Peru as loose confederation of cities scattered along the coast of northern Peru and southern Ecuador, the Chimu flourished from about 1140 to 1450. Their capital was at Chan Chan outside of modern-day Trujillo. In the highlands, both the Tiahuanaco culture, near Lake Titicaca in both Peru and Bolivia, and the Wari culture, near the present-day city of Ayacucho, developed large urban settlements and wide-ranging state systems between 500 and 1000 AD. In the 15th century, the Incas emerged as a powerful state which, in the span of a century, formed the largest empire in pre-Columbian America with their capital in
Indigenous peoples of South America Indigenous peoples of South America The indigenous peoples of South America are the Pre-Columbian peoples of South America and their descendants. These peoples contrast with South Americans of European ancestry. In Spanish, indigenous people are often referred to as "indígenas" or "pueblos indígenas" (lit. indigenous peoples). They may also be called "pueblos nativos" or "nativos" (lit. native peoples). The term "aborigen" (lit. aborigine) is used in Argentina, and "pueblos aborígenes" (lit. aboriginal peoples) is commonly used in Chile. The English term "Amerindian" (short for "Indians of the Americas") is often used in the Guianas. People of mixed European and indigenous