Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Introduction to
South America
From the palm-smothered tropical beaches of the Caribbean to the
wild and windswept archipelago of Tierra del Fuego, South America is
a dizzying trove of landscapes, legendary cities and ancient ruins that
have fuelled the imagination of adventurers for centuries. Trace Darwin's
voyage through the Galápagos, the devastating path of the conquistadors
in Peru or Che Guevara's route across the snowcapped peaks of the Andes.
Discover Eva Perón's Buenos Aires, a truly beautiful, stylish metropolis,
or pick up the trail of Bruce Chatwin across the lonely plains and
ice-bound fjords of Patagonia. Whether exploring the elegant cities of
Colombia, soaking up Aymara culture in Bolivia, or just chilling on
a white-sand Brazilian beach, options for budget travellers remain
extensive and highly alluring.
Much of the continent's dynamism is a result of the collision of cultures here over
the last five hundred years. Settled at least 10,000 years ago, South American peoples
were devastated by European invasion in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,
not least by the introduction of diseases that killed thousands. Yet
indigenous culture
never entirely disappeared and is especially strong in Peru, Bolivia and Brazil to this
day. Indeed, much of the continent's people are proud of their
mestizo heritage
;
indigenous, Spanish and Portuguese cultures dominate, but West African, British,
Italian, German, French and Dutch influences have also contributed over the years,
supplemented more recently by waves of Japanese, Chinese and Middle Eastern
settlers. As the Argentine saying goes, “Peruvians come from the Incas; Argentines
come from the boats”.
This blending of races and cultures across the continent means that South American
nations share a lot in common.
Catholicism
has provided a foundation for spiritual
life here for centuries - sometimes blurring with far more ancient indigenous beliefs,
ABOVE
LAKE TITICACA
RIGHT
IPANEMA BEACH, BRAZIL
