Peru: a journey in time

(Paperback)

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'The exhibition is now over, but the splendid book lives on.' 'A delightful, very readable eyecandy dive in the history of the cultures of Peru' 'An excellent book as you would expect from the British Museum, and a delight to dive into.' -- Sacred Hoop Magazine, March 2022 The environments of the Central Andean region in Peru, South America, are some of the most geographically rich and diverse in the world. This publication highlights the history, beliefs and cultural achievements of the different peoples who lived in these remarkable landscapes from 1500 BC to the arrival of Europeans in the 1500s, and the importance of their legacy up until today. Over thousands of years, the people of the Andes have approached agriculture, economy, gender, power and belief in fascinating ways. Many archaeological sites in Peru are uniquely preserved, and the book discusses key examples with a thematic and geographical approach. The vibrant and varied material depicted includes ceramics, colourful textiles, golden objects and wooden carvings, drawn from the British Museum and museums and collections in Peru and beyond. When juxtaposed with breathtaking photography of archaeological sites and landscapes, they reveal new narratives about the country's rich history.

Reviews

"This volume documents an exhibition at the British Museum. Organized in conjunction with the Museo de Arte de Lima, Peru, the exhibition featured works mostly from the British Museum's collection. Written by major scholars in Andean studies, the essays in the catalogue's seven sections survey the development of high civilization in the central Andes over the four millennia prior to the arrival of the Spaniards. Arranged chronologically, the essays detail the key cultures, ethnic and linguistic groups, and states and their artistic, intellectual, and practical achievements, the legacies of which inform Indigenous life to this day. Ceramic, metal, shell, stone, textile, and wood objects--here beautifully illustrated--and the engineering of agricultural terraces, irrigation systems, and road networks attest to Andean skill and sophistication. Throughout, the authors are sensitive to ways that culture shapes responses to other ways of being: it identifies and disarms contemporary prejudices and highlights distinctively Andean perspectives. Pardo (deputy director and curator of collections and pre-Columbian art, Museo de Arte de Lima) and Cooper (art and archaeology, Univ. of East Anglia, UK) deftly balance the material and the cultural, offering readers an excellent, well-written introduction to Andean peoples and traditions, past and present.

Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.--E. Douglas, University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill "CHOICE, October 2022 Vol. 60 No. 2"

Author Bio

Cecilia Pardo is Curator of the exhibition Peru: a journey through time and was previously Deputy Director and Curator of Collections and Pre-Columbian Art at the Museo de Arte de Lima, Peru. Previous publications include Nasca (Museo de Arte de Lima). Jago Cooper is Head of the Americas Section at the British Museum. Previous publications include Arctic: culture and climate (The British Museum Press). With contributions by Nilda Callaaupa, Rafael Vega Centeno, Peter Fux, Andrew Hamilton, Ricardo Kusunoki, George Lau, Elena Phipps, Gabriel Prieto, Julio Rucabado and Bill Sillar.