First, let's upgrade the Amazon Linux setup to include Python 2.7.6. Most of these instructions from excellent article by Kreutzberger at http://www.lecloud.net/post/61401763496/install-update-to-python-2-7-and-latest-pip-on-ec2.
Unfortunately Amazon Linux 3.4 AMIs still ship with Python 2.6 which makes it impossible to run many Python apps. Also the installation and update/upgrade of Pip through yum python-pip fails and puts packages into the old 2.6 lib folder.
Here is my solution to upgrade to Python 2.7 including the latest Pip & Virtualenv. Just copy & paste line by line:
# install build tools
sudo yum install make automake gcc gcc-c++ kernel-devel git-core -y
# install python 2.7 and change default python symlink
sudo yum install python27-devel -y
sudo rm /usr/bin/python
sudo ln -s /usr/bin/python2.7 /usr/bin/python
# yum still needs 2.6, so write it in and backup script
sudo cp /usr/bin/yum /usr/bin/_yum_before_27
sudo sed -i s/python/python2.6/g /usr/bin/yum
sudo sed -i s/python2.6/python2.6/g /usr/bin/yum
# should display now 2.7.5 or later:
python -V
# now install pip for 2.7
sudo curl -o /tmp/ez_setup.py
https://sources.rhodecode.com/setuptools/raw/bootstrap/ez_setup.py
sudo /usr/bin/python27 /tmp/ez_setup.py
sudo /usr/bin/easy_install-2.7 pip
sudo pip install virtualenv
# should display current versions:
pip -V && virtualenv --version
Now install numpy, scipy, etc.
sudo yum install python-matplotlib scipy python-pandas sympy python-nose