Overview
With the megafauna gone and the climate near modern conditions, Archaic peoples across the continent lived by hunting smaller game, fishing, and gathering a wide range of plants, moving seasonally to exploit different resources. Regional traditions multiplied, from the desert cultures of the Southwest to the shell-mound builders of the coasts.
Key developments
The defining change was the beginning of agriculture: in central Mexico, teosinte was gradually bred into maize over thousands of years, and squash and beans were domesticated, allowing more settled life. Ground-stone tools, basketry, and long-distance exchange spread, and some groups raised early earthworks such as those at Watson Brake and Poverty Point in the lower Mississippi valley.
End and transition
As farming villages took hold, especially in Mesoamerica, denser and more permanent settlements set the stage for the Formative era’s towns, pottery, and monuments. The transition was gradual and uneven, reaching different regions at different times.