Many people are not aware of South Americans in the United States perhaps because South American immigrants tend not to think of themselves as South American, or even as Hispanic.
They identify with their home country, Ecuador or Peru, for example.
In many cases, these countries have long been rivals or enemies. An Ecuadoran might be insulted to be mistaken for a Peruvian, something like an Englishman being mistaken for a Frenchman during the Napoleonic Wars.
Because no single South American country has had a large community in the United States for a prolonged period, most Americans are unaware that there are any Americans of South American descent.
There are, and their numbers are increasing.
