A history written in mountains
Across coast, highland and forest, generations built worlds shaped by altitude, exchange, ritual and an enduring knowledge of the land.
Explore the chapters↓Not one people, but many
The Andes form the spine of western South America. Along this immense range, communities adapted to coastal desert, fertile valleys, high plateaus and cloud forests—creating some of the most sophisticated societies in the ancient Americas.
These chapters trace that shared story through architecture, art, belief, daily life and empire. They also follow it beyond conquest into the languages, knowledge and traditions sustained by Andean peoples today.
From desert valleysEastAmazonian slopes
to the roof of the world.
The Andean archive
Choose a chapter to explore the ideas, places and peoples that shaped life along the world's longest continental mountain range.
The Andeans were the peoples and civilisations that developed along the vast mountain chain of the Andes in western South America. The Andes stretch for thousands of kilometres through modern Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bo…
Read chapter →Andean architecture developed across one of the most geographically demanding regions of the ancient world. From the deserts of coastal Peru to the high plateaus of Bolivia and the steep valleys of the central Andes, builders crea…
Read chapter →Andean art developed across thousands of years among the diverse cultures of western South America. It included textiles, pottery, metalwork, stone carving, woodwork, featherwork, murals and monumental sculpture. Rather than separ…
Read chapter →Religion was central to the societies of the ancient Andes. Across the mountains, valleys, deserts and high plateaus of western South America, communities developed religious traditions that connected human life with the forces of…
Read chapter →The traditional Andean way of life developed over thousands of years in one of the most challenging environments in the world. Stretching along the western edge of South America, the Andes contain high mountains, deep valleys, dry…
Read chapter →The highlands of the Andes were home to some of the most distinctive and influential cultures of ancient South America. Stretching through modern Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, northern Chile and northwestern Argentina, the Andean highla…
Read chapter →The Andes were home to a succession of powerful kingdoms, regional states and confederations long before the rise of the Inca Empire. Stretching across modern Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, northern Chile and northwestern Argentina, the…
Read chapter →The greatest empire of the ancient Andes was the Inca Empire, known to its rulers as Tawantinsuyu, the “Land of the Four Quarters.” At its height in the early sixteenth century, it stretched across much of western South America, i…
Read chapter →The legacy of the ancient Andes remains alive across South America. Although great states such as Tiwanaku, Wari, Chimor and the Inca Empire disappeared centuries ago, many of the cultural traditions developed by Andean peoples co…
Read chapter →Andean architecture developed across one of the most geographically demanding regions of the ancient world. From the deserts of coastal Peru to the high plateaus of Bolivia and the steep valleys of the central Andes, builders crea…
Read chapter →Astronomy played an important role in the societies of the ancient Andes. Peoples living across modern Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, northern Chile and northwestern Argentina carefully observed the Sun, Moon, stars and Milky Way and con…
Read chapter →Routes across the Andes were essential to the development of ancient South American civilisation. The mountain chain stretches for thousands of kilometres through modern Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, creat…
Read chapter →A living inheritance
Andean cultures remain alive in languages, agriculture, textiles, music, ceremony and community. The past is not a distant country here; it continues to shape the present.
Meet the peoples