Ancient America was home to sophisticated civilizations such as the Maya, Inca, Olmec and Aztec societies, and mysterious ruins like Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan, Serpent Mound, Tikal, Machu Picchu...

In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus 's voyage in 1492.

The term Latin America originated in the 1830s, primarily through Michel Chevalier, who proposed the region could ally with "Latin Europe" against other European cultures. It primarily refers to the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries in the New World.

Sep 8, 2024 · The best-known civilization in the Americas is perhaps the Aztec civilization, largely because they were at the height of their power and influence when the Spanish arrived. Warlike, intractable, and aggressive, the Aztecs conquered much of Central America.

Oct 29, 2009 · The Maya, a civilization of Indigenous people in Central America, created a complex Mayan calendar and massive pyramids before their empire collapsed into ruins.

5 days ago · history of Latin America, history of the region from the pre- Columbian period and including colonization by the Spanish and Portuguese beginning in the 15th century, the 19th-century wars of independence, and developments to the end of the 20th century.

Mar 11, 2015 · The Inca Empire was a vast South American civilization that at its peak stretched over 2,500 miles. Overwhelmed by Spanish invaders, the Inca Empire collapsed in 1572.

Latin America c. 1800–1900. Browse this content; A beginner’s guide. Independence from Spanish rule in South America; Early Scientific Exploration in Latin America; Costumbrismo; Latin American artistic pilgrimages to Paris; Landscape Painting in Nineteenth-Century Latin America; The challenge of the nude in 19th-century Latin American painting

Feb 23, 2020 · Three of the most famous, and therefore most commonly confused, civilizations south of the U.S. border are the Aztecs, the Mayas, and the Incas. What did these great empires have in common, and what made them very, very different?

In the 1500s, when Spanish conquistadors appeared, two vast empires, those of the Aztecs and the Incas, dominated Central and South America. Both possessed divine kings, both were fractured by internal dissent, and both quickly succumbed to the Spanish onslaught.