Ear Ornaments in the Pre-Columbian Americas
Among the many cultures of the ancient Americas, ear ornaments took many forms, including earspools, ear plugs, ear plaques, and ear flares.
Cupisnique Vessel from Ancient Peru
Look at a clay vessel featuring a thorny oyster, made over two thousand years ago in Peru in the Cupisnique cultural tradition.
Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala and The First New Chronicle and Good Government
Learn about Guaman Poma, the Indigenous author who documented pre-colonial and colonial Peru in a massive, illustrated manuscript. T
Lambayeque (Sicán) tumis or ceremonial knives
Learn what a tumi (ceremonial knife) is in the ancient Andes, looking in detail at Sicán (Lambayeque) examples in gold, silver, and turquoise.
Wari Tapestry-Woven Tunic
Look closely at a tapestry-woven Wari tunic from 600 to 850 CE. This video considers how the Wari Empire used diverse materials to create complex textiles.
Chavín Craftsmanship and Metalworking: A Chest Ornament with Agnathic Feline Face
A 2,000-year-old Chavin gold ornament helps us learn how ancient Andean art reflects early metallurgical skills in Peru.
Spondylus Shell in the Kingdom of Chimor in the Ancient Andes
The Chimú kingdom of Chimor thrived along the coast of what is now Peru, growing wealthy in part because of the Spondylus shell.
Spooky Season in Art: Skeletons, Spirits, and the Supernatural
Around the world, artists have turned to skeletons, spirits, and strange creatures to wrestle with life’s biggest mysteries and to provide social and political commentary. From medieval Europe to ancient China to ancient Peru and 19th-century Mexico, we can look at images and objects that seem spooky, eerie, or gruesome today. But were they always meant to be understood this way?
What is a Nazca Double-Spout and Bridge Vessel?
Learn about Nazca ceramics, specifically double-spout and bridge vessels.
The Nazca Lines in Ancient Peru
Learn about the famous Nazca Lines, ancient geoglyphs in Peru.