The Ancient Americas

Overview

As hunter-gatherers began to domesticate animals or cultivate plants, their lifestyle became more settled. Instead of moving seasonally from camp to camp, they tended to settle down for years at a time—a process called sedentism.

At first, these small settlements were made up of just a few families. But in response to changing environmental and social circumstances, in some areas a number of households would join together and form a village. Some of these villages continued their hunter-gatherer ways in areas rich in resources. In other areas, farmers settled together, forming villages.

To learn more about these changes, check out the Transition to Farming Video with Dr. Tim Kohler.

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Living in a farming community had its advantages: more hands to care for crops, shared resources that lessened risk of starvation, and security from raiders. But there were disadvantages as well: sanitation, disease, complicated social relations, overburdened resources, and occasional conflicts with neighbors.

Take a look at some of the traits that farming villages all across the Americas shared at this time.

Continue to Farming Families. >>