Highland empires, coastal artisans, and road systems that bent mountains to their will.
Mesoamerica
Includes the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, and Mexica/Aztec.
The Andes
Includes the Chavín, Moche, Nazca, Wari, Tiwanaku, and Inca.
South America
Includes the Chimor, Mochehe and Inca civilization in the Andes.
The Caribbean
Includes the Taíno, Carib, and the Arawak from the Eastern and Western Caribbean Islands
Northern North America
Indigenous tribes in regions north of the Rio Grande include: the Coahuiltecan, the Lipan Apache and Comanche, the Hopewell Culture and Mississippi Culture, and the Iroquois Confederacy: Comprising the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and later the Tuscarora nations.
Amazonia
Includes the Yanomamo, Kayapo, Marajoara, and the Tapajó.
Southern North America
Indigenous tribes in regions south of the Rio Grande include: The Coahuiltecan, Lipan Apache, Tonkawa, Karankawa, and the Jumano.
Quick Facts
- Major cultures: Chavín, Nazca, Moche, Wari, Tiwanaku, Inca
- Timeframes: c. 1200 BCE – 1530s CE
- Notable customs & beverages: ancestor veneration, textile mastery; chicha (maize/manioc)
- Languages/scripts: Quechua, Aymara; quipu record-keeping
Timeline of the Ancestors
- 900–200 BCE — Chavín — Pan-Andean iconography; Chavín de Huántar.
- 200 BCE–600 CE — Nazca — Geoglyph lines; polychrome ceramics.
- 100–800 CE — Moche — Fine metalwork and narrative pottery on the north coast.
- 500–1000 CE — Wari & Tiwanaku — Administrative centers; khipu precursors; highland expansion.
- 1200–1530s CE — Inca — Tawantinsuyu road network, terrace agriculture, state storehouses.
Sites & Landscapes
- Chavín de Huántar — Ritual complex with subterranean galleries.
- Nazca Lines — Vast geoglyphs across the pampas.
- Machu Picchu — Royal estate with masterful stonework.
Customs & Beverages
- Rituals: ancestor bundles, mountain offerings.
- Daily life: terrace farming, llama/alpaca herding, textile production.
- Beverages: chicha for work parties and festivals.
Artifacts & Iconography
- Spondylus shells, tumi knives, feathered textiles, quipo/quipu cords.
Language & Scripts
- Quechua, Aymara; quipu for accounting/records (non-alphabetic).
Further Reading & Sources
- Add 3–6 reputable sources or museum pages here.
Latest in this region
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