Latin American History Before Columbus

When Inca Emperor Huayna Capac died in 1527, his sons Atahualpa and Huascar fought bitterly over his throne. Huascar held Cuzco, but Atahualpa had the army.

From 1527 to 1532, brothers Huáscar and Atahualpa were locked in a brutal civil war over who would lead the mighty Inca Empire, high in the South American mountains. Atahualpa had only a short time to savor his victory, however, as Spanish conquistadors under Francisco Pizarro arrived with their own notions of who should rule the Andes.

In 1532, Spanish conquistadors discovered the wealthy Inca Empire, high in the South American Andes. The only thing standing between these greedy men and the gold they dreamed of was young Emperor Atahualpa, fresh off a victory in a civil war.

One of Santiago, Chile's best-loved and oft-visited museums, the Pre-Colombian Art Museum is a fascinating cross between a history and an art museum. There is ample information on the cultures that produced the pieces on display, but they were selected for aesthetics. It's a don't-miss when in Santiago for lovers of art, history and both.

The region of present-day Guatemala posed many challenges for would-be conquistadors and colonizers.

Link to the Yale University page containing lots of good information about the Aztec Empire.

This site contains some basic information about the Olmec culture as well as a decent map.

This site has some detailed information about the Mayan ruins of Palenque, located in Southern Mexico. It features some good photos of the site.