Lost Worlds of South America
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Episodes
- S1 E1 - South America's Lost Cradle of CivilizationJune 17, 196730minConsider the remarkable evidence for South America as one of the true wellsprings of human civilization. Grasp the diversity of early South American cultures, from the Andean civilizations to the desert and Amazon regions; what these cultures shared; and their extraordinary innovations in agriculture, architecture, handcrafts, social organization, and religion.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E2 - Discovering Peru's Earliest CitiesMay 31, 202030minThe first cities in the Americas date to 3000 B.C. Investigate the means of subsistence of coastal and inland valley cities, and evidence for trade in marine and agricultural products. Learn about the sites of Kotosh, El Paraiso, and Caral and their striking features of architecture, including plazas, pyramids, and solar observatories.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E3 - South America's First PeopleDecember 21, 196830minThe earliest evidence of humans in the Americas comes not from North America, but from Chile. Investigate the important Monte Verde site and its view into everyday life 15,000 years ago. Learn also about "Quilcas" cave art, the astonishing Chinchorro mummies - predating Egypt's - and evidence of early agriculture and trade at Huaca Prieta.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E4 - Ceramics, Textiles, and Organized StatesMay 31, 202028minObserve pivotal changes in northern Peruvian societies in 1800-900 B.C., such as the architectural styles of the southern and northern valleys, which indicate the rise of a state identity. Note the area's earliest evidence of metallurgy and weaving, and stone sculptures reflecting the first warlike violence seen in South America.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E5 - Chavin and the Rise of Religious AuthorityMay 31, 202028minThe Peruvian site of Chavín marks the emergence of religion as the focus of public art. Study Chavín's distinctive architecture, with images of its characteristic "fanged deity." Learn about later religious iconography and artifacts at Chavín suggesting that it was the center of a cult that spread to other sites in the region.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E6 - Cupisnique to Salinar-Elite Rulers and WarJanuary 1, 196427minWith the waning of Chavín's culture, striking new elements appear in the region's archaeological record. Here, encounter the Salinar culture, a new settlement pattern showing no ceremonial architecture and the first "elite" housing. Examine the evidence of defensive citadels and what may have triggered warfare and emerging social hierarchy.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E7 - Paracas-Mummies, Shamans, and Severed HeadsMay 31, 202029minInvestigate the fascinating Paracas tombs of the 1st millennium B.C., which contain richly adorned mummies, and grasp the significance of mummification. Study the elaborate iconography of Paracas textiles, the meaning of the supernatural beings they depict, and the practice of head hunting as a means to control the spirits of the dead.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E8 - The Nazca Lines and Underground ChannelsMay 31, 202030minThe Nazca are yet another South American people of striking accomplishments. Learn about their remarkable irrigation system of underground aquifers, aqueducts, and wells, and their fine polychrome pottery and textiles. Penetrate the mystery of the "Nazca Lines," massive geoglyphs scratched into the earth, which may be the result of ritual pilgrimage.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E9 - The Moche-Pyramids, Gold, and WarriorsMay 31, 202028minIn your first look at the Andean Moche culture, chart this civilization's outstanding features. Discover the immense pyramids, adorned with brilliant color murals, road systems, and sophisticated art. Examine the evidence of extensive warfare, both in the art and in excavated weaponry and sacrificial victims.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E10 - The Moche-Richest Tombs in the New WorldFebruary 8, 196928minThe Moche tombs offer compelling evidence of the culture's social structure and cosmology. Investigate the sumptuous contents of the three principal tombs of Sipan - the enigmatic buried figures and dazzling costumes, jewelry, and surrounding objects. Contemplate who these buried people might have been, with relation to imagery in Moche art.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E11 - The Moche-Drugs, Sex, Music, and PuppiesMay 31, 202035minInvestigate the dramatic iconography seen on Moche ceramics. First, learn about the complex rituals and practices of modern South American shamanism. Then study images on Moche pottery usually interpreted as depicting victory in war, and indications that they actually describe an elaborate culture of shamanic healing.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E12 - Enigmatic Tiwanaku by Lake TiticacaMay 31, 202033minLake Titicaca is the site of one of South America's most impressive civilizations. Discover the huge urban complex of Tiwanaku and its cultural connections to Chavín de Huantar. Explore Tiwanaku's mysterious architecture and its "raised field" agriculture, an engineering feat that allowed for the support of a large population.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E13 - The Amazon-Civilization Lost in the JungleJune 17, 196728minRecent discoveries indicate the presence of massive ancient civilizations in the Amazon. Survey the evidence, starting with the Beni region's elaborate systems of mounds, causeways, and canals. Continue with the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon, noting wide areas of human-enriched soil, towns ringed by moats, geoglyphs, and pottery dating to 6000 B.C.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E14 - The Wari-Foundations of the Inca Empire?May 31, 202029minHere, track the remarkable innovations of the Wari culture, highlighting its walled cities, paved road systems, large-scale livestock herding, and ingenious form of terraced agriculture. Examine the evidence of satellite communities of the Wari and the question of whether Wari expansion constituted empire building or a more benign diffusion of culture.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E15 - The Chimú--Empire of the Northern CoastMay 31, 202029minMeet a culture of warrior kings who became conquerors, second in influence only to the Inca. Learn about the Chimú's extraordinary royal citadels, urban organization, and intervalley irrigation technology. Investigate their subjugation of neighboring cultures, their imperial administration centers, and what may have motivated their conquest.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E16 - The Sican-Goldsmiths of the Northern CoastMay 31, 202030minContrasting with the Chimú, Sican civilization comprised a confederation of equal and independent city-states. Study the apparent Moche influence in Sican pyramid building, elaborate burial styles, and extensive human sacrifice. Observe the unique qualities of Sican art in the mastery of metallurgy and stunning ritual objects in ceramic, gold, and copper.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E17 - The Inca Origins-Mythology v. ArchaeologyMay 31, 202030minBegin your study of the great Inca civilization by tracing the culture's origin myth, featuring a creator deity who made the cosmos and charged the Inca to found a kingdom in a fertile valley. Compare the mythology with archaeological evidence that suggests that the myths were based in part on historical truths.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E18 - Cuzco and the Tawantinsuyu EmpireMay 31, 202031minThe city of Cuzco stands as the supreme achievement in architecture and aesthetics of pre-Columbian South America. Study the city's astounding features, such as its hydraulic engineering, anti-seismic construction, and its perfectly fitting stonework that defies explanation. Learn also about the culture of ancestral mummies, the golden Coricancha temple, and other architectural marvels.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E19 - The Inca-From Raiders to EmpireMay 31, 202029minIn charting the rise of Inca civilization, follow the pivotal reign of Pachacuti, the 9th Inca, whose vision to unify the Andes led to large-scale conquest. Learn how his heir, Tupac, doubled the imperial territories, and how the empire was ultimately torn apart by civil war and disease.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E20 - The Inca-Gifts of the EmpireMay 31, 202029minAs a glimpse into how the empire functioned so effectively, learn about the Mit'a, a system of labor taxation, noting the services subjects provided to the empire and how they benefited in return. Grasp the Inca's ingenious technology of road building, suspension bridges, and freeze-drying vegetables, and how they eliminated hunger.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E21 - The Khipu-Language Hidden in KnotsMay 31, 202034minThe Inca used a complex system of records encoded on knotted strings. Study what is known of the khipu, starting with Spanish accounts of their use and the "khipucamayuq" who recorded and read them. Learn how numbers were encoded, and review evidence suggesting that the khipu may contain a form of writing.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E22 - Machu Picchu and the Sacred ValleyMay 31, 202030minThe mountainside complex of Machu Picchu was a royal estate of Pachacuti, the 9th Inca. Walk the site, entering at the Sun Gate, and explore the causeways, terraces, and many rooms of undetermined function. Study the solar-aligned Torreon and other astronomical structures of the site, and their significance in Inca cosmology.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E23 - Spanish Contact-Pizarro Conquers the IncaAugust 18, 196529minIn one of history's most unusual incidents, the Inca empire was defeated by a Spanish force of 168 men. Study the events surrounding the capture and demise of Atahualpa - the last true Inca ruler - the destructive conquest by Francisco Pizarro, and the following struggle within the empire against Spanish rule.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
- S1 E24 - Remnants of the Past-Andean Culture TodayMay 31, 202031minThe Andean civilizations have left a remarkable legacy in the modern world. Investigate the many ways in which contemporary peoples in South America maintain ancient ways of life, seen in agriculture, community organization, traditional lifestyles, and astronomical and religious observances, and contemplate what these practices mean in our own time.Subscribe for $1.99/month for 2 month(s) and $7.99/month thereafter, or buy
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