Lost Kingdoms of South America
Archaeologist Dr Jago Cooper reveals the extraordinary history of some of South America's ancient civilisations.
- 2013-2013
- 1 season
- Documentary
Archaeologist Dr Jago Cooper reveals the extraordinary history of some of South America's ancient civilisations.
Season 1 Episode Guide
4 Episodes 2013
Episode 1
People of the Clouds
60 mins
The Precolumbian Chachapoya culture and realm, whose name in their ancient language means 'People of the Clouds' and still denotes the region in present Peru, pre-dated the Incas but persisted within the great Andean empire. After consulting a rare modern specialist and the somewhat unreliable Conquistador chronicles in capital Lima, Jago Cooper sets off for the rare excavated sites. Little is known or even studied precisely because of their presently inaccessible position, on the Andean slopes down to the Amazonian rain forest, but because of the rivers streaming that way and others to the pacific, this precisely enabled their rich trade and cultural exchange between jungle and coastal regions. Also shared with the Incas are their mysterious 'kipu's', a complex '3D' notation system with colored knots on sets of threads. They excelled in building on steep, high slopes, as for a necropolis.
Episode 2
Stone at the Centre
60 mins
Dr Cooper examines the Tiwanaku people in the Bolivian high plateau of Altiplano. Their civilization existed around 600 to 1100 AD eventually numbering one million. They innovated agriculture around Lake Titicaca with an unique culture.
Episode 3
Lands of Gold
60 mins
British archaeologist Jago Cooper examines the Tairona on the Caribbean coast and the Muisca in the mountains both in Colombia. The two separate societies develop gold working in different ways.
Episode 4
Kingdom of the Desert
60 mins
Jago Cooper examines the Chimú people on the northern coast of Peru. Chan Chan was the Chimor capital. They were eventually conquered by the Inca Empire.