Venus of Santarem (Brazil, ca. 1400-1000 BC) When did people get to Brazil? The first people probably arrived on the Atlantic coast of South America about 15,000 BC. Probably a second wave [...]
Arawak history: Arawak family in Trinidad, ca. 1500 AD The Arawak arrive in Venezuela The Arawak probably first arrived in South America with the second wave of people, around 15,000 BC. They [...]
Aztec men sharing a meal What did early people eat? When people first came to Central and South America, perhaps about 15,000 BC, they hunted and gathered all of their food. They picked wild potatoes, [...]
A llama in Bolivia - llamas live in South America Where did llamas come from? Llamas evolved from camels. Camels evolved in North America about 45 million years ago. They lived in the [...]
The Andes mountains run down the Pacific side of South America South America is a long, narrow continent running from the equator down nearly to the South Pole. So the north [...]
Olmec Pyramid, La Venta, Mexico (500 BC) The earliest big buildings from South America are in Ecuador and Peru, along the Pacific coast. The Norte Chico people and the Valdivia people built [...]
South American history: Aztec doctor treating people with smallpox (1500s AD, Codex Mendoza) The Inca, Brazil, and Chile In 1500 AD, the Inca Empire dominated the east coast of South America. Further north, [...]
Arawak or Carib woman swimming with her kids - Caribbean islands ca. 1580 AD Who are the Carib people? Arawak people had conquered the Caribbean islands about 300 BC. Then about 1200 AD, [...]
History of Brazil: The Tapuia people, ca. 1650 (by Albert Eckhout) Tupi war with Tapuia In the late 1400s AD, the Tupi people had just won a big war with the Tapuia people. [...]
A big rubber tree in Mexico Olmec people, living in southern Mexico, invented rubber about 1600 BC. It was just as they were beginning to build their empire. Rubber starts out as [...]
