Emerging in 1438 C.E., the Incan Empire developed along the west coast of the continent, with the Pacific Ocean forming its. The most famous of these civilizations is the Incan Empire. In 1945, the Argentine political leader Eva Perón, or Evita, gave a famous speech from one of the building’s balconies, rousing the populace to demand the freedom of her jailed husband. Hundreds of years before the arrival of European explorers, the ancient civilizations of South America developed rich and innovative cultures that grew in and amongst the geographic features of their landscape. Also in Bueno Aires is Casa Rosada, the building for the government’s executive branch. The ornate European-style structure is known for its acoustics. In Buenos Aires, the Teatro Colón, finished in 1908, stands as one of the world’s greatest opera houses. The 16th-century buildings in the Plaza de Armas, in Santiago, Chile, were built after the Spanish government claimed the country. South America’s colonial history is reflected in the architecture of cities and towns across the continent, especially in the central plazas.
In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Memory Park is filled with monuments to the tens of thousands who died in the country’s Dirty War in the late 20th century when government forces killed those who opposed the dictatorship of Jorge Rafael Videla. When visitors reach the statue, they have a 360-degree view of the city. It is a huge, 130-foot-high statue of Jesus Christ with outstretched arms.
The image of the Christ the Redeemer statue, towering over Rio de Janeiro on Corcovado Mountain, is a common sight in pop culture when depicting Brazil. Monuments in South America range from religious-inspired grandiose structures to those commemorating lives lost to violence during periods of dictatorships.