Why were the first people living in north america and south america called indians

All though some indigenous peoples of the Americas were traditionally hunter-gatherers—and many, especially in the Amazon basin, still are—many groups practiced aquaculture and agriculture. The impact of their agricultural endowment to the world is a testament to their time and work in reshaping and cultivating the flora indigenous to the Americas.[27] Although some societies depended heavily on agriculture, others practiced a mix of farming, hunting and gathering. In some regions the indigenous peoples created monumental architecture, large-scale organized cities, city-states, chiefdoms, states, kingdoms and empires. Among these are the Aztec, Inca and Maya states that until the 16th century were among the most politically and socially advanced nations in the world. They had a vast knowledge of engineering, architecture, mathematics, astronomy, writing, physics, medicine, planting and irrigation, geology, mining, sculpture and goldsmithing.

answer; /// the correct answer is evidence of the olmec civilization has been found in southern american in a hot steamy forest, archaeologists have found earthen artifacts at several sites that were evidence of the olmec civilization. these   artifacts were mounds,courtyards and pyramids build of stones, also on top of the mounds were many monuments made of stone, some of these stone structures are very large, they weigh as much as 44

the indians crossed artificial boundaries, setting the stage for conflict