Question

How long before Columbus first came to what he called the New World had people lived in North and South America?

No one lived in the Americas before Columbus arrived.
People lived in the Americas for 10-15 years before Columbus arrived.
People had lived in the Americas for tens of thousands of years before Columbus arrived.

Answer 1

People had live in the Americas for tens of thousands of years before Columbus arrived.

North and South America had had inhabitants for many years, as evidenced by the highly complex cultures present there.