Epoca Pre-Columbian

2000 a.C. – 1500 d.C. · 43 siti

Tutti i siti di questo periodo

Record continentale

Most-Visited Ancient Site in South America

Machu Picchu

1450 d.C. – 1572 d.C.

An Inca citadel built c. 1450 CE, Machu Picchu sits atop a mountain ridge in Peru. Abandoned during the Spanish conquest, it remained unknown to the outside world until 1911.

422

Pre-ColumbianHigh MedievalEarly Modern

In evidenza

Record continentale

Southernmost Known Site in South America

Rapa Nui

1100 d.C. – 1722 d.C.

Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is famed for its colossal stone moai, crafted by a Polynesian society that flourished from roughly 1100 to 1722 CE, leaving a cryptic legacy of monumental art and ecological transformation.

323

Pre-ColumbianHigh MedievalEarly Modern

In evidenza

Record nazionale

Earliest Known Site in Mexico

Teotihuacan

100 a.C. – 650 d.C.

Teotihuacan, the 'City of the Gods,' was a vast metropolis and ceremonial center in central Mexico, dominating Mesoamerica from 100 BCE to 650 CE.

322

Pre-ColumbianClassicalRoman

In evidenza

Record continentale

Most-Visited Ancient Site in North America

Chichén Itzá

600 d.C. – 1200 d.C.

A major Maya-Toltec ceremonial center from 600–1200 CE, featuring the iconic stepped pyramid of Kukulcán and one of the largest ballcourts in Mesoamerica.

422

Pre-ColumbianEarly MedievalHigh Medieval

In evidenza

Record continentale

Oldest Monument in South America

Nazca Lines

500 a.C. – 500 d.C.

The Nazca Lines, vast geoglyphs etched into Peru’s desert, date from c. 500 BCE–500 CE and remain one of archaeology’s most intriguing legacies of ancient monumental art.

222

ClassicalHellenisticRoman

Plaza de Armas of Cusco with the Inca Pachacuti monument and cathedral

In evidenza

Record nazionale

Known by the Most Names in Peru

Cusco

1200 d.C. – 1533 d.C.

The high-altitude capital of the Inca Empire — planned in the form of a puma, with Coricancha at its spiritual centre and colonial churches built atop Inca masonry — the gateway city to Machu Picchu and the heart of Andean imperial archaeology.

211

Pre-Columbian

The megalithic zigzag walls of Sacsayhuamán above Cusco, Peru

Record nazionale

Oldest Fortress in Peru

Sacsayhuamán

1100 d.C. – 1536 d.C.

A monumental Inca complex on the hill above Cusco, famous for three tiers of zigzagging defensive walls built from limestone blocks so vast — some weighing over 100 tonnes — and cut so precisely that they fit together without mortar, with joints a knife blade cannot penetrate. It is the supreme example of Inca megalithic masonry.

311

Pre-Columbian

In evidenza

Record continentale

Oldest Complex in North America

Mesa Verde

600 d.C. – 1300 d.C.

Mesa Verde, in Colorado, USA, preserves elaborate cliff dwellings built by the Ancestral Pueblo people between 1190 and 1280 CE, reflecting a sophisticated pre-Columbian society.

421

Late AntiqueEarly MedievalHigh Medieval

In evidenza

Record nazionale

Oldest City in Guatemala

Tikal

400 a.C. – 900 d.C.

Tikal, a preeminent Maya city in Guatemala, flourished from c. 400 BCE to 900 CE as a political, economic, and ceremonial hub, boasting towering temples and extensive urban infrastructure in the Petén rainforest.

322

Pre-ColumbianClassicalRoman

Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque, tomb of K'inich Janaab' Pakal

In evidenza

Record nazionale

Longest Continuously Occupied Site in Mexico

Palenque

226 a.C. – 900 d.C.

A Classic Maya city in the Chiapas jungle whose Palace, Temple of the Inscriptions, and exquisite carved reliefs make it one of the greatest Maya sites — home to the undisturbed tomb of the ruler K'inich Janaab' Pakal, discovered in 1952.

311

Pre-ColumbianClassical

In evidenza

Tulum

1200 d.C. – 1524 d.C.

A late Maya walled city perched on a limestone cliff above the turquoise Caribbean on the eastern coast of the Yucatán — one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Maya, flourishing as a trading port between the 13th and 16th centuries and still occupied when the Spanish arrived. Its clifftop "Castillo" overlooking the sea is among the most photographed ruins in the Americas.

311

Pre-Columbian

In evidenza

Tiwanaku

200 a.C. – 1000 d.C.

The monumental center of a pre-Inca Andean civilization (200 BCE–1000 CE) known for its colossal stone architecture, advanced agricultural systems, and artistic influence across the south-central Andes.

422

ClassicalRomanLate Antique