c. 3000–1800 BCE
Central coast
Caral
One of the earliest monumental Andean cultures, marked by ceremonial architecture and complex coastal communities.
Read the story →Andean worlds
Peoples of the Andes
From the desert coasts to the cloud forests and high plateaus, Andean societies built extraordinary worlds through agriculture, ritual, engineering, and exchange.
Living histories
Many peoples.
One mountain world.
c. 1200–400 BCE
Highlands of Peru
Chavín
A powerful religious tradition that spread artistic and spiritual ideas across the central Andes.
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c. 200 BCE–600 CE
Southern coast
Nazca
Renowned for irrigation, geoglyphs, and a highly organised desert society.
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c. 100–800 CE
Northern coast
Moche
A dynamic coastal civilisation celebrated for powerful elite culture, pottery, and architecture.
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c. 400–1000 CE
Lake Titicaca basin
Tiwanaku
A highland state with monumental stonework and regional influence across the south-central Andes.
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c. 600–1000 CE
Central highlands
Wari
A large imperial polity that reorganised the Andean landscape through administration and roads.
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c. 900–1470 CE
Northern coast
Chimú
A powerful kingdom whose cities, irrigation systems, and craftsmanship shaped the coastal empire.
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c. 1438–1533
Andean highlands
Inca
The largest empire of the ancient Andes, known for roads, terraces, and statecraft.
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