An octopus headdress belongs to an impressive Moche metalworking tradition.
South America to c. 1500
It is thought that these tunics were made for soldiers and the checkered pattern camouflaged them into an indistinguishable mass
Inka checkerboard tunics
An ancient story from Peru’s northern coastal communities and supposedly records the origins of the Sicán or Lambayeque dynasty (about 750–1375 C.E.)
Ancient Andean art in context: An origin ...
Inka khipus are bundles of woolen cords tied together with knots added to them to encode information.
The Inka khipu
Ninety-six Wari feather panels are considered to be among the most significant examples of Andean featherwork yet discovered
Wari feather panels
Chorrera artists developed a sophisticated technology that allowed them to create elaborate vessels and expressive sculptural works.
Chorrera Ceramics from Ecuador
Thousands of brightly painted and beautifully detailed sculptures were produced by the Jama-Coaque culture of modern-day Ecuador.
Jama-Coaque ceramics
Caral's plan and some of its components, including pyramidal structures and residence of the elite, show clear evidence of ceremonial functions, signifying a powerful religious ideology.
Caral
The planning of this huge city, the largest in pre-Columbian America, reflects a strict political and social strategy
Chan Chan
The innovative techniques and aesthetic qualities of Nasca polychrome ceramics make them unique in the Andean region.
Nasca ceramics, an introduction
The discovery of this Moche woman's luxurious tomb made scholars question the Moche culture's relationship between gender and power
Funerary bundle of the Señora de Cao
Learn more about how the Wari people made incredibly complex, detailed textiles like this hat
Four-cornered hat
Why Peruvian fashion favored septum jewelry with spiders
Nose ornament with spiders
The Ovalle map is one the earliest maps of Chile that circulated around Europe, and includes people, plants, and animals to create a vivid sense of the lands controlled by the Spanish Crown.
Alonso de Ovalle, Tabula geographica regni Chile
A flying figure and a cat animate this bowl from the ancient culture of Paracas, Peru.
Paracas Flying Figure Bowl
The Muisca would honor a new leader by covering his body in gold dust and then submerging him, his raft, and other offerings into the sacred lake.
Muisca Raft
A jar with a feline face and bird spout can tell us a lot about the ancient Paracan culture of Peru.
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