Editing History of South America (section)

===Agriculture and domestication of animals===
The first evidence for the existence of agricultural practices in South America dates back to circa 6500 BCE, when [[potato]]es, [[Chili pepper|chilies]] and [[bean]]s began to be cultivated for food in the [[Amazon Basin]]. Pottery evidence suggests that [[manioc]], which remains a staple food supply today, was being cultivated as early as 2000 BCE.<ref name="O'Brien, Patrick 2005. pp. 25">O'Brien, Patrick. (General Editor). ''Oxford Atlas of World History''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. p. 25</ref>

South American cultures began domesticating [[llamas]] and [[alpacas]] in the highlands of the [[Andes]] circa 3500 BCE. These animals were used for both transportation and meat; their fur was shorn or collected to use to make clothing.<ref name="O'Brien, Patrick 2005. pp. 25"/> [[Guinea pig]]s were also domesticated as a food source at this time.<ref>Diamond, Jared. ''Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies''. New York: Norton, 1999, p. 100</ref>

By 2000 BCE, many agrarian village communities had developed throughout the Andes and the surrounding regions. Fishing became a widespread practice along the coast, with fish being the primary source of food for those communities. Irrigation systems were also developed at this time, which aided in the rise of agrarian societies.<ref name="O'Brien, Patrick 2005. pp. 25"/> The food crops were [[quinoa]], [[maize|corn]], [[lima bean]]s, [[common bean]]s, [[peanut]]s, [[manioc]], [[sweet potato]]es, [[potato]]es, [[oxalis tuberosa|oca]] and [[squash (plant)|squashes]].<ref>Diamond, Jared. ''Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies''. New York: Norton, 1999 (pp. 126–27)</ref> [[Cotton]] was also grown and was particularly important as the only major fiber crop.<ref name="O'Brien, Patrick 2005. pp. 25"/>

Among the earliest permanent settlements, dated to 4700 BCE is the [[Huaca Prieta]] site on the coast of Peru, and at 3500 BCE the [[Valdivia culture]] in Ecuador. Other groups also formed permanent settlements. Among those groups were the [[Muisca people|Muisca]] or "Muysca," and the Tairona, located in present-day Colombia. The [[Cañari]] of Ecuador, [[Quechua people|Quechua]] of Peru, and [[Aymara people|Aymara]] of Bolivia were the three most important Native peoples who developed societies of sedentary agriculture in South America. <!-- In what way important? What does this mean? -->

In the last two thousand years, there may have been contact with the [[Polynesia]]ns who sailed to and from the continent across the South Pacific Ocean. The sweet potato, which originated in South America, [[Sweet potato#Origin, distribution and diversity|spread]] through some areas of the Pacific. There is no genetic legacy of human contact.<ref>Howe, Kerry R., ''The Quest for Origins,'' Penguin Books, 2003, {{ISBN|0-14-301857-4}}, pp. 81, 129</ref>

[[File:Índios isolados no Acre 5.jpg|thumb|Members of an uncontacted tribe encountered in the [[Brazil]]ian state of [[Acre (state)|Acre]] in 2009]]
====Caral-Supe / Norte Chico====
[[File:Caral 1.JPG|thumb|220px|[[Caral]]]]
On the north-western coast of present-day [[Peru]], the [[Caral-Supe civilization]], also known as the [[Norte Chico civilization]] emerged as one of six civilizations to develop independently in the world. It was roughly contemporaneous with the Egyptian pyramids. It preceded the civilization of [[Mesoamerica]] by two millennia. It is believed to have been the only civilization dependent on fishing rather than agriculture to support its population.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1059519|title=Dating Caral, a Preceramic Site in the Supe Valley on the Central Coast of Peru|first1=Ruth Shady|last1=Solis|first2=Jonathan|last2=Haas|first3=Winifred|last3=Creamer|date=April 27, 2001|journal=Science|volume=292|issue=5517|pages=723–726|via=science.sciencemag.org|doi=10.1126/science.1059519|pmid=11326098|bibcode=2001Sci...292..723S|s2cid=10172918}}</ref>

The [[Caral|Caral Supe]] complex is one of the larger Norte Chico sites and has been dated to 27th century BCE. It is noteworthy for having absolutely no signs of warfare. It was contemporary with urbanism's rise in [[Mesopotamia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-04/AAft-Oeoc-2604101.php|title=Oldest evidence of city life in the Americas reported in Science, early urban planners emerge as power players|website=EurekAlert!|access-date=2016-03-22|archive-date=2017-12-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213083019/https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-04/AAft-Oeoc-2604101.php}}</ref>