South America to c. 1500

Cupisnique

1800 - 400 B.C.E.

This culture flourished on the coast of Peru, producing art that reaches back more than 3500 years.

Chavín

900 – 200 B.C.E.

Chavín de Huántar is an important archaeological site in the mountains of Peru with a massive temple complex that contains a fifteen-foot carved stone likely seen only by priests.

Nasca

1 - 700 C.E.

The Nasca people inhabited one of the driest regions of the world. They made geoglyphs that are among the world’s largest drawings.

Moche

200 - 900 C.E.

Moche architects and artists raised spectacular adobe pyramids. Their ceramics and jewelry are naturalistic and rich in imagery, inviting us to explore their world.

Chancay

c. 1000 - 1450

The Chancay people lived on the central coast of Peru, centered on the Chancay river valley (approximately 80 kilometers north of Lima) from c. 1000 C.E. until their conquest by the Chimú and then the Inka in the fifteenth century.

Chimú

950 - 1470 C.E.

Luxury goods abounded in the Kingdom of Chimor, which controlled parts of the northern Peruvian coast for several centuries.

Sicán

800 - 1250 C.E.

The Sicán culture was located on the north coast of Peru, and is sometimes referred to as Lambayeque.

Inka

1438 - 1532 C.E.

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Inka textiles, ceramics and architecture all reflect the power and ambition of their extensive empire.

Ancient Colombian Chiefdoms

c.500 B.C.E. - c.1600 C.E.

The Quimbaya and Tairona cultures from what is today Colombia used gold not as currency, but to assert the semi-divine status of their rulers.