The Americas had high population densities prior to European colonization
Multiple archaeological, genetic, and demographic studies confirm that indigenous populations in the Americas reached substantial densities and established complex agricultural societies prior to European colonization.
The retrieved papers provide strong genetic and archaeological evidence demonstrating significant pre-Columbian population growth, agricultural intensification, and demographic peaks across Mesoamerica, North America, and South America, directly supporting the claim.
A. González-Martín, A. Gorostiza, Lucía Regalado-Liu, Sergio Arroyo-Peña, S. Tirado, I. Nuño-Arana, R. Rubi-Castellanos, Karla Sandoval, M. Coble, H. Rangel-Villalobos. Demographic History of Indigenous Populations in Mesoamerica Based on mtDNA Sequence Data. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0131791
This study uses genetic and demographic reconstruction to show significant population growth and high effective population sizes in Mesoamerica prior to European contact.
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Milner GR, Boldsen JL. Population trends and the transition to agriculture: Global processes as seen from North America.. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2209478119
This paper discusses how the transition to intensive agriculture in North America supported increased population numbers and complex demographic trends during the Holocene.
Gregorio de Souza J, Alcaina Mateos J, Madella M. Archaeological expansions in tropical South America during the late Holocene: Assessing the role of demic diffusion.. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232367
This research examines the widespread archaeological expansions and demographic processes of farming cultures in tropical South America during the late Holocene.
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