Indigenous peoples of South America - wikipedia Indigenous peoples of South America This article is about the indigenous peoples of South America. For other indigenous peoples, see List of indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples of South America Total population Approximately 22 million Bolivia 7.02 million ( 2016 est. ) Peru 6.0 million ( 2017 ) Ecuador 3.4 million ( 2016 est. ) Chile 2.0 million ( 2012 ) Colombia 1.4 million ( 2005 ) Argentina 1.32 million ( 2016 est. ) Brazil 817,963 ( 2010 ) Venezuela 524,000 Paraguay 95,235 Guyana c. 60,000 French Guiana c. 19,000 Suriname c. 12,000 -- 24,000 Languages Indigenous languages of the Americas, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch Religion Native American religion Christianity others Guaraní holding maraca and cross, Paraguay, 2006 The indigenous peoples of South America are the Pre-Columbian peoples of South America and their descendants. These peoples contrast with South Americans of European ancestry. In Spanish, indigenous people are often referred to as indígenas or pueblos indígenas ( lit. indigenous peoples ). They may also be called pueblos nativos or nativos ( lit. native peoples ). The term aborigen ( lit. aborigine ) is used in Argentina, and pueblos aborígenes ( lit. aboriginal peoples ) is commonly used in Chile. The English term `` Amerindian '' ( short for `` Indians of the Americas '' ) is often used in the Guianas. People of mixed European and indigenous descent are usually referred to as mestizos. It is believed that the first human populations of South America either arrived from Asia into North America via the Bering Land Bridge, and migrated southwards or alternatively from Polynesia across the Pacific. The earliest generally accepted archaeological evidence for human habitation in South America dates to 14,000 years ago, the Monte Verde site in Southern Chile. The descendents of these first inhabitants would become the indigenous populations of South America. Before the Spanish colonization of the Americas, many of the indigenous peoples of South America were hunter - gatherers, and indeed many still are, especially in the Amazonian area. Others, especially the Andean cultures, practised sophisticated agriculture, utilized advanced irrigation and kept domesticated livestock, such as llamas and alpacas. In the period after the initial arrival of Europeans in 1492 the indigenous population of South America fell rapidly due to a variety of factors, such as disease and warfare. Wayuu students in a library at Universidad del Zulia, Venezuela, 2012 In the present day, there are two South American countries where indigenous peoples constitute the largest ethnic group. These are Peru, where 45 % are indigenous, and Bolivia, where 62 % of people identify as feeling a part of some indigenous group. South American indigenous peoples include : Indigenous peoples in Argentina Indigenous peoples in Bolivia Indigenous peoples in Brazil Indigenous peoples in Chile Indigenous peoples in Colombia Indigenous peoples in Ecuador Indigenous peoples in French Guiana Indigenous peoples in Guyana Indigenous peoples in Paraguay Indigenous peoples in Peru Indigenous peoples in Suriname Indigenous peoples in Uruguay Indigenous peoples in Venezuela See also Indigenous peoples of the Americas References Jump up ^ `` CIA -- The World Factbook ''. Cia.gov. Retrieved 23 February 2011. Jump up ^ `` Composición Étnica del Perú ''. Retrieved 14 January 2017. Jump up ^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ec.html Jump up ^ http://estudios.anda.cl/recursos/censo_2012.pdf Jump up ^ DANE 2005 National Census Jump up ^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ar.html Jump up ^ `` 2010 Census graphics of Brazil government ''. IBGE ( Brazilian Institute of Geograph and Statistic. 2015 - 02 - 09. Jump up ^ `` About this Collection '' ( PDF ). The Library of Congress. Retrieved 29 July 2015. Jump up ^ `` 8 LIZCANO '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 2014 - 05 - 22. Jump up ^ Lector de Google Drive. Docs.google.com. Retrieved 12 July 2013. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Archived 20 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Study confirms Bering land bridge flooded later than previously believed ''. cyberwest.com. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 22. Jump up ^ `` Gongora et al. 2008 ''. Jump up ^ http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/?wid=1242. Missing or empty title = ( help ) Jump up ^ Hey, Jody ( 2005 - 05 - 24 ). `` On the Number of New World Founders : A Population Genetic Portrait of the Peopling of the Americas ''. PLOS Biology. 3 ( 6 ) : e193. ISSN 1545 - 7885. PMC 1131883. PMID 15898833. doi : 10.1371 / journal. pbio. 0030193. Jump up ^ Earls, John. `` The Character of Inca and Andean Agriculture '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 22 February 2017. Jump up ^ `` 4.1 Raised beds and waru waru cultivation ''. www.oas.org. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 22. Jump up ^ Pinedo, Javier Blossiers. `` AGRICULTURA DE LADERAS A TRAVÉS DE ANDENES, PERÚ '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original on 14 December 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2017. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Jump up ^ `` Massive Population Drop Found for Native Americans, DNA Shows ''. 2011 - 12 - 05. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 24. Jump up ^ `` The World Factbook -- Central Intelligence Agency ''. www.cia.gov. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 24. Jump up ^ `` The World Factbook -- Central Intelligence Agency ''. www.cia.gov. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 24. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Indigenous peoples of South America. ATLILLA -- Association for Teaching and Learning Indigenous Languages of Latin America Indigenous peoples in South America Sovereign states Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela Dependencies and other territories Falkland Islands French Guiana South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Indigenous peoples of the Americas Pre-history Paleo - Indians Pre-Columbian era Classification Archaeology Genetics Mythology / Religion Mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Americas ‎ List of deities Native American religion Mesoamerican mythology Mesoamerican religion European colonization European colonization Population history Columbian Exchange Modern societies by country North America Canada Costa Rica Dominica El Salvador Greenland Jamaica Mexico Panama United States West Indies South America Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela Related topics Indigenous American studies Indigenous languages Indigenous movements Indigenous art Artists Writers Portal Indigenous peoples of the world by continent Africa Asia Europe North America Oceania South America Indigenous peoples by geographic regions Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indigenous_peoples_of_South_America&oldid=801976676 '' Categories : Indigenous peoples of South America Ethnic groups in South America History of South America Ethnic groups in French Guiana Indigenous peoples in French Guiana Hidden categories : Articles needing more detailed references Webarchive template wayback links Pages with citations lacking titles Pages with citations having bare URLs CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Articles using infobox ethnic group with image parameters Talk About Wikipedia Wikivoyage Languages Català Deutsch فارسی Français 한국어 日本 語 Polski Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 23 September 2017, at 04 : 52. 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Question: where did the natives of south america come from
Answer: Asia