Andean Mysteries: Searching for the Golden Country: Searching for the Golden Country

Author: Dale Brown
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-02
Features: The volumes of "Lost Civilizations" showcase the trajectory of the origins and early transformations of civilizations, long forgotten by later generations. Reading them is like adults revisiting old photographs from their childhood—each scene evokes a faint recollection. This series can be enjoyed as an art album while also serving as a reference for travelers to various parts of the world, helping them discover the must-see historical sites and landmarks. As early as 1500 BCE, artists in the southern Andes region of Peru may have already begun crafting gold objects. Over the following centuries, their metallurgical techniques spread to the northern and central coast, the northern Andes, the Panama isthmus, and the northern region. It is almost certain that the ancestors of these people were immigrants who arrived in the Americas 12,000 years ago via the Bering Land Bridge connecting Asia and North America. Their metallurgical craftsmanship reached a high level both in technology and art. Before the Spanish conquistadors arrived in South America in the early 16th century, many cultures in the New World had once flourished before perishing—either due to natural disasters or conquest by other peoples.