Arequipa Dancers

Although largely unknown to most travelers, one of the most influential ancient cultures of South America is that of Chavín. It served as an important pilgrimage site from roughly 1200-500 B.C.E. As it rose in prominence, artwork bearing its religious symbols began appearing throughout the central Andes and down to the Peruvian coast. This expansion points towards a widespread transformation of the Andean belief system within the archeological timeline, in what's been dubbed the Early Horizon.

Within the coastal desert of north-central Peru, a series of river valleys flow down from the towering Andes into the sea. In recent decades, archeological excavations in this region have begun to uncover the remains of some of the earliest ancient cities within the Americas. Dozens of step-pyramid complexes have already been unearthed across numerous sites, while many more still hold their secrets buried beneath the sands. Remarkably, the construction of some of these have now been shown to ...

In terms of its historical significance, Cartagena de Indias was the most important city to emerge in the expansion of the Spanish Empire, playing a central role in the unfolding of South America's colonial period. It was founded in 1533, a few decades after the Spanish began their conquest of the New World. Situated on Colombia’s north coast, next to the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, it was an ideal location, with natural harbors protecting their fleet of ships. It quickly became an imp...