Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Andean civilizations were complex indigenous societies of South America that stretched 4000 km down the Andes, from southern Colombia through Ecuador and Peru to north Chile and northwest Argentina. They were noteworthy for monumental architecture, an extensive road system, and textile weaving.
The Caral or Norte Chico civilization of coastal Peru is the oldest known civilization in the Americas, dating back to 3500 BCE. It included as many as 30 major population centers and was contemporaneous with the Egyptian pyramids.
The Andean civilizations did not have a written language. Instead they used the quipu, a system of knotted and colored strings, to convey information. Few quipus survive and they have never been fully deciphered.
The Andeans cultivated an estimated 70 different plants, including potatoes, quinoa, tomatoes, chile peppers, cotton, coca, tobacco, pineapples, peanuts, and several varieties of beans. Crops such as potatoes, peppers, peanuts, manioc, chocolate, and coca became of worldwide importance.
The Inca Empire, called Tahuantinsuyu, was founded in 1438 and was the largest empire the Americas had ever seen, governed from the capital city of Cuzco. It rose from the Kingdom of Cuzco, founded around 1230, and united most Andean cultures into a single empire.
In the 16th century Spanish colonizers arrived in the Andes and subjugated the indigenous kingdoms. The last Inca stronghold was conquered by the Spanish in 1572, and Spanish rule transformed many elements of Andean civilization, notably religion and architecture.