Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
4000 BC
The first settlers arrive and begin to domesticate crops and animals, adapting slowly to
high-altitude living in the Altiplano. The tough conditions influence a sparse popula-
tion distribution.
3200-800 BC
First traces of pottery shards in the Altiplano date from around 3200 BC, indicating the
formation of more structured societies. On the Peruvian coast the Chavín culture rises.
AD 500-900
There's a food surplus, and the ceremonial center of Tiwanaku, on the shores of Lake
Titicaca, flourishes, developing into the religious and political capital of the Altiplano.
1000-1200
Tiwanaku's power wanes, the population disperses and the ceremonial site is largely
abandoned due to unknown reasons - possibly climate change (drought), an earthquake
or a foreign invasion.
1440s
The Inca, based in Cuzco, extend their political boundaries by pushing eastward into
Kollasuyo (present-day Bolivia) and imposing tax- ation, religion and the Quechua lan-
guage on local tribes.
1520s
Internal rivalries herald the beginning of the end for the Inca empire, a political force
for less than a century. In a brief civil war, Atahualpa defeats his half-brother, Huáscar,
and assumes the emperor's throne.
1531
The Spanish, led by conquistador Francisco Pizarro, arrive in Ecuador. After a quick-
won fight with the Inca, they claim Alto Perú, which would later become Bolivia.
1544
