The richness and diversity of Native American civilizations often go unremarked or forgotten. All of these were unknown in Europe prior to the discovery of the Americas. Native Americans were the first to practice land management and environmental safety to preserve their environment.
Many anthropologists subscribe to the idea that land determines lifestyles.
The amazing adaptability of Native Americans to a challenging land is evident in their tenacious response to harsh climates and predators of all kinds. Native Americans helped to form our modern-day concepts of medicine and pharmacology. Many tribes practiced surgical procedures and created medicines from herbs and oils. The Aztecs understood the role of the heart and blood flow, and used this knowledge in their approaches to circulatory problems, nutrition, and disease. Holistic approaches to healing, involving routine cleansing of the mind, body, and soul, were practiced all over the Americas.