Paleo-Indians

Paleo-Indians or Paleo-Americans were the first peoples who entered, and subsequently
inhabited, the Americasduring the final glacial episodes of the late Pleistocene period. The
prefix paleo-comes from the Ancient Greek adjective: παλαιός, romanized: palaiós, lit. 'old; ancient'.
The term Paleo-Indians applies specifically to the lithic period in the Western Hemisphere and is
distinct from the term Paleolithic.[note 1]

Traditional theories suggest that big-animal hunters crossed the Bering Strait from North Asia into
the Americas over a land bridge (Beringia). This bridge existed from 45,000 to 12,000 BCE (47,000–
14,000 BP).[1] Small isolated groups of hunter-gatherers migrated alongside herds of
large herbivores far into Alaska. From c. 16,500 – c. 13,500 BCE (c. 18,500 – c. 15,500 BP), ice-free
corridors developed along the Pacific coast and valleys of North America.[2] This allowed animals,
followed by humans, to migrate south into the interior of the continent. The people went on foot or
used boats along the coastline. The precise dates and routes of the peopling of the Americas remain
subjects of ongoing debate.[3] At least two morphologically different Paleo-Indian populations were
coexisting in different geographical areas of Mexico 10,000 years ago.[4]