While the phrase `` pre-Columbian era '' literally refers only to the time preceding Christopher Columbus 's voyages of 1492 , in practice the phrase usually is used to denote the entire history of American indigenous cultures until those cultures were conquered or significantly influenced by Europeans , even if this happened decades or centuries after Columbus 's first landing .
The word pre-Columbian refers to the era before Christopher Columbus , but sometimes it can include the history of American indigenous cultures as they continued to develop after the Christopher Columbus ' first landing in 1492 , until they were conquered or influenced by Europeans , even if this happened decades or even centuries after the arrival of Columbus .