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Jan 1, 1438
Inca Civilization Arose
The Inca civilization was one of the great civilizations of the americas that arose in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The Inca built their capital at Cuzco in Peru and extended their power. By the 1500, the Inca empire stretched up to 2,500 miles along the west coast of S. America. -
Jan 1, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
Geography was a key in the colonization of South America. Spain and Portugal were two European powers that colonized most of South America. In 1494, they agreed to split South America with the Treaty of Tordesillas. Portugal had gained control over Brazil and Spain had control over the rest of the land. -
Jan 1, 1502
Slaves arrive in New World
Spanish and Portugese settlers came to South America in search of gold or silver, however, there was none. Instead they cleared fields for sugar plantations. At first they were going to force the natives to work on the fields, but they died from the diseases brought over by the settlers. Instead, the settlers brought over slaves from Africa. The first slaves arrived in 1502. -
Jan 1, 1532
First Spanish Settlement in Peru
After Fransisco Pizarro conquered Ecuador, it became the first Spanish settlement in Peru. This is what paved way for the conquest of Peru. -
Jan 1, 1533
Fall of Inca Empire
Fransisco Pizarro captured Atahualpa in 1532, and the Inca empire started to shatter. In 1533, Pizarro had taken Cuzco, the Inca capital. The Spanish forced their language, culture and religion on the Incas. Despite all that, one lasting tradition of the Inca is that their language, Quechua, is still spoken. -
Gold Discovered in Brazil
When gold was discovered in Minas Geraes, Brazil, it cause a great gold rush in the west. The center of power shifted from the Northeast to Rio de Janeiro. This created more movement to the interior of Brazil -
Spanish Decline
During the 18th century (1700s), the decline of Spain continued, under the political influence of France. It was during this time that Spain and Portugal tightened their hold on the colonies, which, consequently, led to movements for Independence. -
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Colonies Declare Independence From Spain
Napolean's invasion of Spain is what sparked the colonies to declare independence. Two great leaders, Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin, helped freed the colonies of Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, and Peru from Spanish rule. Argentina and Chile were the first to achieve independence. Independence of Bolivia marked the end of Spanish Dominion in South America. -
Brazil Declares Independence
Brazil was a Portugese colony from 1500 to 1822. In 1815, when Napolean was defeated, many people wanted Brazil to become independent from Portugal. Thousands signed petitions asking Dom Pedro, the son of Portugal's king, to liberate Brazil from Portugese rule. On September of 1822, Brazil was declared independent from Portugal. -
Slavery Abolished in Brazil
Although much of slavery was abolished during the independence era of the colonies, it wasn't until 1888 that Brazil abolished slavery. Brazil was the last republic to abolish slavery in South America. -
Juan Peron Elected President of Argentina
In 1946, Juan Peron, an Argentina general was elected president. Unfortunately, he was overthrown in 1955 by a military coup. However, he was elected three times to be president, but he only served for one full term. -
Buildings for New Capital Brasilia
At the beginning of 1957, architect Oscar Niemeyer designed buildings for the new capital of Brasilia, which was built in the interior of Brazil. Oscar Niemeyer desgined the building where the Senate meets and where the Chamber of Deputies meet. -
New Capital City in Brazil
The government wanted to draw people inland, so the location of Brazil's capital got moved 600 miles inward. In 1960, the move of the new capital city signaled the opening of the country's west. -
Paraguay Grants Women the Right to Vote
During the 20th century was when women gained more rights. Many countries in South America gave women franchise. In 1961, Paraguay finally granted the women the right to vote. Paraguay was the last country in Latin America to grant women the right to vote. -
Pinochet Overthrows Allende's government
Chile had a very high education system until in 1973, a military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet overthrew Salvador Allende's government. The military introduced reforms the undermined higher education, and Chile's higher education suffered. -
Mercosur
Mercosur is an economic market that began in the Southern cone of South America in 1995. More than 220 million consumers are in this market. Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay are members of Mercosur; Chile and Bolivia are associate members. -
Pinochet is Arrested.
Pinochet departed from power in 1990, and universities in Chile regained some of their independence and standards. Pinochet was a dictator of Chile from 1973-1990. However, it wasn't until 1998 that he was arrested in England with charges of human rights violations. -
Alberto Fujimori Resigns as President of Peru
Alberto Fujimori was elected as president in 1990. During his term many problems arouse such as, terrorism and accusations of human rights abuses. In 2000, he resigned from his position after many trials. -
Brazil Launches First Rocket into Space
After a rocket explosion in 2003 that caused a major set back, Brazil was able to launch it's first rocket into space on October of 2004. After ten years of the Brazilian Space Agency being established, it's first successful rocket was launched with many others following. -
Economies Recover From Recession
Because of a global financial and economic crisis, countries in Latin America suffered from a two year recession. Fortunately, in 2010, the economies in Latin America had a rapid recovery.
