South America is a continent of great environmental and cultural contrast. Vast
Patagonian grasslands, Amazonian tropical rainforests, and the Andean highlands
and deserts sustained distinct pre-Columbian ways of life. In the grasslands,
people lived in small bands and hunted guanacos (a member of the camel family)
and flightless birds called rheas. In the Andes, people transformed the landscape
by terracing steep slopes and irrigating deserts. Their farming sustained permanent
settlements and laid the foundations for the remarkable civilizations that astounded
the Spanish conquistadors who arrived in the 16th century. In the tropical forests,
people lived in communal houses, grew manioc in small clearings, and depended
heavily on wild animals and plants.
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| Hunters on the Grasslands |
Silver Crafted in the Andes |
Feather Headdress from Rainforest Birds |
