The first inhabitants of South America were probably descendants of Asians who crossed the Bering Strait in prehistoric times. See more »

History of Argentina. Descendants of ancient Asian migrants reached what is now Argentina some 8,000 years ago; these were the ancestors of the Indians. See more »

Archeological evidence indicates that Indians moving south from North America had settled in what is now Brazil by at least 12,000 to 10,000 B.C. See more »

In the 16th century the northern half of Chile was part of the Inca Empire. Fierce Araucanian Indians inhabited the south. See more »

Sebastian Cabot, sailing for Charles I of Spain, explored the La Plata, Paraná, and Paraguay rivers on his voyage of 1525-30. See more »

Peru's earliest inhabitants arrived in the area about 12,000 years ago and settled along the coast. See more »

An early civilization was established at Tiahuanaco, on the shore of Lake Titicaca, probably by Aymará Indians; it flourished between 600 and 1000 A.D. See more »

Colombia has been inhabited for at least 10,000 years. At the time of its exploration by the Spanish, the dominant Indian tribe was the Chibcha, a culturally advanced and warlike people. See more »

The first inhabititants of Dominica were the Arawak and then the Carib Indians. It was reached by Christopher Columbus in 1493. See more »

The area that is now Ecuador was inhabited as early as 3500 B.C. by people belonging to the Valdivia culture. See more »