[Music] Hello everyone and welcome to a new episode of our journey through time have you ever wondered where we come from Where the first inhabitants of the American continent and this land that we know today as Colombia come from If you are interested in discovering more about our roots I invite you to support us subscribe to this channel share comment And don't forget to like this video your support is crucial to continue our mission of spreading knowledge about the history that unites us today we will embark on a journey that will take us around 20,000 years back to the distant lands of northeast Asia as we explore this history let us remember that archaeology and paleontology are constantly evolving sciences and the information contained here reflects the latest findings but we will always be attentive to future revelations to begin with let us remember that Around the year 110,000 BC began the last glaciation also known as the late Pleistocene glaciation or commonly referred to as the last ice age this glaciation extended until approximately 9000 BC during this period the global climate became colder and drier with large expanses of ice covering parts of the continents especially the area of the northern hemisphere according to various archaeological and genetic studies this climate of the last ice age affected the ecosystems and resources available to prehistoric humans which probably influenced the migration patterns of these individuals leading them to seek new territories with better conditions and resources it is estimated that around the year 70,000 to 60,000 BC some groups of homo in Africa began to slowly migrate towards what we know today as Europe and Asia although Africa was not extensively glaciated the cold and dry climate of the glacial period reduced the available resources driving some groups of humans to seek new territories also the increase in population led them to explore additional habitable spaces these migrations occurred gradually as humans adapted to new environments and sought resources to support live in a world influenced by the climatic conditions of the last ice age several millennia after beginning their Journey from Africa to Europe and Asia certain nomadic groups found their home in the vast and frozen region that we know today as Siberia it is here where our narrative takes shape placing us Approximately in the year 25,000 BC in this period the world was in the final phase of the last ice age known as the Last Glacial Maximum this stage was the coldest of the entire Ice Age and after this period around 19,000 BC the climate began to slowly warm marking the beginning of a gradual transition towards deglaciation which was a process that would take thousands and thousands of years the human groups that during the last ice age inhabited that region that we know today as Siberia had adapted to the harsh climatic conditions over several generations like the vast majority of humans of the Pleistocene these groups are known in anthropology as hunter gatherers who developed a nomadic lifestyle based on the home of animals such as mammoths reindeer elk bison among others and the collection of plants and resources available in the environment this way of life allowed them to follow the migrations of the animals they hunted and take advantage of seasonal resources in different locations in addition to following animals that migrated in search of food other factors such as population growth and competition for resources may have motivated certain groups to explore new territories as these hunters ventured into new areas following their prey they likely discovered the Beringia land bridge located in what is now the Bearing Strait that separates Russia and Alaska during the coldest periods of the last ice age especially during the last glacial maximum the global sea level dropped significantly as large amounts of water were trapped in the huge ice caps and glaciers that covered much of the northern hemisphere as a result a vast expanse of land was exposed between Siberia and Alaska connecting Asia with North America this land bridge was not a narrow corridor but a huge mass of ice that stretched for hundreds of kilometers from north to south and east to west this region encompassed part of present day Eastern Siberia Alaska and portions of the Bering Strait Mariner the discovery of this bridge by Siberian hunter gatherers was a momentous moment in history these human groups were the ancestors of those who would later populate the vast American continent and whose future generations would reach the lands we know today as Colombia although there are some theories that suggest possible human migrations to America from other regions the most solid archaeological and genetic evidence indicates that the first large groups of settlers who spread widely across the American continent migrated from Siberia crossing the Beringia land bridge this migration possibly began between 18000 to 15000 BC although the exact dates continue to be a subject of academic debate crossing this icy bridge was not a feat that was achieved overnight but a gradual and very slow process that extended over thousands of years and multiple generations each generation driven by the instinct for survival and the need to find resources ventured a little further into this new and mysterious territory following the traces of the migrations of the animals that They hunted and adapted to the changing conditions they encountered along the way with each advance they drew closer to Alaska one of the entry points to a vast continent of which they probably had no prior knowledge but which would present them with a multitude of opportunities and challenges it is estimated that the first groups of hunter gatherers arrived in Alaska via the Beringia Land Bridge sometime between 18,000 and 12,000 BC once these groups reached the Americas they became known in anthropological and archaeological literature as Paleo Indians however it is important to clarify that the term Paleo Indian may be inaccurate as it reflects a Eurocentric perspective this is derived from paleo meaning ancient and Indian a term wrongly assigned by European explorers to the native peoples of the American continent during their voyages of exploration Europeans upon reaching the Americas mistakenly believed they had reached India hence the use of Indian it is therefore more appropriate to refer to these early inhabitants as the first settlers of the Americas or as American hunter gatherers which more accurately recognizes their true identity and historical context in Alaska some of these early exploratory groups settled and adapted to the arctic conditions and over thousands of years these early settlers gave rise to the development of cultures such as the Nenana and the Denali cultures these early cultures contributed significantly to the complex cultural mosaic of the region enriching the legacy that over time included the Alaskan Eskimo peoples such as the Inuit the Yupit and the Alut while some groups remained in Alaska and gave rise to the Eskimo cultures others continued their journey south driven by curiosity the need to find new resources and manage their growing population they ventured deeper into the American continent into the region we know today as Canada it is believed that these groups arrived in this territory between 14,000 and 12,000 BC over time the descendants of these explorers would contribute to the development of various archaeological cultures in North America including the Clovis Fsum and Plano cultures while some groups settled in Canada other nomads continued their Journey south arriving in the United States between 131 and 10,000 BC over the millennia the migrations and adaptations of these and later groups led to the development of diverse indigenous cultures and communities in North America including cultures such as those of the Navajo Apache Cheon Comanche Cherokee and Algonquin among others These cultures evolved from a combination of local heritages and new influences forming the rich diversity of indigenous peoples we know today continuing their march south some groups advanced motivated by survival and adaptation and around 12,000 BC they arrived in Mexico it was approximately at this point that the late Pleistocene ended and the Holocene period began marking the end of the ice age and the beginning of a gradually warming global climate this period the Holocene is the same period we live in today extending from here then to the present as the first settlers moved deeper into Mexico they found a landscape in transition from From deserts to emerging rainforests these early groups established communities that over time and continued cultural evolution laid the groundwork for Mesoamerican civilizations like the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs each adapting and responding to their unique environments Some groups of these native Central American peoples who did not stay in Mexico moved into Central America between approximately 12,000 and 11,000 BC encompassing Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. In this region of warm and humid climate, diverse cultures developed, such as the ancestors of the Mayans in Central America and the Chorotegas in Nicaragua around 11,000 to 10,000 BC. Certain groups reached the Panama Isthmus and encountered a lush tropical forest. There, cultures such as the Cuevas and the Monagrillo would emerge. They adapted their way of life to their environment and laid the groundwork for the development of more complex societies. The first groups of hunter- gatherers arrived in Colombia from the Panama Isthmus. Around the year 12,000 to 10,000 BC entering through the Darien region in the northeast of the country these groups initially explored the lush Caribbean region where some settled over time the continued occupation and cultural adaptation in this region contributed to the emergence of various indigenous cultures including the peoples in Vera and Cuna each developing its distinctive identity over the centuries continuing to expand eastward some groups reached the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta where their descendants would develop the amazing Tairona culture known for its stone cities and agricultural terraces on the fertile plains of the Sinú River the Senú culture would emerge master of goldsmithing and creator of a sophisticated hydraulic system from these Caribbean areas other groups moved southwest into the Pacific region here on the coasts of Nariño and Cauca the Tumaco culture evolved la Tolita distinguished by its advanced metallurgy and pottery in the Nariño highlands the Pasto culture was established standing out for its ceramics and adaptation to the mountainous landscapes simultaneously some explorers followed the mighty Cauca and Magdalena rivers inland reaching the Andean region. Here in the Cauca River Valley, many years later, cultures such as the Kimbaya and Kalima emerged, famous for their goldsmithing and ceramics. In the upper Magdalena in Hila, centuries after the initial arrival of hunter gatherers, the mysterious sculptors of San Agustín would emerge. Meanwhile, in the savannah of Bogotá, settlements that evolved over millennia eventually led to the development of the Muisca culture, known for their advanced agricultural techniques and the legendary legend of El Dorada. The adventure of Colombia's first inhabitants continued beyond the mountains onto the vast plains of the Orinoquia region, where over time cultures such as the Achaguas and the Salihuas settled. And finally, in the far south of the country, in the vast Amazon region, the descendants of these explorers gave rise to cultures such as the Huitotos, the Ticos, and the Tucanos. Who adapted amazingly to the rainforest, developing a deep knowledge of its flora. and its fauna so through millennia of exploration adaptation and development the first inhabitants of Colombia wove a tapestry of enormous cultural diversity that spans from the Caribbean to the Amazon and from the Pacific to the Orinoquia showing a complex legacy of migrations and cultural evolutions over the centuries after settling in Colombia some groups of hunter gatherers continued their migration south in a period approximately between 12,000 and 10,000 BC these cultures adapted to different environments and left a lasting legacy in the history of the cultural diversity of South America as we can see this journey through time reminds us that the history of Colombia and all of America is a great fabric with the threads of countless lives and cultures that intersected and merged in this continuum from the frozen steppes of Siberia in Asia to the lush Colombian lands our ancestors traveled thousands of kilometers a monumental feat that highlights their extraordinary ability to adapt survive and thrive in the most challenging environments each step of this long journey full of Courage and persistence speaks to us of the amazing human resilience, always reminding us that we are the result of an epic journey that began thousands of years ago, a journey that marked the history of humanity, and so ends this episode. I hope you enjoyed this space as much as I did and that you join me on this journey through time. Don't forget that history is everywhere around us and each one of us is a part of it. See you in the next episode, until then, explore, learn, make history, homeland H [Music]