Ruins of Chan Chan Pre-Columbian archaeological site near Trujillo, Peru, South America

Tikal temple 1, Pre-Columbian Maya civilisation, Tikal, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Guatemala, Central America

Pre-Columbian Mixtec and Zapotec ruins in the town of Mitla, State of Oaxaca, Mexico, North America

Ruins of Chan Chan Pre-Columbian archaeological site near Trujillo, Peru, South America

An ancient pre-Columbian stone carving at San Agustin, UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the south of Colombia, South America

Ruins of Chan Chan Pre-Columbian archaeological site near Trujillo, Peru, South America

Pre-Columbian Mixtec and Zapotec ruins in the town of Mitla, State of Oaxaca, Mexico, North America

Ruins of Chan Chan Pre-Columbian archaeological site near Trujillo, Peru, South America

An ancient pre-Columbian stone carving at San Agustin, UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the south of Colombia, South America

Ruins of Chan Chan Pre-Columbian archaeological site near Trujillo, Peru, South America

Ruins of Chan Chan Pre-Columbian archaeological site near Trujillo, Peru, South America

An ancient pre-Columbian stone carving at San Agustin, UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the south of Colombia, South America

Ruins of Chan Chan Pre-Columbian archaeological site near Trujillo, Peru, South America

Ruins of Chan Chan Pre-Columbian archaeological site near Trujillo, Peru, South America

Pre-Columbian sculpture, Alto el Purutal, San Agustin Archaeological Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Huila Department, Colombia, South America

Pre-Columbian sculpture, San Agustin Archaeological Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Huila Department, Colombia, South America

Aerial views of El Castillo and the Ruins of the Mayan temple grounds at Tulum, Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Mexico. Tulum is the site of a pre-Columbian Mayan walled city which served as a major port for Coba, in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The ruins are situated on 12 meter 39 ft tall cliffs along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. Tulum was one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Maya; it was at its height between the 13th and 15th centuries and managed to survive about 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico. Old World diseases brought by the Spanish settlers appear to have resulted in very high fatalities, disrupting the society, and eventually causing the city to be abandoned.

Crowns and helmets were worn by leaders, Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, Gold museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, America

Poporo, Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, Gold museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, America

Pectoral in the form of a Jaguar-Man, Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, Gold museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, America

gold artifacts in the form of a Jaguar-Man, Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, Gold museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, America

Poporo and stick, Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, Gold museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, America

The Offering Raft or La Balsa de la ofrenda, Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, Gold museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, America

Poporo and stick, Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, Gold museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, America

The Offering Raft or La Balsa de la ofrenda, Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, Gold museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, America

Aerial views of El Castillo and the Ruins of the Mayan temple grounds at Tulum, Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Mexico. Tulum is the site of a pre-Columbian Mayan walled city which served as a major port for Coba, in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The ruins are situated on 12 meter 39 ft tall cliffs along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. Tulum was one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Maya; it was at its height between the 13th and 15th centuries and managed to survive about 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico. Old World diseases brought by the Spanish settlers appear to have resulted in very high fatalities, disrupting the society, and eventually causing the city to be abandoned.

Pre-Columbian museum piece, Museo Nacional de Antropologia, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City, Mexico, North America

Pre-Columbian art in a museum, San Francisco Convent Cultural Center in Granada, Nicaragua, Central America

Pre-Columbian stone statue, San Agustin culture, prehistoric culture, southern Colombia, South America

Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, mythical bird with human head, Gold Museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, South America

Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, earrings, Gold Museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, South America

Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, solar disk, Gold Museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, South America

Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, female Cacique, Gold Museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, South America

Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, hairpins, Gold Museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, South America

Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, Cacique, Gold Museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, South America

Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, jaguar as a symbol for the regenerative powers of gold and the Sun, Gold Museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, South America

Pre-Columbian goldwork collection, women's jewellery, Gold Museum, Museo del Oro, Bogota, Colombia, South America

Reconstructed stone buildings on Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu, the Inca citadel high in the Andes, above the Sacred Valley, plateau with buildings and terraces, Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu, the Inca citadel high in the Andes, above the Sacred Valley, plateau with buildings and terraces, Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu, the Inca citadel high in the Andes, above the Sacred Valley, plateau with buildings and terraces, Machu Picchu, Peru

Paracas Culture, 300BC-100AD, funerary wrap with fantastic zoomorphic figures finest Pre-Columbian textiles Archaeology Museum, Lima, Peru

Paracas Culture, 300BC-100AD, funerary wrap with fantastic zoomorphic figures finest Pre-Columbian textiles Archaeology Museum, Lima, Peru

The National Museum of the Nation, with collections of artifacts from Peruvian indigenous and Pre-Columbian cultures, Lima, Peru

Site of Pre-Columbian city of Nazca, 100 to 800AD, 300 miles south of Lima, view of the irrigation system, Peru