| Legacy | Influence on later Archaic period cultures and modern indigenous American groups |
| Period | Paleo-Indian |
| Region | |
| Timeframe | c. 18,000 - 5,000 years ago |
| Description | The earliest known human inhabitants of the Americas, persisting for several millennia longer than in our reality |
| Developments | Increasingly sophisticated tools • Improved shelters • Complex social organizations |
The Paleo-Indian period in the Americas refers to the earliest known human inhabitants of the continent, dating from around 18,000 to 5,000 years ago. In this alternate timeline, Paleo-Indian societies persisted for several millennia longer than in our reality, developing increasingly sophisticated tools, shelters, and social organizations before ultimately giving way to the rise of Archaic period cultures.
The Paleo-Indian period is generally divided into three subperiods:
Early Paleo-Indian (18,000 - 13,000 years ago): The earliest human inhabitants, nomadic hunter-gatherers who relied on large Pleistocene megafauna like mammoths, mastodons, and giant bison as their primary prey. Their stone tool kits consisted of distinctive Clovis points and other finely crafted blades and scrapers.
Middle Paleo-Indian (13,000 - 9,000 years ago): As the megafauna went extinct, Paleo-Indian groups adapted by hunting smaller game and gathering a wider variety of wild plants. This led to more diverse tool kits, including the emergence of the atlatl, or spear-thrower, which increased the range and killing power of their weapons.
Late Paleo-Indian (9,000 - 5,000 years ago): During this extended final period, Paleo-Indian cultures became increasingly sedentary, constructing more substantial shelters and storage facilities. They developed technologies like the bow and arrow, pottery, and the domestication of dogs and llamas. This allowed for the establishment of larger, more interconnected Paleo-Indian societies across the Americas.
Unlike in our timeline, where the Archaic period supplanted and absorbed Paleo-Indian groups, in this alternate history the two cultural traditions coexisted and evolved in parallel for thousands of years.
Major Paleo-Indian cultural traditions emerged, including the Clovis people of North America, the Fishtail people of South America, and the Mammoth Hunters of the Great Plains. These groups established extensive trade networks, shared religious/cosmological beliefs, and interacted with the contemporary Archaic cultures.
Archaeological evidence suggests the Paleo-Indian peoples constructed large, semi-permanent settlements and some of the earliest known monumental structures in the Americas. Sites like Poverty Point in Louisiana and Huaca Prieta in Peru showcase the growing organizational and technological sophistication of these extended Paleo-Indian societies.
As Archaic period cultures emerged and expanded, they did not fully supplant or assimilate their Paleo-Indian counterparts. Instead, the two traditions continued to interact and evolve in parallel for millennia, with influence flowing in both directions.
Paleo-Indian groups maintained distinct identities, social structures, and material cultures even as they adopted some Archaic technologies and lifeways. Elements of Paleo-Indian culture - from tool-making techniques to burial practices to oral traditions - can be seen preserved within the archaeological record and the living traditions of many modern indigenous American peoples.
The extended persistence and sophistication of Paleo-Indian societies in this alternate timeline has left a profound and lasting impact on the cultural development of the Americas. Their legacy can be seen in everything from monumental architecture to agricultural practices to religious beliefs that long predate the rise of the great civilizations of the Archaic and later periods.
