what was the first native american civilization and why?

by [deleted]

north or south. what qualifies a civilization?

Andlat

If I recall correctly from my American archaeology class, it was the Norte Chico in Peru around 30th century BCE to the 18th century BCE. They had quite a few population centers which included monumental architecture. As far as I know, they did not have writing or ceramics, so it's only the monumental architecture and many population centers with a common culture that would define them as a complex society, at least in my mind.