Aridoamerica

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Aridoamerica was a broad cultural area in pre-Columbian North America used to describe the northern region of Mexico, in contrast to Mesoamerica (the south). There came a need to do this because of the vast differences between these two regions. Some archaeologists even delineate a third buffer zone, Oasisamerica. Unlike Mesoamerica, Aridoamerica had a dry, arid climate and geography. Because of the hard conditions, the people in this region were nomadic. The indigenous groups that occupied this land came to be known as Chichimecas, meaning barbaric, or uncivilized. The current Mexican states that lie in Aridoamerica are