The Nazca people begin construction of the Nazca Lines in Peru
Scratched on the ground, they number in the thousands and depict creatures from both the natural world and the human imagination.
Peru
Ancient Andeans build first city in the Americas, Caral, in modern-day Peru
Caral was a large settlement in the Supe Valley, near Supe, Barranca Province, Peru. Caral is the most ancient city of the Americas and a well-studied site of the Norte Chico civilization.
Humans of the Andes domesticate quinoa
Quinoa was first domesticated by Andean peoples around 3,000 to 4,000 years ago and has been an important staple in the Andean cultures.
Humans settled near Lake Titicaca domesticate the potato
Various cultures of indigenous peoples in Bolivia developed in the high altitude settings of altiplano, where they coped with low oxygen levels, poor soils and extreme weather patterns.
The ancient people of South America independently invent clothing
Guitarrero Cave has evidence of human use around 8,000 B.C.E. In the 1960s, archeologists discovered artifacts in an extraordinary state of preservation at the site. Remarkably, textiles, wood and leather tools, and basketry have been preserved intact.
Humans settle in the high Andes
Comparing these DNA sequences revealed that the Andes’ lowland and highland peoples split about 8,750 years ago, give or take a few centuries.