From early settlement, the cultures of South America have been diverse and complex as a result of isolation of various regions, the mobility of generations of people within their environments, such as in the woodlands or in the savanna, and the amount of people which allowed them to maintain their numbers.
Although the date that humans came into South America is questioned, ranging from 35,000 to 11,000 years ago, a major entry is agreed to have occurred during the later date. There is evidence of anatomical variation in Brazil, giving more weight to Dillehay’s suggestions noted above. Over the centuries, South America has been colonized by European countries such as Portugal and Spain, enslaved, and made the depository of African slaves. In this way, there has been a mixing of the races and of cultures. At various modern times, South America has seen a great influx of people from other countries. The World Wars brought Europeans who needed to escape the wars. Although indigenous people of South America were sometimes immune to the changes that occurred in more populated areas, as exploration and discovery of natural resources brought others into these isolated places, even they were impacted. South America has shown rapid changes in culture and adaptation in various regions over time as a result of the arrival of new people, climate changes, changes within the regional populations, imitating of neighbors, changing levels of natural resources, and the continuing changing lifestyles and cultures that identify all humans. South America has truly shown itself to be a melting pot of humanity
