Maya temples and a stepped pyramid in a misty rainforest, illustration

Latin America

Machu Picchu, the Inca city in the Peruvian Andes Inca Empire of the sun
A Paracas mummy wrapped in red cloth Paracas The first surgeons of ancient Peru
The monkey geoglyph with its spiral tail in the Nazca desert Nazca Art carved into the desert
The Gate of the Sun at Tiwanaku, Bolivia Tiwanaku Gateway to the spirit world
A carved stone head from the temple walls at Chavín de Huántar Chavín Gods of stone
A Moche ceramic vessel with human figures Moche Masters of ancient pottery
Adobe walls and a statue at Chan Chan Chimú Architecture born of mud
A stone building among the ruins of the city of Wari Wari Builders of planned Andean cities
Christopher Columbus with a globe Christopher Columbus The voyage that changed the course of history
A Taíno village on a riverbank, painting Taíno The people who met Columbus
A Carib family in an old European illustration Caribs Warriors of the Lesser Antilles
The Aztec Sun Stone Aztecs Empire on the lake
A colossal Olmec stone head Olmecs Mother culture of Mesoamerica
The pyramid of El Castillo at Chichén Itzá at sunset Maya Masters of the stars and of writing
A Shuar man with a feather crown and face paint Jivaro Warriors of the jungle
Portrait of a Yanomami with red patterns painted on the face Yanomami Guardians of the rainforest

Cultures through time

When the ancient civilizations of the Andes and Mesoamerica existed. The Maya lasted for more than three millennia, while the Aztec and Inca empires arose only a few centuries before the arrival of the Spanish.

Columbus, 1492
  1. Maya2000 BC – AD 1697
  2. Olmecs1200–400 BC
  3. Chavínc. 900–200 BC
  4. Paracas700 BC – AD 200
  5. Nazca100 BC – AD 600
  6. MocheAD 200–700
  7. Tiwanakuc. AD 500–1000
  8. Waric. AD 600–1000
  9. Chimúc. AD 900–1470
  10. Aztecs1325–1521
  11. Inca1438–1533
Map of Latin America with the regions of Mesoamerica, the Caribbean, Amazonia and the Andes

Introduction

This site is an introduction to the ethnohistory of Latin America, from the Valley of Mexico to Patagonia. It is divided into four parts: the Andes, the Antilles, Mesoamerica and Amazonia.

On the YouTube channel you can watch short historical videos.

Short stories from history