canada, and Indigenous groups throughout Central and South America. Later migrations brought additional groups such as Na-Dene speakers and Inuit, but all are part of the broader Indigenous population that predates European arrival by many thousands of years.
Europeans are much later
The Norse (Vikings) reached parts of northeastern North America around the year 1000, and sustained European colonization began only after voyages like those of Columbus in the late 1400s. By that time, the Americas were already home to millions of Indigenous people with long-established cultures and civilizations.
