The Andes and the Pampas are two major geographical regions of South America. The Andes are a mountain range containing a great diversity of biomes, climates, animals, and plants stretching from Venezuela in the north to Chile and Argentina in the south. The Andes are where potatoes, and coca were domesticated. These supported thousands of years of human society that ultimately led to the Inca Empire, known as Tawantinsuyu to its Quechua - speaking rulers and one of the most amazing civilizations that have existed in the world.
The Spanish defeated the Incas in 1532 CE. Spanish criollo culture dominated Peru, Bolivia, and other Andean countries, growing rich from silver mining while Indigenous people remained mired in poverty and subject to discrimination. In Bolivia, conditions for Indigenous people have finally begun to change with the election of Evo Morales, who brought many reforms. The Pampas is a grassland region in Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. Their original inhabitants were wiped out by the Spanish and Portuguese, who introduced cattle ranching. The gauchos, mestizo cowboys symbolize the Pampas people and are part of the national identity in the region. They are closely associated with the drink called mate. Pampas culture was dominated by criollos and other white-skinned people of European descent, and this continues to the present. Indigenous, African, and mixed descent people are still marginalized and suffer from discrimination.
