Paleo texas

Paleo-Indian

The earliest Indigenous peoples in North America who lived during the Ice Age; nomadic hunters and gatherers who followed large game like mammoths and bison.

megafauna

Large Ice Age animals that lived during the Paleo‑Indian period — including mammoths, mastodons, giant bison, saber‑toothed cats, and other oversized species

clovis

Early Paleo‑Indian culture known for fluted spear points used to hunt megafauna.

atlal

A spear‑throwing tool that lets hunters launch spears farther and harder.

Gault site

A major Texas archaeological site with Clovis and pre‑Clovis artifacts showing early Paleo‑Indian life.

mcfaddin beach

Texas beach where thousands of Paleo‑Indian tools (including Clovis points) have been found.

Archaic period

A period when Indigenous peoples became less nomadic, hunted smaller game, gathered plants, used grinding stones, and developed more complex tools and social structures after the Ice Age.

hunter-gathering

Getting food by hunting animals and gathering wild plants; highly mobile lifestyle.

rancheria

A small, family‑based Indigenous settlement made of scattered huts or shelters.

hindis cave

South Texas archaeological site with Archaic‑period tools and food remains showing early daily life.

petroglyphs

Carved images or symbols made on rock surfaces by ancient peoples.

carin burials

Graves marked by piles of stones placed over the body.