South American Intermediate Area in the Ancient World.

Paleo-Indians were present in the Intermediate Area from 8000 b.c.e. For the first five thousand years, people formed small, nomadic groups of hunters and foragers, using stone tools. The history of the Intermediate Area is defined along geographical contexts, the mountains versus the coastal lowlands. After 3000 b.c.e., lowland cultures continued to rely on fishing and hunting for food in contrast to the highland cultures, which began to rely more on agriculture. Population grew in the highland, agricultural communities, leading to the development of status differences. The political order that was required to organize the larger mountainous communities can be seen in the precise, repetitive, and orderly organization of visual images in the art.