New data suggests Indigenous Americas population peaked centuries before Columbus
Researchers are refining estimates of the Indigenous population in the Americas prior to 1492, with new data suggesting a peak around A.D. 1150. While earlier estimates varied wildly from 1 million to 112 million, recent studies using radiocarbon dating and archaeological data place the North American population at approximately 1.8 million to 2.5 million at the time of European contact. This timeline indicates that the population had already begun declining before Columbus arrived, potentially due to disease and denser settlements. Experts emphasize that the Americas were not empty, with complex civilizations like Cahokia existing at the time, which could have significantly altered the course of history if Europeans had arrived earlier.