Who were the first settlers in North America? Where did they come from? How did they survive? In this expansive one-volume account of the native peoples of North America, eminent historian William Brandon--who devoted much of his life to examining this subject--presents this revelatory history of the development and culture of the native peoples of North America, from their incipience through the late nineteenth century. From the Valley of Mexico to the Bering Straight, a multitude of diverse cultures settled and created art, healing medicines, and an agriculture that brought us maize, potatoes, chilies, avocado, and tobacco. Among those from central America were the art-obsessed Mayans and Olmecs; from North America came the Ojibwa, Powhatan, Cree, Illinois, Apache, Cherokee, Natchez, Sioux, and many others. In The Rise and Fall of North America's Indians, Brandon brings this world to life and chronicles 10,000 years of Indian history.