Ancient American Civilizations

The Americas were home to advanced civilizations that arose entirely independently of those in Europe, Asia and Africa. In the Andes of South America, the Inca built the largest empire of the pre-Columbian Americas, governing a vast territory along the mountainous spine of the continent from their capital at Cusco. They are renowned for stone architecture fitted together without mortar, for terraced farming on steep slopes, and for an extensive network of roads that bound the empire together. The Inca kept records using the quipu, an arrangement of knotted cords, rather than a written script.

To the north, in the region known as Mesoamerica, other great cultures flourished. The Maya developed a fully written script, sophisticated calendars and accomplished mathematics and astronomy, and built cities with stepped pyramids across the lowlands of present-day Mexico and Central America. The Aztec, centred on the island city of Tenochtitlan, ruled a powerful empire supported by tribute and an elaborate religious life. These societies traded, warred and built monumental architecture long before European arrival.

Much of what is known about these civilizations comes from archaeology, which recovers cities, temples, art and everyday objects, supplemented by surviving texts and the accounts of later writers. The arrival of Europeans in the sixteenth century brought conquest and disease that destroyed these empires, yet their descendants and cultural legacies endure across Latin America.

Frequently asked questions

Who were the Inca?

The Inca built the largest pre-Columbian empire in the Andes of South America, known for mortarless stone architecture, terraced farming and an extensive road network.

What was a quipu?

A quipu was a device of knotted cords used by the Inca to record numerical and other information in place of a conventional writing system.

Where did the Maya and Aztec live?

The Maya and Aztec lived in Mesoamerica, the region of present-day Mexico and Central America, where they built cities, pyramids and complex societies.