Lost Worlds of South America

Overview

Course No. 3120

Trek through the lost worlds of South America and discover exotic civilizations in this course on the culture, architecture, and history of these ancient peoples. Buried by the centuries on soaring mountain slopes and beneath arid deserts and lush jungles of South America, the remains of extraordinary, majestic civilizations—many unknown until recent decades—are now coming to light and raising tantalizing questions about what else may be awaiting discovery.

Take an adventurous trek to these wilds of South America and the great civilizations of the ancients. In 24 eye-opening lectures, you’ll take an in-depth look at the emerging finds and archaeological knowledge of more than 12 seminal civilizations, giving you rich insight into the creative vision and monumental achievements of these wellsprings of human life. The ancient South Americans show us striking models of how societies can function and organize themselves.

The technologies and social structures seen here were wholly invented, using no preexisting models, as these dynamic peoples struggled to tame their environment and carve out societies and empires. Recently unearthed marvels include elaborately prepared and adorned mummies that predate Egypt’s by 2000 years; imposing palaces, solar observatories, and dramatically decorated pyramids; stunning art objects in gold, turquoise, lapis lazuli, and ceramic; and evidence of huge urban civilizations in the Amazon.

In their amazing sophistication and scale, the sites reveal some of the most remarkable ancient artifacts found anywhere in the world. The breathtaking valleys, mountains, and deserts you will study in this course reveal wonders that rival anything we know of the ancient world. Travel with us to a lost and splendorous past—a fountainhead of civilization that speaks unforgettably of human striving, vision, and the indomitable will to endure.

Video Lessons

01: South America’s Lost Cradle of Civilization

Consider the remarkable evidence for South America as one of the true wellsprings of human civilization. Grasp the diversity of early South American cultures, from the Andean civilizations to the desert and Amazon regions; what these cultures shared; and their extraordinary innovations in agriculture, architecture, handcrafts, social organization, and religion.

Duration: 30 min

02: Discovering Peru’s Earliest Cities

The first cities in the Americas date to 3000 B.C. Investigate the means of subsistence of coastal and inland valley cities, and evidence for trade in marine and agricultural products. Learn about the sites of Kotosh, El Paraiso, and Caral and their striking features of architecture, including plazas, pyramids, and solar observatories.

Duration: 30 min

03: South America’s First People

The earliest evidence of humans in the Americas comes not from North America, but from Chile. Investigate the important Monte Verde site and its view into everyday life 15,000 years ago. Learn also about “Quilcas” cave art, the astonishing Chinchorro mummies—predating Egypt’s—and evidence of early agriculture and trade at Huaca Prieta.

Duration: 30 min

04: Ceramics, Textiles, and Organized States

Observe pivotal changes in northern Peruvian societies in 1800-900 B.C., such as the architectural styles of the southern and northern valleys, which indicate the rise of a state identity. Note the area’s earliest evidence of metallurgy and weaving, and stone sculptures reflecting the first warlike violence seen in South America.

Duration: 28 min

05: Chavin and the Rise of Religious Authority

The Peruvian site of Chavín marks the emergence of religion as the focus of public art. Study Chavín’s distinctive architecture, with images of its characteristic “fanged deity.” Learn about later religious iconography and artifacts at Chavín suggesting that it was the center of a cult that spread to other sites in the region.

Duration: 28 min

06: Cupisnique to Salinar-Elite Rulers and War

With the waning of Chavín’s culture, striking new elements appear in the region’s archaeological record. Here, encounter the Salinar culture, a new settlement pattern showing no ceremonial architecture and the first “elite” housing. Examine the evidence of defensive citadels and what may have triggered warfare and emerging social hierarchy.

Duration: 27 min

07: Paracas-Mummies, Shamans, and Severed Heads

Investigate the fascinating Paracas tombs of the 1st millennium B.C., which contain richly adorned mummies, and grasp the significance of mummification. Study the elaborate iconography of Paracas textiles, the meaning of the supernatural beings they depict, and the practice of head hunting as a means to control the spirits of the dead.

Duration: 29 min

08: The Nazca Lines and Underground Channels

The Nazca are yet another South American people of striking accomplishments. Learn about their remarkable irrigation system of underground aquifers, aqueducts, and wells, and their fine polychrome pottery and textiles. Penetrate the mystery of the “Nazca Lines,” massive geoglyphs scratched into the earth, which may be the result of ritual pilgrimage.

Duration: 30 min

09: The Moche-Pyramids, Gold, and Warriors

In the first of three lectures on the Andean Moche culture, chart this civilization’s outstanding features. Discover the immense pyramids, adorned with brilliant color murals, road systems, and sophisticated art. Examine the evidence of extensive warfare, both in the art and in excavated weaponry and sacrificial victims.

Duration: 28 min

10: The Moche-Richest Tombs in the New World

The Moche tombs offer compelling evidence of the culture’s social structure and cosmology. Investigate the sumptuous contents of the three principal tombs of Sipan—the enigmatic buried figures and dazzling costumes, jewelry, and surrounding objects. Contemplate who these buried people might have been, with relation to imagery in Moche art.

Duration: 28 min

11: The Moche-Drugs, Sex, Music, and Puppies

This lecture investigates the dramatic iconography seen on Moche ceramics. First, learn about the complex rituals and practices of modern South American shamanism. Then study images on Moche pottery usually interpreted as depicting victory in war, and indications that they actually describe an elaborate culture of shamanic healing.

Duration: 35 min

12: Enigmatic Tiwanaku by Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is the site of one of South America’s most impressive civilizations. Discover the huge urban complex of Tiwanaku and its cultural connections to Chavín de Huantar. Explore Tiwanaku’s mysterious architecture and its “raised field” agriculture, an engineering feat that allowed for the support of a large population.

Duration: 33 min

13: The Amazon-Civilization Lost in the Jungle

Recent discoveries indicate the presence of massive ancient civilizations in the Amazon. Survey the evidence, starting with the Beni region’s elaborate systems of mounds, causeways, and canals. Continue with the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon, noting wide areas of human-enriched soil, towns ringed by moats, geoglyphs, and pottery dating to 6000 B.C.

Duration: 28 min

14: The Wari-Foundations of the Inca Empire?

Here, track the remarkable innovations of the Wari culture, highlighting its walled cities, paved road systems, large-scale livestock herding, and ingenious form of terraced agriculture. Examine the evidence of satellite communities of the Wari and the question of whether Wari expansion constituted empire building or a more benign diffusion of culture.

Duration: 29 min

15: The Chimu-Empire of the Northern Coast

This lecture introduces a culture of warrior kings who became conquerors, second in influence only to the Inca. Learn about the Chimú’s extraordinary royal citadels, urban organization, and intervalley irrigation technology. Investigate their subjugation of neighboring cultures, their imperial administration centers, and what may have motivated their conquest.

Duration: 29 min

16: The Sican-Goldsmiths of the Northern Coast

Contrasting with the Chimú, Sican civilization comprised a confederation of equal and independent city-states. Study the apparent Moche influence in Sican pyramid building, elaborate burial styles, and extensive human sacrifice. Observe the unique qualities of Sican art in the mastery of metallurgy and stunning ritual objects in ceramic, gold, and copper.

Duration: 30 min

17: The Inca Origins-Mythology v. Archaeology

Begin your study of the great Inca civilization by tracing the culture’s origin myth, featuring a creator deity who made the cosmos and charged the Inca to found a kingdom in a fertile valley. Compare the mythology with archaeological evidence that suggests that the myths were based in part on historical truths.

Duration: 30 min

18: Cuzco and the Tawantinsuyu Empire

The city of Cuzco stands as the supreme achievement in architecture and aesthetics of pre-Columbian South America. Study the city’s astounding features, such as its hydraulic engineering, anti-seismic construction, and its perfectly fitting stonework that defies explanation. Learn also about the culture of ancestral mummies, the golden Coricancha temple, and other architectural marvels.

Duration: 31 min

19: The Inca-From Raiders to Empire

In charting the rise of Inca civilization, follow the pivotal reign of Pachacuti, the 9th Inca, whose vision to unify the Andes led to large-scale conquest. Learn how his heir, Tupac, doubled the imperial territories, and how the empire was ultimately torn apart by civil war and disease.

Duration: 29 min

20: The Inca-Gifts of the Empire

As a glimpse into how the empire functioned so effectively, learn about the Mit’a, a system of labor taxation, noting the services subjects provided to the empire and how they benefited in return. Grasp the Inca’s ingenious technology of road building, suspension bridges, and freeze-drying vegetables, and how they eliminated hunger.

Duration: 28 min

21: The Khipu-Language Hidden in Knots

The Inca used a complex system of records encoded on knotted strings. Study what is known of the khipu, starting with Spanish accounts of their use and the “khipucamayuq” who recorded and read them. Learn how numbers were encoded, and review evidence suggesting that the khipu may contain a form of writing.

Duration: 34 min

22: Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley

The mountainside complex of Machu Picchu was a royal estate of Pachacuti, the 9th Inca. Walk the site, entering at the Sun Gate, and explore the causeways, terraces, and many rooms of undetermined function. Study the solar-aligned Torreon and other astronomical structures of the site, and their significance in Inca cosmology.

Duration: 30 min

23: Spanish Contact-Pizarro Conquers the Inca

In one of history’s most unusual incidents, the Inca empire was defeated by a Spanish force of 168 men. Study the events surrounding the capture and demise of Atahualpa—the last true Inca ruler—the destructive conquest by Francisco Pizarro, and the following struggle within the empire against Spanish rule.

Duration: 29 min

24: Remnants of the Past-Andean Culture Today

The Andean civilizations have left a remarkable legacy in the modern world. Investigate the many ways in which contemporary peoples in South America maintain ancient ways of life, seen in agriculture, community organization, traditional lifestyles, and astronomical and religious observances, and contemplate what these practices mean in our own time.

Duration: 31 min