The powerful and advanced Inca Empire controlled over a sizable chunk of the region when the Spanish landed on South America’s west coast in the 1500s. Since the early 1400s, the Empire had controlled a large portion of the area. Cusco served as the Inca Empire’s administrative hub.
Early Inca Empire
2500 BC –
At this point, locals in the area started farming. Along with other crops, they grew potatoes, corn, and cotton. They also began to establish villages.
900 BC –
The mountains of the northern Andes are where the Chavin civilization first emerges.
850 BC –
The city and temple of the Chavin de Huantar were built by the Chavin. It is roughly 160 miles north of the current location of Lima, Peru.
700 BC –
Formation of the Paracas civilization starts.
200 BC –
The Chavin culture disintegrates.
100 AD –
The Nazca culture starts to advance. The intricate textiles and ceramics of the Nazca people are well renowned. They are renowned for the Nazca Lines, which were carved into the desert floor. When seen from above, these lines resemble the outlines of huge creatures.
200 AD –
The Paracas culture disintegrates.
600 AD –
In the region, the Huari civilization starts to emerge.
800 AD –
End of the Moche and Nazca civilizations.
1000 AD –
During this time, other additional cultures, notably the Chimu, start to emerge in the region.
1200 AD –
The Chimu constructed Chan Chan as their capital.
Inca Empire
1200 AD –
The city of Cuzco was established in the Cuzco Valley by the Inca tribe under the leadership of Manco Capac.
1200 AD to 1400 AD –
The city-state of Cuzco is home to the Inca. They don’t attempt to enlarge their sphere of influence at this time.
1438 AD –
Inca Pachacuti The Inca’s new leader is Yupanqui. He starts enslaving neighbouring tribes and extending the Inca Empire’s dominance. He establishes the Tawantinsuyu government and constructs the city of Machu Picchu.
1471 AD –
Tupac Shakur Pachacuti’s son Yupanqui ascends to the throne. The Inca Empire will be considerably expanded by him.
1476 AD –
The Chuma Empire is vanquished by Emperor Tupac, and its domains are incorporated into the Inca Empire.
1493 AD –
The emperor is Huayna Capac, Tupac’s son. Huayna Capac’s rule will see the Inca Empire at its height.
The Inca Empire’s Fall and Decline
1525 AD –
A disease kills Emperor Huayna Capac. This was probably smallpox that the Spanish conquistadors brought back. Over the coming years, smallpox and other diseases will claim a sizable chunk of the Inca population.
1525 AD –
Atahualpa and Huascar, the emperor Huayna’s sons, battle it out for the throne. The following five years are spent in a civil war within the Inca Empire.
1532 AD –
Having vanquished Huascar, Atahualpa becomes the new monarch. Conquistador Francisco Pizarro of Spain lands in Peru at the same time. Atahualpa is taken prisoner and held for ransom by Pizarro.
1533 AD –
Atahualpa is put to death by the Spanish, and Manco Inca is crowned emperor.
1535 AD –
Lima, Peru, is founded by Francisco Pizarro, who also designates it as the region’s capital.
1537 AD –
In Vilcabamba, Manco Inca establishes an independent Inca government from the Spanish.
1541 AD –
The death of Francisco Pizarro.
1572 AD –
The last Inca emperor, Tupac Amaru, is put to death by the Spanish, which marks the end of the Inca Empire.