<P> The Valdivia Culture is one of the oldest settled cultures recorded in the Americas . It emerged from the earlier Las Vegas culture and thrived on the Santa Elena peninsula near the modern - day town of Valdivia, Ecuador between 3500 BC and 1800 BC . </P> <P> The Nazca culture (also Nasca) was the archaeological culture that flourished from 100 to 800 AD beside the dry southern coast of Peru in the river valleys of the Rio Grande de Nazca drainage and the Ica Valley (Silverman and Proulx, 2002). Having been heavily influenced by the preceding Paracas culture, which was known for extremely complex textiles, the Nazca produced an array of beautiful crafts and technologies such as ceramics, textiles, and geoglyphs (most commonly known as the Nazca lines). They also built an impressive system of underground aqueducts, known as puquios, that still function today . The Nazca Province in the Ica Region was named for this people . </P> <P> The Moche civilization (alternately, the Mochica culture, Early Chimu, Pre-Chimu, Proto - Chimu, etc .) flourished in northern Peru from about 100 AD to 800 AD, during the Regional Development Epoch . While this issue is the subject of some debate, many scholars contend that the Moche were not politically organized as a monolithic empire or state . Rather, they were likely a group of autonomous polities that shared a common elite culture, as seen in the rich iconography and monumental architecture that survive today . They are particularly noted for their elaborately painted ceramics, gold work, monumental constructions (huacas) and irrigation systems . Moche history may be broadly divided into three periods--the emergence of the Moche culture in Early Moche (AD 100--300), its expansion and florescence during Middle Moche (AD 300--600), and the urban nucleation and subsequent collapse in Late Moche (AD 500--750). </P> <P> Tiwanaku (Spanish: Tiahuanaco and Tiahuanacu) is an important Pre-Columbian archaeological site in western Bolivia, South America . Tiwanaku is recognized by Andean scholars as one of the most important precursors to the Inca Empire, flourishing as the ritual and administrative capital of a major state power for approximately five hundred years . The ruins of the ancient city state are near the south - eastern shore of Lake Titicaca in the La Paz Department, Ingavi Province, Tiwanaku Municipality, about 72 km (45 mi) west of La Paz . The site was first recorded in written history by Spanish conquistador and self - acclaimed "first chronicler of the Indies" Pedro Cieza de León . Leon stumbled upon the remains of Tiwanaku in 1549 while searching for the Inca capital Qullasuyu . Some have hypothesized that Tiwanaku's modern name is related to the Aymara term taypiqala, meaning "stone in the center", alluding to the belief that it lay at the center of the world . However, the name by which Tiwanaku was known to its inhabitants may have been lost, as the people of Tiwanaku had no written language . </P>

Who is credited with discovering many pre-inka societies in peru