Portal:Latin America/Featured picture/1

A 17th-century map of the Americas.

Map by Jodoco Hondio; engraved by H. Picard

Latin American history extends back many centuries, possibly as long as 30,000 years. Precise dating is difficult because there are few text sources. However, highly-developed civilizations flourished at various times and places, such as the Andean Inca and the Central American Maya.

Christopher Columbus "discovered" the Americas in 1492. Subsequently, the major sea powers in Europe sent expeditions to the New World to build market lines and colonies. First, concentrating on the central and southern parts of the Americas, the Spanish and Portuguese built large colonial empires in California, Mexico, and Brazil.

In the early 19th century most of the countries in the region attained their independence, although a few small colonies remain.