Editing South America (section)

===Pre-Columbian civilizations===
{{Main|Pre-Columbian era#South America}}

[[File:Machu Picchu, Perú, 2015-07-30, DD 39.JPG|alt=|thumb|The Inca estate of [[Machu Picchu]], [[Peru]], is one of the [[New Seven Wonders of the World#Winners|New Seven Wonders of the World]].]]

The rise of plant growing and the subsequent appearance of permanent human settlements allowed for the multiple and overlapping beginnings of civilizations in South America.

One of the earliest known South American civilizations was [[Caral–Supe]], on the central Peruvian coast. Though a pre-ceramic culture, the monumental architecture of Caral–Supe created one of the first cities of the world, generally dated to around 3500 BC, at [[Huaricanga]] in the [[Fortaleza River (Peru)|Fortaleza]] area, contemporaneous with the pyramids of [[Ancient Egypt]], one of the [[Cradle of civilization|oldest-known civilizations]] in the Americas and one of the six sites where civilization separately originated in the ancient world.<ref name="AncientAndes">{{cite news|title=The Ancient Andes|url=https://historyguild.org/the-ancient-andes/|access-date=2 April 2023|publisher=History Guild}}</ref> Caral–Supe governing class established a trade network and developed agriculture then followed by [[Chavín]] by 900 BC, according to some estimates and archaeological finds. Artifacts were found at a site called [[Chavín de Huantar]] in modern Peru at an elevation of {{convert|3177|m|sp=us||}}. Chavín civilization spanned 900 BC to 300 BC.

In the central coast of Peru, around the beginning of the 1st millennium AD, [[Moche (culture)|Moche]] (100 BC&nbsp;– 700 AD, at the northern coast of Peru), [[Paracas culture|Paracas]] and [[Nazca culture|Nazca]] (400 BC&nbsp;– 800 AD, Peru) cultures flourished with centralized states with permanent militia improving agriculture through [[irrigation]] and new styles of ceramic art. At the [[Altiplano]], Tiahuanaco or [[Tiwanaku]] (100 BC&nbsp;– 1200 AD, Bolivia) managed a large commercial network based on religion.

Around the 7th century, both Tiahuanaco and Wari or [[Wari culture|Huari]] Empire (600–1200, Central and northern Peru) expanded its influence to all the Andean region, imposing the Huari urbanism and Tiahuanaco religious iconography.

The [[Muisca]] were the main indigenous civilization in what is now Colombia. They established the [[Muisca Confederation]] of many clans, or ''[[cacique|cacicazgos]]'', that had a free trade network among themselves. Many were goldsmiths and farmers.

Other important Pre-Columbian cultures include: the [[Cañari]]s (in south central Ecuador), [[Chimú Empire]] (1300–1470, Peruvian northern coast), [[Chachapoyas culture|Chachapoyas]], and the Aymaran kingdoms (1000–1450, Western Bolivia and southern Peru).
Holding their capital at the great city of [[Cusco]], the [[Inca civilization]] dominated the Andes region from 1438 to 1533. Known as ''Tawantin suyu'', and "the land of the four regions", in [[Quechua languages|Quechua]], the [[Inca Empire]] was highly distinct and developed. Inca rule extended to nearly a hundred linguistic or ethnic communities, some nine to fourteen million people connected by a 25,000 kilometer [[Inca road system|road system]]. Cities were built with precise, unmatched stonework, constructed over many levels of mountain terrain. [[Terrace farming]] was a useful form of agriculture.

The [[Mapuche]] in Central and Southern Chile resisted the European and Chilean settlers, waging the [[Arauco War]] for more than 300 years.
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