Existing comment:
Throughout the Andes Native peoples shared complex symbolism and art forms over wide distances, a remarkable feat in a region defined by the world's second-highest mountain range. Most striking is the exchange of ideas and styles of artistic expression seen in the rich traditions of ceramic and textile production, metal- and jewelry-working, and architecture practiced by many divergent, yet historically related societies before the 16th-century Spanish invasion. The achievements of these ancient peoples resonate in the objects shown here.
Successive cultures -- including Calima and Muisca in Colombia; Valdivia and Manteño in Ecuador; Tiwanaku in Bolivia; and Cupisnique, Paracas, Moche, and Nazca in Peru -- created objects that honored their deities and rulers and celebrated their way of life. Pre-contact Andean arts also reflect the grandeur of the Huarí, Chimú, and Inka empires, sophisticated societies that built cosmopolitan cities, united vast territories, and encompassed diverse peoples. Ruling families and social elites displayed sumptuous possessions to signal their wealth and confirm their authority. Iconic images honored the status of these elites by indicating their direct lineage to the sun (Taita Inti) and Mother Earth (Pachamama).
The celestial or cosmic family -- represented by the sun, the earth, the moon, and the stars -- continues to appear in ceremonies in the Andes and throughout the Americas. Today, as many as 12 million people still speak Aymara and Quechua, the languages of Tiwanaku and the Inka Empire. Millions more live in their ancestral villages, maintain aspects of Andean culture, and take pride in their Native heritage. |