Paleo-Amerindians, whose presence in Quebec can be traced back 10,000 years, preceded the Algonquian and Iroquoian aboriginal peoples, with whom the Europeans first made contact in the 16th century.
Some 8,500 years ago, the south of Quebec became habitable as it grew warmer. The first peoples began to immigrate on what is today the Province of Quebec. They were the ancestors of today's Algonquian and Iroquoian peoples.