Reading about prehistory Human history in North and South America began at least thirteen thousand years ago, but written records from ancient times are scarce and difficult to decipher. When the Spanish arrived in the Americas in 1492, they began to record history in a style of writing that contemporary people can easily understand. The period before the Spanish began their written documentation of life in the Americas--more than ten thousand years of history--is called American prehistory. It is important to note, however, that historians learned to read Maya glyph-writing at the end of the twentieth century. Glyphs are figures, often carved into stone or wood, used as symbols to represent words or ideas. The distinction between American history and prehistory is not as clear cut as it has previously been described.

On the whole, materials other than written texts are usually the fundamental sources of information about pre-Columbian civilizations. Most historians base their view of the prehistoric past on evidence that comes from science, particularly from the field of archaeology. Archaeology is the scientific recovery and study of artifacts (objects made or used by humans) of earlier human life, such as burials, buildings, and pottery. By examining artifacts, archaeologists try to reconstruct the daily lives of the people of early cultures. Reading about prehistoric times often involves reading about discoveries made during a series of excavations (carefully digging out or uncovering artifacts or human remains left behind by past human societies so that they can be viewed and studied). In prehistory, there are few names or faces for the millions of individuals who lived in ancient times, and there are many mysteries that remain unsolved.

Historians have accumulated many more details about the Incas, the Aztecs, and the Mayas than they have for other Andean or Mesoamerican peoples. The Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs were still around in large numbers at the time the Spaniards arrived. Many accounts from the conquistadors, the soldiers who overthrew the native civilizations, describe the people and their habits. Although these are helpful, they are the words of the conqueror about the defeated. It was not in the best interest of the Spaniards to depict the native civilizations as sympathetic after they destroyed them; nor did they wish to paint the Americas as a place of advancement, since Spain was intent on establishing colonies and ruling over the residents.

Those who survived the invasion were able to tell the story of their people, or at least the portion of the story that they knew. Some of the survivors learned to write in Spanish and recorded the stories that had been passed down to them by the elders of their communities. Unfortunately, the Spanish were intent on destroying these cultures and converting the native people of America to Christianity and European culture. Many native people who learned to read and write had been taught that the things their ancestors believed were wrong. Recounting their stories for Spanish missionaries and others who might judge them harshly, they were often apt to change them to make them more agreeable to their new rulers, priests, and teachers. The written records are very valuable, if not always factually accurate, in understanding the ancient peoples and their traditions. Historians usually verify these accounts with the knowledge gained through archaeology to create a more balanced study of prehistory.

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