South America’s History and Culture

World Geography
Early History
 Most researchers
believed the first people
in South America
entered from the North
12,000 years ago.
 The first settlers were
hunter-gatherers.
 Farming began there
5,000 years ago.
Early Cultures
 In the Colombian
Andes, the Chibcha
developed gold-working
skills.
The Incas
 The Inca founded South
America’s greatest early
civilization.
 The Inca Empire stretched
from Ecuador to Chile.
 They built paved roads,
suspension bridges, stone
buildings and terraced fields.
 They were taken over by
Francisco Pizarro and the
Spanish in the 1530’s.
Spanish Settlement in South America
 The Spanish wanted to settle on the
west side of the Continent because
that is where the Inca had been.
 The Portuguese come and the
Spanish agree to take the west side
of South America and the
Portuguese take the east side.
 The Spanish establish many land
estates and forced the Indians to
work on them.
 The Europeans also brought
disease that leave only a fraction of
the Indians there alive.
 The Spanish spread from Peru to
Bolivia to Chile and Paraguay and
Argentina.
What do the Spanish take?
 The Spanish begin
latifundias which were
large land estates.
 They get the Guarani
indians to help them
with ideas and work to
make their settlements
grow.
Portuguese Settlements
 The Portuguese begin their
settlements along the east side
of South America.
 They begin plantations to grow
brazilwood and sugarcane.
 After the Indians die because of
disease, many plantation
owners brought enslaved
Africans to work.
 The Portuguese settlements
move inward and lead to
mineral discoveries and the
development of Sao Paolo and
Rio de Janiero.
Colonial Era and Independence
 Most South American
countries gained their
independence between
1810 and 1830.
 The countries began
isolated and different.
 The borders of countries
followed the colonial lines.
 Uruguay was formed when
land between Argentina and
Brazil was formally divided.
 Uruguay is a buffer state.
More countries, More Independence

 Brazil gained its

independence when its
King went back to
Portugal.
 The British and Dutch
Guianas only recently
gained their
independence.
 Independence did little
to help South
Americans.
South American Governments Today

 Independence did little to

help South American
governments.
 Most still experience
revolutions.
 Several countries are ruled
by dictators.
 Bolivia has had 200 coups
since they gained their
independence.
 A coup is a governmental
overthrow.
South American Languages and People

 Languages in South America

are primarily determined by the
country that settled them. Most
western South Americans
speak Spanish and eastern
South Americans speak
Portuguese.
 On the border of Uruguay and
Brazil, a language called
Portunol is spoken. It’s a mix of
Portuguese and Spanish.
 The people have very different
ethnicities.
Settlement Patterns
 Most of South America’s
population lies on the
coasts and stretch a few
hundred miles inland.
 Many cities are seaports
and many are high in
the Andes.
 The interior of South
America is not very
populated.
Religion and Traditions
 Most people in South
America are Roman
Catholic; however there
are Hindu temples and
many Indian religions
that are still practiced.
 Islamic mosques are
there are well.
Traditions
 Some rainforest people
have had little contact with
the outside world.
 They raise bananas,
manoic, yams and other
crops.
 They hunt with bows and
arrows and dart guns.
 Many are ranchers called
gauchos.