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  How many different cultures existed in the Americas before the arrival of Europeans? We do not know exactly how many different cultures and languages existed before the Europeans arrived. We do know that there were millions of Indigenous peoples and hundreds of diverse societies thriving long before the arrival of Europeans. As a result of European conquest, three out of every four people in the Americas died and entire societies were wiped out. Still, in the Americas as a whole, over 700 different Indigenous languages are spoken today. For example, in Brazil, roughly 180 Indigenous languages are spoken. And in the United States, Native peoples today represent half of the languages and cultures in our increasingly diverse society, including over 500 distinct cultural groups that reflect great geographic, linguistic, socio-economic, and educational diversity. Continue to What impact did the arrival of Europeans have on the Indigenous peoples of the Americas? >> back >> |
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