▁P ira h ã ▁of ▁South ▁America . ▁These ▁cult ures ▁later ▁developed ▁into ▁civil izations . ▁In ▁many ▁cases , ▁these ▁cult ures ▁expanded ▁at ▁a ▁later ▁date ▁than ▁their ▁Old ▁World ▁counter parts . ▁Cult ures ▁that ▁may ▁be ▁considered ▁advanced ▁or ▁civil ized ▁include ▁Norte ▁Ch ico , ▁C ah ok ia , ▁Z ap ot ec , ▁Tol te c , ▁Ol m ec , ▁May a , ▁Az te c , ▁Ch im or , ▁Mix te c , ▁Mo che , ▁Mississ ipp ian , ▁P ue blo an , ▁Tot on ac , ▁Te ot ih u ac an , ▁Hu aste c ▁people , ▁Pur é pe cha , ▁Iz apa , ▁Maz ate c , ▁M uis ca , ▁and ▁the ▁In ca . ▁ ▁After ▁the ▁voy ages ▁of ▁Christopher ▁Columb us ▁in ▁ 1 4 9 2 , ▁Spanish ▁and ▁later ▁Portuguese , ▁English , ▁French ▁and ▁Dutch ▁colonial ▁exped itions ▁arrived ▁in ▁the ▁New ▁World , ▁conqu ering ▁and ▁sett ling ▁the ▁discovered ▁lands , ▁which ▁led ▁to ▁a ▁transformation ▁of ▁the ▁cultural ▁and ▁physical ▁landscape ▁in ▁the ▁Amer icas . ▁Spain ▁colon ized ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁Amer icas ▁from ▁present - day ▁South western ▁United ▁States , ▁Florida ▁and ▁the ▁Car ib bean ▁to ▁the ▁southern ▁tip ▁of ▁South ▁America . ▁Portugal ▁settled ▁in ▁what ▁is ▁mostly ▁present - day ▁Brazil ▁while ▁England ▁established ▁colon ies ▁on ▁the ▁Eastern ▁coast ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁North